SONS conducts PhD defense online in the wake of COVID-19

Vincent Mukhtar, a PhD student at the University of Nairobi (UoN) School of Nursing Sciences (SONS) is happy to have defended his thesis in an online session.

This was a breakaway from the normal norm where the defense would be done face to face. Normally, the student would face a panel and present his/her thesis and later on respond to questions from the panelists.

But this has not been the case in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease where safety measures like social distancing and avoiding gatherings are supposed to be observed to stop the spread of the disease.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 that disrupted academic calendars for institutions of learning, the UoN Senate approved procedures for examination of research projects, dissertations and thesis online to enhance timely completion of studies by students.

The online thesis defense was conducted via Google Meet and chaired by SONS Director, Dr. Miriam Wagoro.

Mukhtar’s thesis is titled; The effectiveness of multi-pronged educational intervention to the registered nurses in influencing the compliance with the standard precautions in selected county referral hospitals in Kenya.

The panellists included Prof. Anne Karani, Prof. Anne Obondo, Dr. Daniel Ojuka, Dr. Irene Mageto, Dr. Lydiah Wambugu, and Jackline Monayo.