THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED LEARNING TO SUPPORT KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF EXERCISE MEDICINE IN ENTRY-LEVEL PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS IN THE UK

Alexander J.1, Sackley C.1, Barcellona M.1, McLachlan S.11King's College London, Physiotherapy, London, United KingdomBackground: The World Congress of Physical Therapy highlights the importance of exercise medicine in health promotion. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) advocate that educational institutions need to support graduates' understanding of their role in promoting public health and that a review of undergraduate education in this area is needed. Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) in healthcare training is seen positively by students and has shown to maintain or even improve learning outcomes. It can also provide a more flexible opportunity for students to access learning resources away from the classroom and support different learning styles.Purpose: The purpose of this project was to use TEL resources to enhance students' knowledge and understanding of exercise medicine and obtain feedback on satisfaction with the resources. The study aims were to identify whether the use of TEL can promote students' knowledge and understanding of exercise medicine in preparation for written and practical exams and clinical placement. Secondary objectives were to explore student satisfaction with the online resources.Methods: King’s College London, Department of Physiotherapy offers a Movement & Exercise module teaching entry-level students the principles of anatomy, physiology and exercise medicine. Students had access to the college virtual learning environment ‘KEATS’ where the TEL resources were accessed. TEL resources were devised in response to student feedback which identified a need for resources for a variety of learning styles. Student feedback on knowledge & understanding and satisfaction with the resources was obtained via an online survey and subsequent focus groups at the end of the academic year. Learning analytics data was obtained to identify which resources were accessed most frequently and when.Results: Mean practical and written examination results increased from 8% and 3% respectively from the previous year when students did not have access to all the resources. Survey results revealed that all respondents (100%) had accessed the resources. 100% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that the resources were useful in aiding knowledge and understanding of exercise medicine and 98% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the resources. The most enjoyable resources were quizzes (56%), whilst the most beneficial for learning were past exam papers (72%). Learning analytics data showed that students predominantly accessed the resources prior to their practical and written exams. Thematic analysis of the focus groups data identified key themes around the diversity of the resources to suit differing learning styles, manageable content of the resources to facilitate learning and autonomy of learning on multiple devices away from the classroom.Conclusion(s): This project provided students with a variety of innovative and engaging TEL resources to enhance their knowledge and understanding of exercise medicine in preparation for exams and clinical placement. Students found the resources beneficial and allowed for their own personal learning styles to be complemented. Academics can utilise TEL resources to provide flexible learning for students away from the classroom.Implications: The use of TEL resources can easily be implemented into other areas of physiotherapy and healthcare curriculum. Students can optimise their learning with the ability to access information anywhere at any time.Funding acknowledgements: This project was unfundedTopic: EducationEthics approval: Ethics approval was approved by the BDM Research Ethics Panel at King´s College LondonAll authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.