Blogging to create a palpation portfolio: Use of a blog to master psychomotor skills at a distance

INTRODUCTION: Online learning has grown in popularity in many fields of study, but is in its infancy in the education of physical therapists. The Hybrid Entry-level DPT (HE-DPT) program at Nova Southeastern University is a novel program that combines both online and traditional face-to-face teaching and learning techniques. The dynamic nature of physical therapy course objectives poses challenges to the online component of education in this model. Most notably the psychomotor domain of learning requires additional considerations in course planning when teaching at a distance. Psychomotor skills are traditionally instructed in a face to face, hands-on manner. PURPOSE: The purpose of this podium presentation is to outline from conceptualization to outcomes the use of a class blog to enable the instruction of palpation skills in a hybrid format. METHODOLOGY: Important concepts in online teaching and learning are establishing instructor presence, creating communities of inquiry, and enhancing collaboration opportunities. These are easily accomplished in a traditional face to face classroom environment where psychomotor skills typically are taught. The hybrid format of this course does not eliminate the face to face experience, however the limited time spent face to face with students necessitated a new approach to the instruction and practice of palpation skills to utilize students’ time spent at a distance. The class blog served as a portal through which students could share videos, view and comment on each others’ work, and receive feedback from the instructor during the online portions of the course. Through the semester the students themselves built a portfolio of work within the class blog. RESULTS: The students instructed in this hybrid format achieved the objectives of the course and developed the desired palpation skills. In addition they also gained valuable web- application skills and technical abilities that otherwise would not have occurred. The blog enabled students to practice with instructor feedback and consult and collaborate with one another as they learned. Other advantages to students of this model may include: increased tolerance to struggle, increased resourcefulness in gathering information, a tighter community between classmates, and a lasting web-based resource. CONCLUSIONS: The students instructed in the psychomotor skill of palpation were able to achieve success within a hybrid format. Despite the prevailing traditional model for the instruction of psychomotor skills this case report suggests that there may be room for expansion into the virtual classroom given the proper tools; those which preserve the essential functions of the classroom including instructor feedback and peer collaboration. This is not to suggest that the face to face time is completely lost, but it may be significantly decreased by utilization of web-base applications. Further research should be gathered and outcome comparisons made between the two models

Simulation in a hybrid musculoskeletal physical therapy course: Development, adaptation, and outcomes

Introduction: Simulation is an active learning strategy used in health care education to reinforce skill and behavior acquisition. To achieve the desired learning objectives, simulation experiences must have a purposeful design including sound pre-briefing and debriefing strategies. Purpose: This platform will present an example of a patient simulation performed in a hybrid musculoskeletal physical therapy course including the development and adaption to a hybrid course. Description of Innovation: Students engaged in a 3-part hybrid simulation experience consisting of online prebriefing, face-to-face simulation and debriefing, and online reflection with individual feedback. Prebriefing consisted of a posted patient case complete with pertinent medical history documents. The face-to-face patient interactions and debriefings were performed by course instructors who served as both standardized patient and debriefer. In the face-to-face portion, students received immediate feedback on performance. The final step included documentation and future planning for the patient with individual instructor feedback. The simulation experience was aligned with the demands of the course’s final assessment: a triple jump practical examination. Outcomes: Course outcomes, strengths and weakness of the experience, and student perceptions will be presented. Discussion: Simulation can enrich traditional classroom strategies by purposefully engaging students in scenarios that enhance psychomotor skills, affective behaviors, and clinical reasoning in a low risk environment. Student achievement on course assessments and realization of course objectives are potential benefits of including simulation in a musculoskeletal physical therapy course

The Good, the Bad, and the Very Bad (Even Ugly): Separating Educational Fads from Enduring Principles

Teaching with academic technology is often misunderstood and sometimes overrated. This session will identify the mistakes and clarify the opportunities available when teaching with academic technology. Lecturing is good, but not always the best, and multitasking is really someone not paying attention, but it is also a great way to learn. Topics will include: single concepts, lectures, MOOCs, mobile learning, classroom testin

Where does the time go? A work sampling study of DPT faculty time

There is little information about how faculty members in physical therapist education programs allocate their time among teaching, scholarship, service, and administration. The goal of this study was to use iPad technology to collect real-time data in order to estimate and compare how faculty time was spent in these two programs

Interprofessional Education at a Distance: The Hybrid Interprofessional Education Model

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is a critical component of health professions education but planning and implementation are challenged by logistical, physical, personnel, and recently global pandemic COVID-19 barriers. Purpose: This report describes the development and design of the proposed Hybrid Interprofessional Education (HIPE) model, a blended learning IPE model developed to mitigate barriers using a flexible framework and online collaborative technologies to deliver experiences based on Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies. Operational principles, model design, an example of model implementation, and outcomes are reported. Method: Fifty-four student physical therapists and physician assistants attending remote campuses of the same university participated and completed an exit survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated for Likert scale and semantic differential scale survey items and thematic analysis was conducted for open question responses. Results: Analysis revealed students felt improved understanding of interprofessional practice, the other profession’s role, teamwork, and communication. Responses supported online, asynchronous delivery and the web application used but not the synchronous activity portion. Three themes arose from comments: learning with and from, interactions, and activity design. Conclusion: The HIPE model was used to deliver IPE that supported perceptions of student learning in IPEC core competencies when physical proximity was not possible. Further iterative research and model refinement are needed. Future research should include investigation of student learning outcomes when using the HIPE model