Exploring the Interplay Between Physical Activity Wellness, Social Networks, and Academic Performance in PT Students

Purpose Recognizing the intersection of peer influence, physical activity, student wellness, and academic performance, this study aims to provide insights that can inform educational practices and promote success among future physical therapist (PT) students. The study\u27s purpose is to investigate the associations between students\u27 physical activity wellness scores, their social networks, and academic performance within the school environment. The research questions are (1) Do students tend to form friendships with classmates who exhibit similar physical activity wellness scores and student achievement? and (2) How do the Exercise Factor scores of PT students align with published normative values? Subjects: 124 students from two cohorts enrolled in a physical therapy program at an academic medical center provided consent to participate. Materials/methods: At matriculation, mid-program, and graduation, students completed a questionnaire identifying close connections using a classmate roster and answered the Five Factor Wellness (FFW) Inventory (Myers and Sweeny, 2014). The FFW scale used for this study was the Exercise Factor. A binary achievement score was assigned at graduation, defining substandard achievement as academic probation, course or clinical education remediation, or multiple licensure exam attempts. Quadratic assignment procedure correlations and social network analysis were employed to analyze data. Results: Visualization network maps illustrate connection patterns between students with color-coded Exercise Factor scores and different icon shapes indicating academic performance issues. Students that share the most connections are at the center of the map. The mean (SD) FFW Exercise Factor score at matriculation was 83.7 (12.6) and increased to 85.1 (12.2) at mid-program and regressed 83.43 (12.1) at the time of graduation. The scores at each timepoint are higher than the reported norms of 68.1 (21.2). Conclusions: This study questions the belief that all physical therapy students naturally embrace physical activity, despite group scores surpassing norms. Though a negative link between stress and GPA exists in health profession students, engaging in exercise can positively impact stress-related disorders. Recommending regular exercise to PT students with below-average performance may aid academic improvement. This research aims to offer valuable insights into the interplay of physical activity, social connections, and academic outcomes for holistic student development. Clinical relevance: The findings from this study inform educators and students about the potential benefits of fostering physical activity and its role in shaping social networks and positively influencing academic success

Developing Interactive Curricular Elements with Teams of Faculty, Staff and Students

Students are continually searching for new resources to augment their learning. Online resources have become highly favored, especially by the millennial age group, for convenience, self-paced content, and versatility across learning styles. It has been reported that e-learning platforms are as effective as traditional face-to-face instruction, but may be best utilized when used as an adjunctive resource for teaching psychomotor skills.1,2 In a study about student confidence, results showed an increase in self-efficacy following the use of online learning materials.3 Blended learning, the next generation of web-based education, mixes advances in technology with creative faculty to fuse effective delivery methods that promote student engagement and learning. Re-designing all or portions of a course with a fresh prospective can re-energize faculty and render content more engaging for the learner but development can be hampered by limited time and resources. Our academic health science center launched a strategic initiative in 2013 for interprofessional student and faculty teams to build interactive e-learning modules. This presentation will focus on the significant role of medical and allied health science students in the development of interactive curricular elements, which can save faculty time and resources while enhancing student learning. Through this program, a large interprofessional network of collaborators with varying skill sets was created. The network includes nearly 100 students and faculty members from medical and allied health professions that have created over 50 e-learning projects. The greatest benefits of engaging student-faculty teams as e-learning developers have been the trust and cohesion, resource sharing and brokering of information consistent with the social capital theory. In addition, the high quality of e-modules resulting from the creative use of media-rich content in student designs increased peer engagement. With students as e-learning collaborators, faculty as content experts, and instructional design expertise we increased the production of curricular-based e-learning modules within a budget-friendly model while reducing faculty time required for development. More importantly, many additional modules have been created by teams outside of the formal institutional mechanism, suggesting the widespread adoption of this teaching modality in an expanding network. Regardless of educational trends, faculty who implement a novel learning tool should be aware of the learner’s cognitive load, or working memory, which has a limited capacity. Each module is evaluated using a checklist to examine accessibility and educational design. There are content development strategies using visual and auditory channels to maximize learner efficiency and minimize distractions for long-term memory development.4 The presenters will share an overview of this initiative and practical experience. We will a) describe the resultant network structure and composition of faculty, students and staff involved; b) provide a step-by-step timeline of how the e-learning modules went from a sketch and brainstormed idea to a tangible and useful product and the important role of instructional designers and an interprofessional peer-faculty team, c) share resources used for creation, and d) demonstrate exemplars on topics such as joint examination, the cardiopulmonary system, International Classification of Functioning, scanning a hospital room, and reviewing a medical chart