Abstract
BackgroundShifting from face-to-face teaching to incorporating technology may prepare students better for future work as health professionals. Evidence of blended teaching’s effect on the academic performance of undergraduate physiotherapy students’ performance is scarce.ObjectiveThe purpose of our study was to determine students’ theoretical and clinical performance in a blended teaching module compared to their own performance in two knowledge areas taught face to face, and student perceptions of blended teaching in the third-year physiotherapy curriculum.MethodsThe cross-sectional study design included 47 third-year physiotherapy students. The orthopaedic module was delivered using a blended teaching approach in two consecutive semesters, whilst two other physiotherapy knowledge areas, neuromusculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary, in the same semesters were delivered face to face. Theoretical and clinical performances of students were compared for significance and effect. Students were assessed on their theoretical and clinical knowledge in all areas using the same assessment methods. The students (n = 43) also completed a survey on their blended teaching experience.ResultsSignificantly higher theoretical marks for orthopaedics were calculated compared to neuromusculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary for both semesters with a large positive effect (average Cohen d = 4.44) for blended teaching on theoretical examination performance; no statistically significant difference for clinical performances. Students felt engaged in the blended teaching process, and 72% preferred blended teaching over face-to-face teaching or online delivery.ConclusionBlended teaching improved the theoretical marks, demonstrating that knowledge acquisition was improved, but not clinical performance.Clinical implicationsThe study contributes to the knowledge base of blended learning in Health Science Education in South Africa. The authors identified a gap where future studies should investigate the effect of blended learning on clinical performance outcomes as a continuation from this one.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused an instant shift in teaching across the world
The students scored significantly higher theoretical marks in both semesters for the orthopaedics module, showing an average large effect of blended teaching over the face-to face approach. This is similar to the findings of a systematic review conducted by Liu et al (2016), where blended teaching approaches were found to be more effective or as effective when compared to a face-to-face approach or purely e-learning teaching
Whilst these results contribute to our understanding of the impact of blended teaching on clinical performance, as suggested by Rowe et al (2012), we need further research on the factors that contribute to this outcome
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused an instant shift in teaching across the world. A shift from traditional face-to-face teaching to e-learning or a blended teaching approach occurred. To adequately prepare students for a changing workforce, educators need to reflect on their teaching strategies to incorporate the 21st-century learning skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, innovation and creativity, independent and self-directed learning, and using technology to learn (Kennedy & Heineke 2014; Kereluik et al 2013; Little 2013). Traditional face-to-face teaching approaches have been, and are still being, used in health sciences education to prepare undergraduate students with the necessary theoretical knowledge as well as clinical skills to enter a clinical work environment. Shifting from face-to-face teaching to incorporating technology may prepare students better for future work as health professionals. Evidence of blended teaching’s effect on the academic performance of undergraduate physiotherapy students’ performance is scarce
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