How COVID-19 elucidated challenges in the pedagogy of physiotherapy entry-level education in Brazil and directions for their remediation with special attention to digital teaching and learning

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction As experienced physiotherapy educators in Brazil, we observed that COVID-19 elucidated challenges in the pedagogy of entry-level education overall, and directions for their remediation. In this commentary, we describe our observations with particular attention to the opportunity for digital and distance teaching and learning in Brazil’s exemplary middle-income country. Body First, the legislation in Brazil around health professional education, specifically entry-level physiotherapy education, is described concerning distanced learning. Then, we contrast such education before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the aftermath of its peak. Our observations reinforce the need to preserve teaching and learning excellence in physiotherapy education with various approaches including distanced and digital learning; be aware of both advantages and disadvantages; and identify means of balancing these for optimal delivery and learner outcomes. Our collective experience and insights strongly support the need for change in the legislative document governing physiotherapy education in Brazil. Conclusion We hope our experiences will enable other educators to evaluate their contexts, reflect on how best to deliver entry-level physiotherapy education in general and during a pandemic, and reinforce the essentiality of practical face-to-face classes in achieving physiotherapy competencies. Only in this way will global standards of practice be ensured, through quality professional education and the factors that inform and govern these.