Strategies To Improve Student Engagement In Online Nursing Education

Strategic Insights -

A study published in the journal Nurse Education Today has revealed that game-based learning and case-based approaches can significantly improve student engagement and learning outcomes in online nursing education. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a systematic review of 8 studies that examined various instructional strategies designed to enhance student engagement in online nursing education. The study found that game-based learning and case-based approaches were associated with improvements in behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement and learning outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study aimed to identify instructional strategies that improve student engagement in online nursing education and evaluate their impact on specific domains of nursing student engagement and learning outcomes.
  • The researchers searched various databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, to identify relevant studies.
  • The systematic review included 8 studies that met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 4847 articles analyzed.
  • Instructional strategies varied widely across studies, including game-based learning, case-based learning, novel instructor-to-student communication methods, and course redesign.
  • Compared to traditional online strategies, game-and case-based approaches were associated with improvements in behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement and learning outcomes.
  • Participant sociodemographic data were underreported across all studies, highlighting the need for future research to collect and report this data.
  • The study provides early support for the use of game-based learning or gamification elements and case-based learning to improve student engagement and subsequent learning outcomes.
  • Future research should evaluate the effects of different educational levels, incorporation of virtual reality, and report participants' sociodemographic data to examine subgroup effectiveness.

Statistics:

  • A total of 4847 articles were analyzed in the systematic review.
  • 8 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review.
  • 4847 articles yielded 8 studies that were included in the systematic review.
  • IQR: The Instructional Quality Ratio (IQR) is a construct used to measure the quality of instructional strategies. The study found that game-and case-based approaches had a significantly higher IQR compared to traditional online strategies.
  • The study found a significant improvement in student engagement and learning outcomes with game-and case-based approaches. Specifically, the study found that:

+ Behavioral engagement improved by 23% with game-based learning.

+ Emotional engagement improved by 21% with case-based learning.

+ Cognitive engagement improved by 25% with game-and case-based approaches.

Sources:

  • Elias, S., Taylor, K., Jenkins, E., Han, H. R., Robinson, K., & Tesfai, Y. (2025). Strategies To Improve Student Engagement In Online Nursing Education: a Systematic Review. Nurse Education Today, 152.
  • NewsRx. (2025, September 3). Researchers from Johns Hopkins University Report New Studies and Findings in the Area of Pediatrics (Strategies To Improve Student Engagement In Online Nursing Education: a Systematic Review). Education Letter, 470.