Digital learning designs in physiotherapy education: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Digital learning designs have the potential to support teaching and learning within higher education. However, the research on digital learning designs within physiotherapy education is limited. This study aims to identify and investigate the effectiveness of digital learning designs in physiotherapy education. Methods The study was designed as a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized trials. A search of eight databases on digital learning designs and technology was conducted. Study selection, methodology and quality assessment were performed independently by three reviewers. The included studies were mapped according to the types of digital interventions and studies. For similar interventions, the learning effects were calculated using meta-analyses. Results Altogether, 22 studies were included in the review (17 randomized controlled trials and five cohort studies). A blended learning design was used in 21 studies, a flipped classroom model in five and a distance learning design in one. Altogether, 10 of the 22 articles were included in meta-analyses, which showed statistically significant effects for flipped classrooms on knowledge acquisition (standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20, 0.62), for interactive websites or applications (apps) on practical skills (SMD: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.71,1.43) and for students self-produced videos on a practical skill in a cervical spine scenario (SMD: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.93). Overall, the effects indicated that blended learning designs are equally as or more effective than traditional classroom teaching to achieve learning outcomes. Distance learning showed no significant differences compared to traditional classroom teaching. Conclusions The current findings from physiotherapy education indicate that digital learning designs in the form of blended learning and distance learning were equally or more effective compared to traditional teaching. The meta-analyses revealed significant effects on student learning in favour of the interventions using flipped classrooms, interactive websites/apps and students self-produced videos. However, these results must be confirmed in larger controlled trials. Further, research should investigate how digital learning designs can facilitate students’ learning of practical skills and behaviour, learning retention and approaches to studying as well as references for teaching and learning in digital learning environments.

Online teaching in physiotherapy education during COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: a retrospective case-control study on students’ satisfaction and performance

“…Regarding the higher students’ performance, our findings are in line with the growing body of evidence showing that distance-online courses can prepare students as well as face-to-face courses [ 8 – 10 ].…”

“…Former systematic reviews, summarizing studies performed before COVID-19 pandemic, found that levels of satisfaction and performances are similar for both distance-online and face-to-face teaching [ 8 – 10 ]. Our study seems to support these findings, as our online course satisfied students as the face-to-face one.…”

“…Even if former systematic reviews reported that distance-online learning arouses the same satisfaction and has the same efficacy as traditional face-to-face teaching in physiotherapy [ 8 – 10 ], the protected experimental setting in which the included studies were conducted limits the external validity of the findings to the ongoing pandemic. A recent meta-synthesis investigated accessibility and educational methods of online education in the medical curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic but none of the included studies investigated satisfaction and performance [ 11 ].…”

Digital Entry-Level Education in Physiotherapy: a Commentary to Inform Post-COVID-19 Future Directions

“…Digital education is not a new concept in entry-level physiotherapy education [12,13]. Several systematic [14][15][16] and scoping reviews [17,18] have investigated its effectiveness on learning processes and outcomes confirming that digital education has many benefits to offer. However, physiotherapy educators need to understand the role of digital technologies to address short-term educational issues posed by COVID-19 and to inform decisions for the post-pandemic time [19].…”

Exploring the Effects of Applying Learning Analytics for Teaching Procedural Skills in Health Sciences Education

“…Given this, there is a range of possibilities for applying LA and EDM that have not yet been explored in Health Sciences Education [13,14]. Current findings in Health Science education indicate that digital learning designs in blended learning and distance learning are equally or more effective than traditional teaching [15]. This becomes an opportunity since technology-mediated learning of procedural skills is growing in Health Science degrees, and we are getting more educational data.…”