the effect of offline e-learning on cognitive learning (levels of knowledge, comprehension, and application) of fluid and electrolyte imbalances course among nursing students

Introduction: the use of e-learning and computer-aided methods is rapidly on the rise in medical and nursing education. therefore, given the conflicting findings and lack of systematic clinical trials on comparison of the effects of e-learning and traditional methods in nursing education, this study aimed to assess the effects of offline e-learning on cognitive learning (levels of knowledge, comprehension, and application) in the fluid and electrolyte imbalances course among nursing students. methods: this is a quasi-experimental study with a two-group, post-test-only design. a total of 52 third-semester nursing students were selected by convenience sampling method. course contents were presented during 6 weeks by lecture and question and answer (q & a) in the traditional learning group and by offline e-learning in the second group. afterwards, the students’ cognitive learning (knowledge, comprehension, and application) was assessed using a 23-item questionnaire on fluid and electrolyte imbalances course. the obtained data were analyzed in spss (version 16) using mann-whitney, t-test, chi-square, fisher's exact test, and analysis of two-way variance. the significant level was considered as p < 0.05. results: the mean score of cognitive learning was significantly higher in the traditional learning group (14.1±1.9) than in the e-learning group (12.4±2.2) (p=0.006). the difference was also significant in the domain of knowledge (p<0.001), but insignificant in comprehension (p=0.097) and application (p=0.892) domains. conclusions: according to the results, the method of teaching e-learning, alongside traditional teaching method is recommended.