Physiotherapy lecturers' perceptions of online curriculum delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey.

To establish UK Physiotherapy lecturers' perceptions of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional mixed methods electronic survey of UK higher education lecturers, actively teaching pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate physiotherapy degrees, was conducted between Octo...

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Published in:European Journal of Physiotherapy Vol. 25; no. 5; pp. 274 - 283
Main Authors: Chesterton, Paul, Richardson, Mark, Tears, Craig
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Oct2023
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct2023
      vid: 25
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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        10.1080/21679169.2022.2093968
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        atl: Physiotherapy lecturers' perceptions of online curriculum delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey.
      aug:
        au:
          Chesterton, Paul
          Richardson, Mark
          Tears, Craig
        affil: School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
      sug:
        subj:
          Education, Physical Therapy
          Faculty Attitudes
          Online Education
          Curriculum
          COVID-19 Pandemic
          Education, Non-Traditional
          Students, Physical Therapy
          Cross Sectional Studies United Kingdom
          Multimethod Studies
          United Kingdom
          Surveys
          Confidence Intervals
          Summated Rating Scaling
          Descriptive Statistics
          Thematic Analysis
          Professional Development
          Student Knowledge
          Learning Methods
          Clinical Competence
          Skill Acquisition
          Faculty, Health Occupations
          Work-Life Balance
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Aged
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Male
          Female
      ab: To establish UK Physiotherapy lecturers' perceptions of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional mixed methods electronic survey of UK higher education lecturers, actively teaching pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate physiotherapy degrees, was conducted between October 2020 and February 2021. Data was converted into proportions with a 95% confidence interval. Likert scale questions were treated as numeric variables with the mean and standard deviation calculated for combined responses. The thematic analysis reported patterns of data extracted from open-ended questions. 96 respondents completed the survey, reporting some positive attributes attached to online learning. 81% (n = 78, 95% CI 72–88) agreed that students developed their digital skills and were able to learn conveniently at their own pace (n = 75, 78%, 95% CI 69–85). However, 62.5% (n = 60, 95% CI 23–72) of respondents felt that students were overall disadvantaged with online learning, with 72% (n = 69, 95% CI 62–80) reporting that online learning was not comparable to face-to-face to teaching. The reasons for perceived student disadvantage were categorised into three themes; 1) a lack of ability in sessions to practice handling techniques, 2) the inability to gauge student understanding and check practical skill competence and 3) the lack of student self-directed practice time. UK physiotherapy lecturers did indicate they would continue to incorporate online learning in the future (n = 84, 87.5%, 95% CI 79–93). Such responses were based on two key themes; an improved work-life balance and the perception that online learning was no more challenging than traditional on-campus delivery. UK physiotherapy lecturers reported that students were disadvantaged with online learning delivery compared to face-to-face teaching. Lecturers indicated a willingness to continue with aspects of online learning across the curriculum, despite suggesting it had a negative impact on students subject understanding.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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