Developing digitally capable graduates : a webinar for Gulf University Bahrain: Paradigm Shift in Higher Education Under COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience and Challenges

During the current coronavirus pandemic, undergraduate nurse teaching is facing many challenges. United Kingdom (UK) Universities have had to close their campuses, which means that academics are working from home and may be coping with unfamiliar technology to deliver the theoretical part of the undergraduate nursing curriculum. Emergency standards from the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council allowed theoretical instruction to be replaced with distance learning, requiring nursing academics to adapt to providing a completely virtual approach to their teaching. Current NMC Recovery Programme Standards permit theoretical instruction to be replaced blended learning, where appropriate to support student learning, which meet the required theoretical hours and learning outcomes. This webinar provides examples of tools that can be used to deliver the theoretical component of the undergraduate nursing curriculum and ways of supporting students and colleagues in these unprecedented times. Indeed, the content of this presentation is transferable and applicable to all healthcare teachers and it will be interesting to explore the application of such tools for the purpose of practice learning opportunities. Our webinar draws on collaborations between the University of Salford School Health & Society and Salford Business School. We provide top tips on our experience here at Salford, of using digital technologies, including which tool to use-the decision-making process; exploring the lecturer as facilitator; creating the support processes for academics who are working and delivering remotely; and buddying with colleagues from technical disciplines to maximise programme delivery success. Again, we will facilitate discussion around the transferability and applicability to the practice learning environment. We will use digital technologies to make this an interactive session, using for example, Padlet and Kahoot.