Abstract:

It is generally agreed that theoretical and practical learning should be combined within the context of Higher Education. Practice-based education is considered invaluable in preparing students to work in a variety of real life situations. For this reason, learning in the clinical environment is central to physiotherapy students’ education and their preparation for future professional practice.

Furthermore, health science education should ensure that the ability to work as part of a team is developed in students in order to provide effective work strategies in line with many health science role requirements. A collaborative approach to practice-based education enhances students understanding of their future roles by facilitating the development of competencies and skills such as the sharing of knowledge, working together and communicating effectively with each other, as in a real clinical setting.

The present project was established to promote practical and collaborative learning for physiotherapy students in a real physiotherapy context.

The activity, in the form of a mini research project, took place during the first semester of the 2017/2018 academic year with 185 second year students from the physiotherapy undergraduate degree program at Universidad San Jorge (Zaragoza, Spain). Within the subject of ‘General Procedures in Physiotherapy 1´, the hydrotherapy program consisted of four theoretical classes and two practical classes over a four-week period. The project, entitled ´Hydrotherapy´, entailed the students, working in teams of 10 to 14, searching for a hydrotherapy center, describing its specific techniques and interviewing physiotherapists and patients about their perceptions about this type of intervention (Hydrotherapy). Each team member was assigned a role with specific tasks and responsibilities suited wherever possible to their personal skills. The results of their research were presented in the format of a virtual presentation by a web tool for creating interactive contents.

These results were evaluated by means of a rubric familiar to the learners. Learners’ perceptions of their learning gains were also monitored with an online survey in which quantitative and qualitative data were recorded. Questions sought to document whether the students considered that their theoretical and practical understanding of hydrotherapy content had developed and whether this type of activity contributed to their professional development.

Initial analysis of results indicates that students perceived the project as providing them with both theoretical and practical input on Hydrotherapy in the form of clinical experience and the development of skills relating to teamwork within the context of Health Sciences.

Keywords:

Hydrotherapy, Physiotherapy, Pedagogical Innovations in Education, Team-Based and Collaborative Learning.