MINDSTRONG Program Delivery Type for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Program Evaluation

Abstract

Background: Many nursing students struggled with mental health problems that may have been exacerbated by pandemic stressors when most educational programs shifted to remote learning. During that time, a Big Ten Conference university study urged institutions to provide effective, evidence-based resilience programs. In 2022, a large Big Ten University College of Nursing initiated MINDSTRONG for undergraduate students through in-person, online, or hybrid formats in the fall. A program evaluation was conducted to determine if the delivery method would influence outcomes.

Aim: To evaluate the MINDSTRONG program delivery method and determine if it impacted students’ reports of meeting program objectives, program participation encouragement, and peer program recommendation using retrospective data from an end-of-program survey.

Methods: Applied the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation to generate credible evidence retrospectively sourced from an anonymous end-of-program survey.

Results: In-person participants had the highest self-reported scores when compared to the online and hybrid groups: 89% reported objectives met, 98% reported encouraged interactions, and 72% reported peer program recommendations. Online participants reported the lowest scores in each category: 72%, 90%, and 45%, respectively.

Conclusions: Program delivery affected outcome responses. Feedback guided stakeholder decision-making for future iterations of this program.