Learning spaces for health sciences – what is the role of e-learning in physiotherapy and occupational therapy education? A literature review

Abstract

Our aim was to explore the current state of e-learning activities during physiotherapy and occupational therapy education, in relation to theories and models about learning. What kind of e-learning activities were described and which were the intentions behind the use of digital support expressed in current physiotherapy and occupational therapy literature? The search was done using four different search engines. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria and where included. Three categories of e-learning activities were identified. (1) Communication space, (2) enabling learning activities, and (3) ambition to create a learning space. The first category revolved around the individual use of social media, how it could be developed and the benefits from it in a learning environment. The second category had a narrow focus on a specific element of the learning sequence and how it is mastered and/or perceived. The third category, the theoretical base, is varied covering considerations about the learning itself from constructivist and connectivist origin and theories pertaining to the design of teaching and learning activities. The underlying theoretical support for the activity developed was only described in some of the studies. To furthering the field clearer rationale informed by research developed theories and models would promote system alignment and educational development. This review maybe of value to educators in physiotherapy and occupational therapy as it proposes frameworks that may guide in identifying approaches to improve education.

MOOC As an Enabler for Achieving Professional Competence: Problem-Solving Aspect

“…Studies on the use of various MOOC methods for medical workers preparation in the vast majority of cases indicate that online courses can only be effective in conjunction with practical classroom training or further advanced education. If the need arises to train nursing staff, MOOCs are excellently suitable as the core teaching method, which enables the learner to revise the training material more often, and then consolidate knowledge through the practical application in class [31,32]. It is worth noting that this approach is also useful for technical and engineering specialties and in all professional fields for which practical skills in physical interaction with objects, people, and mechanisms are necessary [33].…”

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

“…The physiotherapy curriculum is characterized by a combination of theory, skills training and practice [ 11 ]. Until now, digital learning designs in physiotherapy education have been criticised for not being grounded in a theoretical learning perspective [ 12 ]. A systematic review on online technology use (e.g., websites and discussion boards) in physiotherapy education concluded that these technologies enhanced practical skills performance, knowledge acquisition and the development of critical and reflective thinking [ 13 ].…”

Searching our mindset – looking at places and spaces in education

“…Unge et al [11] raises the question if e-learning actually could be expressed as learning where the 'e' stands for the space we create for the learning activity. While the space itself cannot make up evidence informed learning environment, they moved on to investigate if and how the intended learning in 'e' spaces were explicitly based on learning theories or arguments for how the intended learning was anticipated to be facilitated.…”