Effectiveness of an Online Professional Ethics Program in Physiotherapy Students: a Prospective Clinical Trial
Marqués-Sulé, Elena; Sillero-Sillero, Amalia; Muñoz-Gómez, Elena; Naamanka, Kati; Hernández-Guillén, David; Atef, Hady; Tolsada-Velasco, Catalina; Querol-Giner, Felipe; Sentandreu-Mañó, Trinidad; Cortés-Amador, Sara; Sánchez-Sabater, Alberto (2024)
International academy of technology, education and development
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20251008100529
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20251008100529
Tiivistelmä
Introduction: Given the ethical challenges encountered by health-related professions such as physiotherapy, it becomes imperative to emphasize the importance of developing ethical decision making skills. The World Physiotherapy Association specifies that upon completing their curriculum, graduates are expected to have a solid foundation in ethics as a core competency. To meet these requirement, diverse teaching, learning, assessment, and feedback strategies are needed. Thus, the aim of the present study will be to provide insights into the effectiveness of an online learning (OL)program in developing ethical competence among physiotherapy students and its impact on various outcome measures related to professional ethics.
Methodology: The educational intervention will comprise online synchronous and asynchronous learning elements. The synchronous learning sessions will be held once a week, lasting one hour each, and will be conducted through an OL communication platform called Blackboard Collaborate, known for its effectiveness in healthcare education. Asynchronous learning elements will include recorded OL classes, a Moodle platform for communication and discussion, an OL syllabus covering Professional Ethics topics, a student-created OL glossary, bullet-point videos, podcasts, links to relevant websites, gamification components, and personalized feedback from teachers.
Results: Data collection will involve a range of outcome measures to assess the impact of the OL program. 1) Primary Outcome: Generic competencies will be assessed using the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Generic Competences in University Students, which includes 45 items with a Likert scale.
2) Secondary Outcomes: a) Knowledge acquisition of Professional Ethics will be measured through a multiple-choice knowledge test. b) Ethical sensitivity will be evaluated using the Ethical Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire (ESSQ), consisting of 28 items across seven dimensions. c) Student engagement will be assessed with the Student Engagement Questionnaire, comprising 35 items. d) The design of the OL program instructions will be evaluated using the Community of Inquiry Questionnaire, including 34 items. Data collection will occur at three time points: baseline (T1), mid-program (5 weeks) (T2), and program completion (10 weeks) (T3). The assessment will include generic competencies, knowledge acquisition, and ethical sensitivity at all three time points. Student engagement and OL program instructions design will be assessed at the end of the program.
Conclusions: This study will underscore the suitability of OL programs for effectively teaching professional ethics in the Physiotherapy Degree. The research findings will assess the impact of the application of OL on ethical competence, knowledge acquisition, and generic competences into physiotherapy education.
Keywords: Ethical competence, Physiotherapy education, Online learning, Professional ethics, Educational intervention, Ethical decision-making.
Methodology: The educational intervention will comprise online synchronous and asynchronous learning elements. The synchronous learning sessions will be held once a week, lasting one hour each, and will be conducted through an OL communication platform called Blackboard Collaborate, known for its effectiveness in healthcare education. Asynchronous learning elements will include recorded OL classes, a Moodle platform for communication and discussion, an OL syllabus covering Professional Ethics topics, a student-created OL glossary, bullet-point videos, podcasts, links to relevant websites, gamification components, and personalized feedback from teachers.
Results: Data collection will involve a range of outcome measures to assess the impact of the OL program. 1) Primary Outcome: Generic competencies will be assessed using the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Generic Competences in University Students, which includes 45 items with a Likert scale.
2) Secondary Outcomes: a) Knowledge acquisition of Professional Ethics will be measured through a multiple-choice knowledge test. b) Ethical sensitivity will be evaluated using the Ethical Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire (ESSQ), consisting of 28 items across seven dimensions. c) Student engagement will be assessed with the Student Engagement Questionnaire, comprising 35 items. d) The design of the OL program instructions will be evaluated using the Community of Inquiry Questionnaire, including 34 items. Data collection will occur at three time points: baseline (T1), mid-program (5 weeks) (T2), and program completion (10 weeks) (T3). The assessment will include generic competencies, knowledge acquisition, and ethical sensitivity at all three time points. Student engagement and OL program instructions design will be assessed at the end of the program.
Conclusions: This study will underscore the suitability of OL programs for effectively teaching professional ethics in the Physiotherapy Degree. The research findings will assess the impact of the application of OL on ethical competence, knowledge acquisition, and generic competences into physiotherapy education.
Keywords: Ethical competence, Physiotherapy education, Online learning, Professional ethics, Educational intervention, Ethical decision-making.