Staff and student perspectives of digitally enhanced practical teaching in health science education

Purpose The inherently practical nature of clinical skills means they may be less amenable to online or technology-supported teaching and learning than other domains within health science education. There is a dearth of literature and limited knowledge regarding staff and student perceptions of digitally enhanced practical teaching across health science disciplines. The aim of this study was to explore staff and students’ perceptions to digitally assisted teaching and learning methods in practical health sciences education as well as the perceived barriers to and opportunities for use. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was distributed among third level institutions, examining staff and student experiences of digitally enhanced practical teaching, perceived opportunities and barriers and personal experiences of practical skill assessment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data while open ended questions were analysed using content analysis. Results Forty-one staff and 96 students competed the survey. Attitudes towards digitally enhanced practical teaching were mixed; staff described digital tools as holding potential while students believed tools were not best utilised by educators. Of the staff who had not carried out digitally enhanced assessment (56%, n = 23), 39% (n = 9) struggled to identify an appropriate technology supported method to assess learning outcomes. Conclusion The current study identified the importance of maximising aspects of traditional teaching and technology enhanced teaching and ensuring a balance between teaching approaches for student success.