Converting a Face to Face PTA Course to Effective Online Instruction

Abstract

According to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the content of integumentary assessment found on the national physical therapy exam for students in a PTA program is 4.7% while cardiopulmonary assessment accounts for 16.7% on the exam (NPTE, 2012). Due to this content outline the PTA program will be transitioning the integumentary assessment course from face-to-face to strictly online and to be taught at the same time as the students summer clinical rotation. In order to meet the demands it is important to build an effective course that allows students to complete their coursework while off campus. The design of an effective course requires that many things have gone into consideration. The first thing is the course design, the method of delivery and assessment as well as the utilization of various technological tools to help promote student interaction. This project will provide background into the change of the course, history of physical therapy and wound care, effective teaching strategies for online education, and implementation of instructional technologies.