When technology bites back: A case report describing an instructor's experience with online teaching

Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Spring 2003 by Hayward, Lorna M

Background and Purpose. The purpose of this case report was to describe the experiences of an assistant professor of physical therapy at a single university when she converted a lecture-based course to one that was Web-assisted. The instructor is a tenure-track assistant professor with 8 years of teaching experience at the professional and college levels. She was the primary instructor for a 12-week undergraduate course, "PTH1405-Research for Physical Therapists," that included 56physical therapist seniors and 16 cardiopulmonary science junior students. case Description. Course materials for PTH1405 were placed online using Blackboard, which is a Web-based educational software package. In addition to attending lectures and a weekly 1-hour recitation, students were required to use the discussion board and virtual chat room capabilities of Blackboard to complete selected course assignments. Outcomes. Numerous barriers arose that significantly impeded the ease of introducing PTH1405 as a Web-assisted course. Barriers included institutional infrastructure problems that resulted in considerable Web site dow time and Internet traffic flow problems. Instructor and student workload was magnified as a result of the infrastructure failure. In addition, many students exhibited a strong learning preference for face-to-face interaction. Confronted with major obstacles, the instructor relied on a model of self-reflective thinking that allowed her to gather data about and examine her teaching experiences in PTH1405 using 6 methods: (1) student e-mails, (2) student reflection papers, (3) student discussion board transcripts, (4) student chat room transcripts, (5) personal reflection, and (6) peer evaluation. The instructor analyzed the 6 data sources using a qualitative research methodology, and 4 themes were identified: (1) online behavior, (2) communication feature use, (3) what is learned, and (4) barriers. This article focuses on the results that emanated from the "barriers" theme and describes how the instructor used the data to adjust her teaching approach and assignments related to the use of technology during the academic term. PTH1405 has subsequently been reworked using the knowledge gained from this initial experience and is currently being taught in a modified format, with the anticipation of a better result for both the students and the instructor. Discussion. Webassisted instruction has great potential for increasing the pedagogical repertoire of physical therapist instructors, a major benefit being the ability to address the preferences of different learner styles. However, the successful introduction of Web-assisted instruction is heavily dependent upon institutional network resources. Also, faculty may need to exercise restraint and monitor closely their selection and the number of assignments that are Web-based due to the increased workload imposed on students and faculty. Finally, acceptance of Webassisted instruction by physical therapist students appears to be an evolutionary process. This process requires time for increasing student familiarity with technology and the Web to reduce resistance that may accompany the introduction of new instructional delivery methods.

Key Words: Barriers to instruction, Discussion thread, Physical therapy education, Reflection, Virtual chat, Web-assisted instruction.

INTRODUCTION

The growth and availability of the Internet and health-related computer software packages has resulted in increased opportunities for physical therapist educators to incorporate technology into their classrooms. A review of the current literature indicates that physical therapist educators are using computers in 2 major ways. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in the form of CD-ROMs and multimedia software programs has been gaining popularity in physical therapist curricula.1-6 Physical therapist educators are using CAI to enhance anatomical instruction1,2,4,5 and clinical assessment acquisition,3 or for distance learning purposes.6 Web-assisted instruction, which refers to the use of the Internet, e-mail, and educational software packages such as Blackboard,* is another way physical therapist educators are using computers in the classroom. These teaching tools are readily available on college and university campuses and are widely used by educators in medicine and the allied health care professions to augment lecture-based instruction. Despite the popularity of Web-assisted instruction, little has been written on how physical therapist educators use this educational strategy for encouraging students to actively participate in classroom discussion.7-9

A traditional lecture course typically results in a one-way information exchange that limits active student participation. When lecture conversation occurs, it is often dominated by a minority of students who feel confident about the subject material and speaking in front of their peers.10 One benefit of Web-assisted instruction is the potential for expanding the pedagogical repertoire of educators to address student learning preferences. An instructor can increase the number of students who actively participate in classroom discussion by requiring the use of online features such as discussion boards and virtual chat rooms to complete selected course assignments.