Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences (CERM), Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
BMC Med Educ. 2023 May 16;23(1):342. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04339-5.
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many higher education programs in Iran, including prosthetics and orthotics (P&O), had to shift to the online environment all at once. This unanticipated transition was challenging for the educational system. However, online education is superior in some aspects to conventional methods, and this situation may offer opportunities. This study was carried out from September 2021 to March 2022 to investigate the challenges and opportunities of online education in the P&O sector in Iran based on the opinions of students and faculty members. Relevant recommendations will also be discussed.
In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted in both oral and written formats. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit undergraduate and postgraduate P&O students, as well as P&O faculty members, for this qualitative study. The data gathered from interviews with study participants were analyzed by thematic analysis.
Based on the data analysis, many sub-themes of the three main themes were recognized: (1) challenges: technical, socioeconomic, environmental distractors, supervision and evaluation, workload, digital competence, interactions, motivation, sessions-related issues, class time, hands-on and clinical training; (2) opportunities: technological innovations, infrastructure development, flexible learning environment, student-centered learning, availability of contents, time and cost saving, high concentration, more self-confidence; (3) recommendations: technical infrastructure, team dynamics, hybrid courses, time management, awareness.
Online education of P&O during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a series of challenges. Technical issues and the gravity of hands-on training in this field were significant challenges. This era, however, provided the opportunity to facilitate the establishment of needed infrastructure and support technological innovations for online education. Considering hybrid (mixed online and on-site) courses was recommended to improve the quality of learning.
随着 COVID-19 大流行的出现，伊朗的许多高等教育课程，包括假肢和矫形（P&O），都不得不立即转移到在线环境中。这种意外的转变对教育系统来说是具有挑战性的。然而，在线教育在某些方面优于传统方法，这种情况可能会带来机会。本研究于 2021 年 9 月至 2022 年 3 月进行，旨在基于学生和教师的意见，调查伊朗 P&O 领域在线教育的挑战和机遇。还将讨论相关建议。
在这项定性研究中，以口头和书面形式进行了半结构化访谈。采用目的抽样和滚雪球抽样技术，招募了本科和研究生 P&O 学生以及 P&O 教师参与这项定性研究。通过对研究参与者访谈收集的数据进行主题分析。
根据数据分析，从三个主要主题中识别出许多子主题：（1）挑战：技术、社会经济、环境干扰因素、监督和评估、工作量、数字能力、互动、动机、课程相关问题、课程时间、实践和临床培训；（2）机会：技术创新、基础设施发展、灵活的学习环境、以学生为中心的学习、内容可用性、节省时间和成本、高度集中、更自信；（3）建议：技术基础设施、团队动态、混合课程、时间管理、意识。
COVID-19 大流行时代的 P&O 在线教育伴随着一系列挑战。技术问题和该领域实践培训的重要性是重大挑战。然而，这个时代为建立必要的基础设施和支持在线教育的技术创新提供了机会。建议考虑混合（混合在线和现场）课程，以提高学习质量。
