Experiences of online occupational therapy education during the COVID-19 pandemic at a South African university.
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a worldwide shift of academic programmes towards a predominantly online forum. There was therefore a need to explore how students experienced these shifts to ensure optimal learning. This study describes students' experiences of online teaching, learni...
| Published in: | South African Journal of Occupational Therapy Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 55 - 64 |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa
Aug2023
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=170802054&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 170802054 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 00382337 25J6 jtl: South African Journal of Occupational Therapy issn: 00382337 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Aug2023 vid: 53 iid: 2 pid: 30274 pub: Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa artinfo: ui: 170802054 170802054 170802054 10.17159/2310-3833/2023/vol53n2a6 170802054 ppf: 55 ppct: 9 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Experiences of online occupational therapy education during the COVID-19 pandemic at a South African university. aug: au: Ndaba, Nonjabulo Naidoo, Deshini Govender, Pragashnie affil: Discipline of Occupational Therapy, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa sug: subj: Student Experiences Online Education Mental Health Attitude to Health Occupational Therapy COVID-19 Pandemic Colleges and Universities South Africa Learning Methods Human South Africa Descriptive Research Cross Sectional Studies Quantitative Studies Surveys Data Analysis Software Female Male Summated Rating Scaling Fisher's Exact Test Female Male ab: Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a worldwide shift of academic programmes towards a predominantly online forum. There was therefore a need to explore how students experienced these shifts to ensure optimal learning. This study describes students' experiences of online teaching, learning and assessment and perception of their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was employed using a four-part self-administered online survey. Following a pilot study with 11 community service occupational therapists, the survey was sent to all eligible participants (N=118) with a response rate of 85% (n=91). Data were collected from second to fourth year registered occupational therapy students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2021. Data were analysed descriptively using R Studio Suite. Results: Over 50% of the students reported a positive online experience. Adequate access to infrastructure enabled optimal online learning. However, students experienced difficulty with structuring self-study time, theoretical application and time allocated for online tests. Additional challenges included stress and time management and managing the increased requirements for self-directed learning. Coping was enhanced by the availability and access to student support services. Conclusion: The key issues identified in the study need to be addressed to enhance online delivery of the curriculum. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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