Using the Internet to Instruct on Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in Classrooms across Borders

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a three-dimensional approach to professional services in which high-quality and current research evidence is integrated with practitioner expertise along with client values to inform assessment and treatment decisions. The primary objective of this study is to promote the importance of EBPs for speech-language-pathologies to their students’ clinical practices. A cross-institute collaboration on EBP in-class assignment was conducted at the National University in Malaysia and Rockhurst University in the United States. This assignment required students to choose and explore a research article online and write a synopsis of the article and reflections about its findings for clinical application. The findings show that both groups of students learned how to access EBP, and this assignment helped them better understand EBP in the field of speech language pathology. Students from the United States reported that they had more of a base of knowledge about EBP than their peers in Malaysia. Findings from this study could help the local governance and speech-language pathology associations in Malaysia and the United States and university programs in both countries understand the current practice and professional development needs of speech therapists in both countries.