Student Perceptions and Outcomes of Total On-Line (SPOT-ON) Curriculum Shift During the COVID-19 Crisis: Can Students Still Learn Remotely? A Preliminary Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 crisis resulted in a worldwide shift from in-person instruction to remote instruction, in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. The aim of this study was to survey Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students' perceptions of learning during the instructional shift as well as assess the impact of this shift on learning outcomes. SUBJECTS: One hundred twenty-five students enrolled in the DPT program were recruited to participate in this study. METHODS: A survey was completed by students 12 days after the switch to remote instruction. Students rated multiple aspects of remote instruction. In addition, exam scores of students before and after the shift to remote instruction were compared, and final semester grades were compared to previous years. RESULTS: Most respondents reported that they did not learn as well during remote instruction (83%); however, students' exam scores during remote instruction indicated otherwise. Open-ended questions revealed varied student responses regarding remote learning, workload, and burnout. CONCLUSION: A disconnect seems to exist between student perceptions of learning with actual learning outcomes. While these results may positively support remote instruction, qualitative data indicate that student experience of remote instruction must be considered to avoid burnout and stress among students.

Teaching dementia care to physical therapy doctoral students: A multimodal experiential learning approach.

As the population aged 65 and older grows, it becomes imperative for health care providers to expand their knowledge regarding geriatric conditions and concerns. Dementia is a devastating degenerative disease process that is affecting millions of individuals in the United States, with significant economic and emotional burden on family and caregivers. The need for further dementia education in physical therapy school is essential to improve attitudes and treatment that affect patient outcomes and quality of care. This physical therapy program implemented a 12-hour multimodal experiential learning module designed to educate their students on the challenges associated with dementia to increase knowledge and confidence when treating these patients. The results of this study showed statistically significant improvements in overall confidence and knowledge of treating patients with dementia. The study finds the addition of experiential learning to traditional didactic coursework improves students' reported confidence in working with patients with dementia and understanding the challenges associated with treating patients with dementia.

Power of Peer-Assisted Learning: An Interdisciplinary Mobility Laboratory Experience.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of early patient mobility in the hospital environment has been well established. This article highlights an interactive peer-assisted learning (PAL) mobility laboratory. Physical therapy (PT) students taught patient mobility skills to nursing students, with the goal of enhancing mobility knowledge and improved understanding of the two disciplines' roles and responsibilities. METHOD: The students were divided into 10 groups, with six nursing and three PT students in each group; each group rotated through the 10 mobility stations every 20 minutes. After completing all stations, the nursing students reviewed a case scenario requiring application of the recently learned knowledge and skills. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that the nursing students demonstrated significant improvement in overall knowledge of safe patient mobility, as well as improved confidence in the instruction of safe patient mobility. CONCLUSION: Both groups reported that the PAL strategy was successful in achieving the intended goals of improved interprofessional understanding.