Academic success of nursing students during a global pandemic

Background and objective: In 2020, the College of Nursing quickly transitioned to online learning for students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was reported that the pandemic exacerbated student failures due to the quick change to online learning and environmental conditions, changes in program location, and external stressors. Thus, the research team wanted to understand if this transition affected students’ success.  The objective of the study was to understand how students defined academic success while completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. 
Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used with undergraduate nursing students (n = 14) through interviews over a three-month period. Data were analyzed thematically.
Results: Three themes emerged from the interviews: a) Students’ Perspectives of Success, b) Students’ Experiences of In-Person Learning, and c) Students’ Experiences of Online Learning Results.
Conclusions: This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how undergraduate nursing students conceptualized academic success and navigated online learning during the pandemic, centering students’ experiences. Findings suggest that academic success is not dependent on instructional modality, but rather on students’ access to structured resources, autonomy, and opportunities for meaningful peer and faculty engagement, and their ability to apply knowledge and understand course content.