Online vs. offline teaching methods: Impact on academic performance in nursing education

Background: Online learning expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing nursing institutions to shift teaching modalities. Offline (traditional classroom) methods allow face-to-face interaction, whereas online methods provide flexibility and technology-based learning. There is still limited empirical evidence comparing the academic performance of nursing students under both approaches. Aim: To compare academic performance and learning outcomes among nursing students taught through online versus offline teaching methods. Methods: A quasi-experimental comparative study was conducted among 240 BSc Nursing and GNM students selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using: (1) Academic Performance Test (APT), (2) Teaching-Learning Satisfaction Scale (TLSS), (3) Observation checklist during practical demonstrations. SPSS (Version 26) was used for descriptive and inferential analysis (t-test, chi-square, correlation). Results: Offline teaching significantly improved mean academic scores (Mean = 78.4±8.12) compared to online teaching (Mean = 69.7±9.34), p