Table 3 Themes derived from the analysis

1. Interaction as a tool for learning

1.1. Modeling the professor

“I felt that the professor put in a lot of thought and effort so that we could focus on the subject instead of just studying for grades. Seeing him passionate about teaching the course motivated me to study hard.” (Participant I)

1.2. Motivation through interaction

“When I saw his comment on my posting or found his comment different from the ones he wrote for others, I felt motivated to work harder on my assignments thinking that he was going through my work.” (Participant G)

2. Repetitive learning

2.1. Effect of repetitive learning

“Discussions were very helpful. Questions naturally arise when you listen to a lecture, and I could ask those questions during discussions and the professor gave me clear answers. At first, I was worried about whether I could take notes of the discussions every week. But over time, the discussions not only clarified and answered the questions I had but also helped me summarize what I learned that same day, allowing me to review the materials right away.” (Participant F)

3. Enjoyable but overly detailed feedback

3.1. Immersive lecture video

“It is hard to focus during non-face-to-face classes. But the professor provided a lot of clinical cases and helped us better understand the materials, so I didn’t have to spend extra hours studying.” (Participant K)

3.2. Overly detailed explanation

“I felt a little bored when there was too much explanation of details when the materials were easy to understand. The length of the lecture clips was usually 40–50 minutes but I think it would be better to cut down on the explanation of easy materials and reduce it to 25–35 minutes.” (Participant A)

4. Chance of self-improvement

4.1. Expanded thinking

“It was hard to write down my opinion at first but I had to participate because it was part of the evaluation. But over time, repeated writing made me reflect on my thoughts and realize the prejudice I had. Reading others’ posts often also helped me become more receptive to different opinions.” (Participant C)

4.2. Helpful learning habits

“Knowing that my postings would be read by not only the professor but also other students made me build a habit of writing in a clear and comprehensible way. It also helped me build a habit of considering specific cases when I study.” (Participant K)

4.3. Enhanced competencies

“I thought there is a lot of content in psychiatric nursing that is difficult to explain. But the instructor made it easier to understand through pre-lesson and explained the parts I did not understand through Q&A, so I felt that I understood them fully.” (Participant H)

4.4. Autonomous learner

“I’m an introvert so I normally don’t ask questions during class and ask my friends or look for the answers from books. But the instructor gives us an opportunity to ask questions every week, so I got to experience the benefit of asking questions in class. I gained more confidence as they answered my questions and I got to come up with even more questions. I became more confident and I don’t hesitate to ask questions anymore. My attitude in class completely changed.” (Participant G)

4.5. Self-awareness

“I could concentrate in class as I had to write about my thoughts after class. The process of reminding myself of the things I learned in class and reflecting on my thoughts was very helpful.” (Participant C)