Identifying Critical Success Factors for Blended Approach Mode in Teaching and Learning for Undergraduate Nurses in Kenya

Background: Critical success factor (CSF) appeared in the literature in the 1980s when there was interest in why some organizations seemed to be more successful than others. Blendedlearning approach refers to a combination of online and face to face methods in response to learner need and for the achievement of instructional objectives. A macro perspective suggested some critical success factors that can assist faculty and universities in e-learning environment development. Some elearning CSFs included intellectual property, the suitability of the course for e-learning environment, building the e-learning course, e-learning course content, e-learning course maintenance, e-learning platform, and measuring the success of an e-learning course. In order to match this expectation, there’s a need to investigate and address the CSFs that influence the implementation of blended approach teaching and learning of undergraduate nursing. Blending represents a fundamental change in the way teachers and students approach the teachinglearning experience. adoption. Purpose: The study aimed at the success-critical factors of blended approach mode in teaching and learning in Kenyan universities during the pre-intervention phase of the study. Methodology: This study applied a mixed design method in order to obtained detailed information from the study participants of interest to the researcher. The study involved conducting teaching and managing one fourth-year course “NRSG 400: Education Concept and Teaching Strategies in Nursing” in the selected study sites for one trimester, by use of blended mode and conventional teaching and learning strategies. Four out of nineteen (4/19) universities in Kenya that offered Bachelor of Science in Nursing were sampled by use of convenience nonprobability sampling. The sample population included two public and two private universities. One public and one private university were used as experimental group and control group respectively. The study participants comprised of only general nursing lecturers and fourth-year nursing students. Consent forms were filled from the study sites and study participants, anonymity and confidentiality during the study period was maintained. Data were collected by the use of, self-reported questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential data was processed and analyzed in order to generate simplified information. Results:A total population of (n= 486) comprised of 175 (36.0%) male and 311 (64%) female participants who consented for the study. The students had a mean age of 22 years. Of the total respondents, 30% of them Disagreed that they had knowledge on how eLearning via Moodle works while 46.3% were ready to integrate e-learning into their study. On whether they had acquired competence in access and use of e-Learning materials that had been prepared and posted on the university website by their respective lecturers 50 % of the population remained neutral.The fourth question which was whether students preferred e-learning to face to face learning as a method of learning 75% of the population was on neural. Recommendations: infrastructural support is important for the application and success of the blended mode of teaching and learning. This is among the highest scored critical factors which respondents acknowledged that should be in place for the success of the system. It’s imperative to note that institutions should invest in their infrastructure to provide a conducive environment for the application of blended mode of teaching and learning. Conclusion: There are a number of critical factors of blended teaching and learning mode among universities offering Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Kenya but not fully addressed by the university management as shown in the above and similar studies in the world.