Blended teaching versus traditional teaching for undergraduate physiotherapy students at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Sadiya Ravat, Paula Barnard-Ashton, Monique M Keller
PMID 34192211WHAT IT FOUND
Blended teaching significantly improved theoretical exam scores compared to traditional lectures, but did not improve clinical performance marks.
Students generally preferred the blended format, though some found the volume of resources overwhelming.
Key findings
01Students scored significantly higher on theoretical exams in the blended teaching module compared to their own scores in traditionally taught modules.
02There was no statistically significant difference in clinical summative assessment marks between the blended teaching module and traditionally taught modules.
0372% of students indicated a preference for the blended teaching approach, citing convenience and the ability to revisit materials.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample of students from a single university. There was no control group of students who received only traditional teaching for the orthopaedics content; comparisons were made against students' own marks in different subjects. The study did not assess student perceptions of the traditional face-to-face teaching modules. Retrospective analysis of complete data sets was not possible due to incomplete marks in some areas. The blended module was the first of its kind for these students, which may have influenced the 'overwhelmed' responses.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the university's ethics committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that blended teaching improves clinical skills. While theoretical scores rose significantly, clinical performance marks did not improve and were slightly lower than in traditionally taught modules.