Exploring the online learning experiences of health and social care students.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of health and social care students studying online at University of Essex. The timing of data collection meant that this coincided with COVID-19, which affected this experience for students dramatically. Intersectional analysis examined if key characteristics of ethnicity, age and gender affected the online learning experience. The study also aimed to seek student suggestions of how to overcome any challenges that were identified. Methods: This study used hermeneutic phenomenology to explore the lived experience of students. Purposive and maximum variation sampling was used to recruit a range of students within the School of Health and Social Care (HSC) at the University of Essex (n = 12), targeting diversity across the areas of specific interest (ethnicity, age and gender). Semi-structured interviews were conducted via online video calls and transcribed verbatim. Data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes and twelve sub-themes were identified. The four main themes were: 1) The physical environment; 2) Social impact of learning online; 3) Engaging with the content; and 4) Meeting expectations. The impact of ethnicity, age and gender was shown to vary greatly, highlighting the diversity of students in the sector and promoting the proposal of a new Integrated Framework for Personalised Online Learning. Student suggestions included pre-recorded lecture content and greater use of interactive games and quizzes. Conclusions: Online learning offers many benefits for HSC students but requires a pedagogic shift to be implemented successfully. These benefits need to be balanced against important factors such as lack of social interaction, learner disengagement and, given the broad student demographic within HSC at Essex, intersectional considerations. Implementing student-led suggestions for improvements to online education should empower students as agents of change and improve the overall quality of educational experience.