Developing students' ethical competence with distance learning tools: a qualitative study on a discussion forum on surrogacy

Abstract

Introduction: The University had to quickly adapt to the social distancing rules put in place to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the last year. The e-learning tools, already made available by the University of Turin, have been implemented to avoid the interruption of training and “distance learning” has become the prevailing teaching method.As a comparison tool, an online forum was proposed to the nursing students to elaborate reflections on surrogacy for commercial purposes in India and on a series of related ethical dilemmas; then all comments were analyzed and the contribution made by the discussion to the development of ethical competence in future professionals was evaluated.

Methods: Students were shown the documentary "Google Baby". An exploratory question was posted on the online forum dedicated to students to start a careful analysis and elaborate a comment on the topic. All contributions, collected anonymously, were subjected to a qualitative analysis by three reviewers.

Results: The collected comments were 50. The sample consisted of 7 men (15%) and 43 women (85%) aged between 21 and 41. From the analysis of all the writings, the most frequently discussed themes were identified.

Discussion: The need to replace "traditional" teaching with distance learning has required a considerable commitment from the teachers, especially in seeking a teaching method capable of accompanying and motivating students in the process of learning and personal and professional growth. The results showed the effectiveness: in the comments the students focused on different aspects and ethical principles, fundamental to address the dilemmas that arise in daily nursing and at the basis of professional behavior.