Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a global transition from in-person to online instruction leaving many higher education faculty with little time or training for this responsibility. Physical therapist education programs were especially impacted since a large part of the development of skills rely on face-to-face onsite practice. This phenomenological study explored the perceptions of physical therapist educators in three countries—Brazil, Cyprus, and the United States, who transitioned to an entirely virtual medium of teaching during the pandemic. Sixteen faculty participated in 1:1 semi-structured interviews. Trustworthiness of qualitative inquiry was ascertained using triangulation, thick descriptions, and peer reviews. Four major themes emerged from analysis of participants’ interview data: adapting pedagogy in real-time, expected excellence, limitations of the medium, and informing future teaching practice. All participants described teaching during the pandemic as one of the most challenging experiences of their professional careers. Despite available resources, faculty noted challenges in making authentic connections with students, adapting to technological interruptions, assessment of student understanding of content, and managing work-life balance. Despite the challenges, faculty worked collaboratively with peers to innovate new approaches of creating social, cognitive, and teaching presence. Unique opportunities arose from the pandemic to enhance future teaching practice.
Highlights
On 30 January 2020, The World Health Organization Director-General declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) “a public health emergency of international concern” [1]
As the pandemic spread globally, school closures began in March in the United States [5] and Cyprus [6,7], and April in Brazil [8]
Sixteen faculty members participated in 1:1 interviews with researchers: eight in the US, five in Brazil, and three in Cyprus
Summary
On 30 January 2020, The World Health Organization Director-General declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) “a public health emergency of international concern” [1]. In response to the outbreak, countries adopted safety measures, including social and physical distancing, travel restrictions, and stay-at-home orders [2,3]. Limitations of large gatherings resulted in educational institution closures worldwide, necessitating rapid transition from face-to-face academic instruction to online delivery. The pandemic has impacted an estimated 280 million learners across 22 countries, affecting over 80%. Of the global student population [4]. As the pandemic spread globally, school closures began in March in the United States [5] and Cyprus [6,7], and April in Brazil [8]. To avoid disruption of education, institutions of higher education rapidly transitioned to virtual learning formats leaving educators with little choice or time to prepare
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