ERIC Number: EJ1148012
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Sep
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1043-4046
EISSN: N/A
Best Practices for Learning Physiology: Combining Classroom and Online Methods
Anderson, Lisa C.; Kirchbaum, Kathleen E.
Advances in Physiology Education, v41 n3 p383-389 Sep 2017
Physiology is a requisite course for many professional allied health programs and is a foundational science for learning pathophysiology, health assessment, and pharmacology. Given the demand for online learning in the health sciences, it is important to evaluate the efficacy of online and in-class teaching methods, especially as they are combined to form hybrid courses. The purpose of this study was to compare two hybrid physiology sections in which one section was offered mostly in-class (85% in-class), and the other section was offered mostly online (85% online). The two sections in 2 yr ("year 1" and "year 2") were compared in terms of knowledge of physiology measured in exam scores and pretest-posttest improvement, and in measures of student satisfaction with teaching. In year 1, there were some differences on individual exam scores between the two sections, but no significant differences in mean exam scores or in pretest-posttest improvements. However, in terms of student satisfaction, the mostly in-class students in "year 1" rated the instructor significantly higher than did the mostly online students. Comparisons between in-class and online students in the "year 2" cohort yielded data that showed that mean exam scores were not statistically different, but pre-post changes were significantly greater in the mostly online section; student satisfaction among mostly online students also improved significantly. Education researchers must investigate effective combinations of in-class and online methods for student learning outcomes, while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that online methods provide.
Descriptors: Physiology, Teaching Methods, Blended Learning, Online Courses, Conventional Instruction, Comparative Analysis, Knowledge Level, Tests, Scores, Pretests Posttests, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Student Satisfaction, Quasiexperimental Design, Questionnaires, Graduate Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A