The first author, a lecturer of nursing, developed an initiative in which online problem-based conferencing was employed with a group of off-campus students studying a science course in the undergraduate nursing program. The second author, a second-year nursing student, reflected critically on her experience as a participant in the initiative. Both were motivated to write this paper following their positive experiences with the approach. Their reflections were supported by the results of an anonymous web-based survey administered to the class.

This pilot study revealed that students learnt more about the content, felt more connected with peers and lecturer, experienced less anxiety, and valued the approach as an effective way to learn. The importance of clear guidelines and optimal duration of conference could not be overemphasised.

Key words: nurse education, online learning, problem-based learning