Nursing Students' Perceptions of Virtual Simulation in Nursing Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Proposal for a Validation Protocol and Cross-Sectional Study

There is no evidence with regard to the effectiveness of the use of simulation in video conferences to facilitate the learning experiences of nursing student. Aims. To describe the research protocol 1) to validate instruments measuring student satisfaction, self-confidence, and perceptions of good planning and best practice in the use of virtual simulation in the Italian con- text on the basis of Jeffries and Rizzolo's theoretical model in the Italian context and 2) to analyse student satisfaction, self-confidence, and perceptions of good planning and best practice in virtual simulation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. First, we will perform a validation study and then use a descriptive cross-sectional study design. Third year nursing students in a bachelor's degree course in nursing in central Italy, who participated in virtual simulation-based learning during the COVID-19 pandemic will be included. We will consider translation and cultural adaptation, the content and face validity, the construct validity, the criterion validity, the reliability, and the responsiveness to changes in the instruments. Then we will consider means and standard deviations for evaluating the score of the instruments. Discussion. This study will provide us with the opportunity to determine the effectiveness of virtual simulation for nursing students. The intent is not only to evaluate students' perceptions of virtual simulation but also to create a continuous monitoring system. The future intention is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual simulation for developing students' skills during their internship.