Recommendations for the Profession: Best Practices to Teach Orthopedic “Hands-on” Skills in an Online Environment.
Purpose/Hypothesis: Despite the proliferation of online teaching and learning in physical therapy (PT) education, a gap exists in the literature that describes best practices used to teach orthopedic “hands-on” skills. The purpose of this study was to discover the resources used, current and emerging instructional methods, faculty perceptions, and a list of best practices for PT educators.
Number of Subjects: Faculty assigned to teach orthopedic course content in DPT programs served as the survey respondents (n = 72). In addition, the researcher interviewed subjects (n = 4) with recent blended instruction publications or current teaching experience in blended programs.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design collected a wide perspective of opinions from the profession at large. Purposeful sampling helped recruit faculty assigned to teach orthopedic course content in DPT programs. A survey instrument gathered information related to learning management tools, online resources, and new/emerging teaching strategies used to teach “hands-on” orthopedic content in an online environment. In addition, a basic interpretive approach to the interviews helped to clarify and understand the beliefs of PT educators who teach “hands-on” skills.
Results: The findings suggest faculty use an assortment of resources and instructional methods in a variety of ways that supported an eclectic approach. Benefits of blended learning included flexibility, the ability to review and repeat information, increased student preparedness, and increased class time for the application of course content. There were notable challenges for both faculty and students, which suggested blended learning may not be for everyone. Challenges in the blended environment related to the accommodation of learning styles, higher faculty workloads, and student frustration in the active learning process. The data generated a list of best practices for the PT profession, which consisted of a tangible list of pre-class activities and face-to-face instructional methods. One unexpected finding from the data revealed a cultural disposition that may contribute to faculty adoption of blended instructional strategies.
Conclusions: According to the data provided by the survey respondents and interview subjects, a blended learning approach is the recommended best practice to teach orthopedic “hands-on” skills based on current teaching practices. This study serves as a baseline in today’s instructional climate and will evolve as educators continue to seek novel approaches in the technological space within PT education.
Clinical Relevance: Additional research can help faculty make informed decisions based on evidence, feasibility, and availability of technologies. As blended learning continues to evolve in the PT profession, time and monies allocated for instructional design, mentorship, and peer review can support interested faculty.