Exploring the activities and outcomes of digital teaching and learning of practical skills in higher education for the social and health care professions: a scoping review

Abstract

Higher education for health care professionals faces numerous challenges. It is important to develop and apply methods supporting education, especially the practical skills. This scoping review aimed to explore the activities and learning outcomes of digital technology in practical skills teaching and learning in higher education for the social and health professions. Scoping review recommendations and the PRISMA-ScR checklist were applied. Randomized controlled trials published between 2016 and 2021 involving students in higher education who were taking courses in the social sciences and health care and reported interventions with digital technology activities and practices in practical teaching and learning were included. The CINAHL Plus, PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, and Sociological Abstracts/Social Services Abstracts databases were searched. Teaching methods were blended, e-learning or other online-based, and digital simulation-based activities. Teaching and learning environments, methods, resources, and activity characteristics varied, making a summary difficult. Interventions were developed in a face-to-face format prior to digitalization. The outcomes were measured at the knowledge level, not at the performance level. One-third of the studies showed a significant improvement in practical skills in the intervention group in comparison to the control conditions. The use of digital technology in the learning and teaching process have potential to develop of students' skills, knowledge, motivation, and attitudes. The pedagogy of technology use is decisive. The development of new digital methods for teaching and learning practical skills requires the engagement of students and teachers, in addition the researchers.

Blended learning in nursing pharmacology: elevating cognitive skills, engagement and academic outcomes

“…However, this approach assumes that all students and teachers have access to the digital tools. Institutions that consider this model must ensure robust support systems to overcome potential technological barriers ( Söderlund et al, 2023 ).…”

The impact of pedagogical and ICT training in teachers’ approaches to online teaching and use of digital tools

“…Previous studies from different countries have shown that despite efforts to increase and improve digital teaching and learning in universities in different cultures, both teachers and students use of digital technology is rather limited (e.g., Bond et al, 2018;Amhag et al, 2019;Ferede et al, 2023;Söderlund et al, 2023). It is claimed that teachers' ICT training should take adequate time to learn and reflect upon new skills and knowledge, short-term training seems to be inefficient (Inamorato dos Santos et al, 2019).…”

“Being in the digital box”. Academic staff experiences in online practical teaching: A qualitative study from six universities and countries

“…In addition, it is argued that performing practical skills on real patients can help students gain deeper knowledge when compared with the other options [ 12 ]. Whereas gaining practical skills in traditional teaching includes components such as physical examination of patients, history taking and performing various procedures [ 13 ], this was no longer an option in this new reality. Due to the pandemic, the transition from traditional instructional settings to online environments in gaining practical skills, with the help of digital technologies, has created a new field of experience for both academic staff and students.…”

“…Despite all the challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic offered tremendous opportunities for online teaching and the utilization of digital technologies. Online education techniques have created new opportunities for teaching and learning in more creative ways compared to what is offered in a typical classroom setting [ 1 , 13 ]. An in-depth understanding of this period is needed to take advantage of these opportunities.…”