What are best practices to teach “hands-on” skills in a blended environment?

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of online teaching and learning in physical therapy education, there is a gap that describes best practices used to teach “hands-on” skills.  The purpose of this study was to discover the resources used, current and emerging instructional methods, and a list of best practices for physical therapy educators.  A national survey and personal interviews gathered information from faculty who taught orthopedic subject matter. The findings suggest faculty used an assortment of resources and instructional methods in a variety of ways.  The data generated a list of best practices, which consisted of a tangible list of pre-class activities and face-to-face instructional methods.  Additional research can help faculty make informed decisions based on evidence, feasibility, and availability of technologies.  According to the literature and current teaching practices, a blended learning approach is the recommended best practice to teach orthopedic “hands-on” skills.  This study serves as a baseline in today’s instructional climate and will evolve as educators continue to seek novel approaches in the technological space within physical therapy education.