Exploring the online learning experience of first-year speech-language pathology students in a Johannesburg-based university.
Nancy Barber, Jenna Sher
PMID 35924609WHAT IT FOUND
First-year speech-language pathology students described online learning as successful when prerecorded lectures, weekly engagement tasks, live lectures and Microsoft Teams breakout rooms supported them, but they needed more help early and late in the year.
Key findings
01Students reported that they found prerecorded lectures and weekly engagement tasks beneficial, and live lectures and Microsoft Teams breakout rooms beneficial but minimally less impactful.
02Students reported that they felt generally supported by staff and that not meeting lecturers face to face did not hinder their learning experience.
03Students reported fewer incidents affecting learning in Block 3 than earlier, but more incidents in Block 4.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 12 of 36 students completed the rating scale and timeline, so the findings may not represent the full cohort. Students reported incidents retrospectively at the end of the year, so recall bias could affect what they remembered. The study used one purposive sample of first-year speech-language pathology students at one university in 2021, so themes may not transfer to other cohorts, years or clinical settings. The study describes students' perceptions and cannot show that any teaching method caused better learning.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that online learning or any listed teaching method is proven to improve speech-language pathology education. This paper describes perceptions from 12 students in one cohort and cannot show that a strategy caused better learning.