Wojniusz Slawomir, Langaas Anne Gudrun, Røe Yngve
Department of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.
Adv Med Educ Pract. 2025 Apr 4;16:557-567. doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S502590. eCollection 2025.
Digital technology continues to reshape health professions education, yet little is known about the relative effectiveness of synchronous online versus in-person collaborative learning in strengthening clinical placement experiences for physiotherapy students. This study examined physiotherapy students' expectations, perceptions, and preferences regarding online and in-person small-group seminars.
A quasi-randomized crossover design was used in two course iterations (I-1, I-2) involving 106 final-semester physiotherapy students. Participants were split into groups of 5-6 to engage in ten seminars discussing complex clinical cases drawn from their prior placements, with half of the groups starting online and later switching to in-person, and vice versa. A third iteration (I-3; n=77) alternated between online and in-person sessions following two initial in-person seminars. Data were gathered through anonymous electronic surveys containing Likert-scale ratings and open-text responses. Quantitative data were analyzed with t-tests and chi-square tests; qualitative comments underwent thematic analysis.
Mid-course evaluations revealed no significant differences in perceived effectiveness when students had experienced only one format. By the course's end, however most students ultimately favored in-person seminars for richer social interaction (I-2: 80%; I-1: 38%; I-3: 54%), although they consistently recognized online sessions as time-efficient and flexible. Notably, students' initial expectations (I-1 and I-2) strongly mirrored their final evaluations. Qualitative feedback highlighted that in-person seminars provided higher-quality social interactions, while online seminars offered greater efficiency and flexibility. Most students indicated a preference for a blended format in future courses.
By blending in-person and online sessions, collaborative seminars can give physiotherapy students the best of both worlds for their clinical placement learning. Meeting in-person fosters richer discussions and deeper social connections, while online sessions offer efficiency, flexibility and help students develop essential digital competence. Together, these formats create a more adaptable, forward-looking learning environment that aligns with the evolving demands of professional practice.
数字技术持续重塑健康职业教育，但对于同步在线协作学习与面对面协作学习在增强物理治疗专业学生临床实习体验方面的相对有效性，我们知之甚少。本研究调查了物理治疗专业学生对在线和面对面小组研讨会的期望、看法和偏好。
在两个课程轮次（I-1、I-2）中采用了准随机交叉设计，涉及106名最后一学期的物理治疗专业学生。参与者被分成5至6人的小组，参加10次研讨会，讨论从他们之前实习中选取的复杂临床病例，其中一半小组先进行在线讨论，随后改为面对面讨论，另一半小组则相反。在最初的两次面对面研讨会之后，第三次迭代（I-3；n = 77）在在线和面对面会议之间交替进行。通过包含李克特量表评分和开放式文本回复的匿名电子调查收集数据。对定量数据进行t检验和卡方检验；对定性评论进行主题分析。
课程中期评估显示，当学生仅体验一种形式时，在感知有效性方面没有显著差异。然而，到课程结束时，尽管学生们一直认为在线课程高效且灵活，但大多数学生最终还是更喜欢面对面研讨会，因为其社交互动更丰富（I-2：80%；I-1：38%；I-3：54%）。值得注意的是，学生们最初的期望（I-1和I-2）与他们的最终评估高度一致。定性反馈强调，面对面研讨会提供了更高质量的社交互动，而在线研讨会则提供了更高的效率和灵活性。大多数学生表示希望在未来的课程中采用混合形式。
通过将面对面和在线课程相结合，协作研讨会可以为物理治疗专业学生的临床实习学习带来两全其美的效果。面对面交流能促进更丰富的讨论和更深层次的社交联系，而在线课程则提供效率、灵活性，并帮助学生发展必要的数字技能。这些形式共同创造了一个更具适应性、前瞻性的学习环境，符合专业实践不断变化的需求。
