<p>Background: Practice knowledge exists as a complex relationship between questions and answers in a context of meaning that is often intuitive and hidden from the novice practitioner. Physiotherapy education, which aims to develop patterns of thinking, reflection and reasoning as part of practice knowledge, is often based on didactic teaching methods that emphasise the learning of facts without highlighting the relationships between them. In order to improve health outcomes for patients, clinical educators must&nbsp / consider redesigning the curriculum to take into account the changing and complex nature of physiotherapy education. There is some evidence that a blended approach to&nbsp / teaching and learning may facilitate the development of graduates who are more capable of reflection, reasoning and critical thinking, and who can adapt and respond to the&nbsp / complex clinical environment. The purpose of this study was to develop principles that could be used to guide the design of blended learning environments that aim to develop&nbsp / capability in undergraduate physiotherapy students. Method: The study took place in a university physiotherapy department in the Western Cape in South Africa, among&nbsp / undergraduate students. Design research was used as a framework to guide the study, and included a range of research methods as part of that process. The problem was&nbsp / identified using a systematic review of the literature and a survey of students. The design of the blended intervention that aimed to address the problem was informed by a&nbsp / narrative review of theoretical frameworks, two pilot studies that evaluated different aspects of blended learning, and a Delphi study. This process led to the development of a set&nbsp / of design principles which were used to inform the blended intervention, which was implemented and evaluated during 2012. Results: The final results showed that students had undergone a transformation in how they thought about the process and practice of learning as part of physiotherapy education, demonstrating critical approaches towards&nbsp / knowledge, the profession and authority. These changes were brought about by changing teaching and learning practices that were informed by the design principles in the&nbsp / preliminary phases of the project. These principles emphasised the use of technology to interact, articulate understanding, build relationships, embrace complexity, encourage&nbsp / creativity, stimulate reflection, acknowledge emotion, enhance flexibility and immerse students in the learning space. Discussion: While clinical education is a complex undertaking with many challenges, evidence presented in this study demonstrates that the development of clinical reasoning, critical thinking and reflection can be enhanced through the intentional use of technology as part of a blended approach to teaching and learning. The design principles offer clinical educators a framework upon which to construct learning environments where the affordances of technology can be mapped to the principles, which are based on a sound pedagogical foundation. In this way, the use of technology in the learning environment is constructed around principles that are informed by theory. However, clinical educators who are considering the integration of&nbsp / innovative strategies in the curriculum should be aware that students may initially be reluctant to engage in self-directed learning activities, and that resistance from colleagues&nbsp / may obstruct the process. Conclusion: The development of clinical reasoning, critical thinking and reflection in undergraduate physiotherapy students may be enhanced through&nbsp / the intentional use of appropriate technology that aims to fundamentally change teaching and learning practices. Design research offers a practical approach to conducting&nbsp / research in clinical education, leading to the development of principles of learning that are based on theory. <br /> iii</p>

No abstract available. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1994. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: B, page: 2324. Chair: Frances Campbell LaVoie.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1995. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: B, page: 2888. Chair: Frances Campbell-LaVoie.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Counseling and Educational Psychology, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-10, Section: A, page: 3758. Adviser: Thomas J. Huberty.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2001. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-04, Section: B, page: 2074. Chairperson: Andrew R. Eisen. Available also in print.

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2003. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 64-06, Section: B, page: 2941. Chair: Judith Kaufman. Available also in print.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah Jane Fishback / Today, educators try to maximize eLearning effectiveness by using various methodologies to engage the learner and increase learning and recall. If educators want to be able to continue this process, new eLearning methodologies must be investigated. The aim of this study was to determine if the method in which lesson content is present can affect learning. To this end, the research question was as follows: What difference, if any, does the random placement of small paragraphs, chunks, of text make in recall and learning in eLearning lessons? The research question was answered through an experiment that entails assigning an eLearning lesson to participants. The participants were randomly divided into two groups (control and experimental). Based on their assignment, they were either presented information in static paragraphs of text centered on the eLearning screen (control), or presented with randomly placed chunks of text on each new eLearning lesson screen. Although the data analysis showed no significant difference in assessment scores for either group, there are suggestions for continued research on this topic. The importance and value of this educational medium requires the use of the best and most impactful methodologies to maximize attention, clarity, learning, and recall. More research needs to be conducted with varying forms of chunking with different populations using eye-tracking to ensure optimized educational endeavors.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Background: Practice knowledge exists as a complex relationship between questions and answers in a context of meaning that is often intuitive and hidden from the novice practitioner. Physiotherapy education, which aims to develop patterns of thinking, reflection and reasoning as part of practice knowledge, is often based on didactic teaching methods that emphasise the learning of facts without highlighting the relationships between them. In order to improve health outcomes for patients, clinical educators must consider redesigning the curriculum to take into account the changing and complex nature of physiotherapy education. There is some evidence that a blended approach to teaching and learning may facilitate the development of graduates who are more capable of reflection, reasoning and critical thinking, and who can adapt and respond to the complex clinical environment. The purpose of this study was to develop principles that could be used to guide the design of blended learning environments that aim to develop capability in undergraduate physiotherapy students. Method: The study took place in a university physiotherapy department in the Western Cape in South Africa, among undergraduate students. Design research was used as a framework to guide the study, and included a range of research methods as part of that process. The problem was identified using a systematic review of the literature and a survey of students. The design of the blended intervention that aimed to address the problem was informed by a narrative review of theoretical frameworks, two pilot studies that evaluated different aspects of blended learning, and a Delphi study. This process led to the development of a set of design principles which were used to inform the blended intervention, which was implemented and evaluated during 2012. Results: The final results showed that students had undergone a transformation in how they thought about the process and practice of learning as part of physiotherapy education, demonstrating critical approaches towards knowledge, the profession and authority. These changes were brought about by changing teaching and learning practices that were informed by the design principles in the preliminary phases of the project. These principles emphasised the use of technology to interact, articulate understanding, build relationships, embrace complexity, encourage creativity, stimulate reflection, acknowledge emotion, enhance flexibility and immerse students in the learning space. Discussion: While clinical education is a complex undertaking with many challenges, evidence presented in this study demonstrates that the development of clinical reasoning, critical thinking and reflection can be enhanced through the intentional use of technology as part of a blended approach to teaching and learning. The design principles offer clinical educators a framework upon which to construct learning environments where the affordances of technology can be mapped to the principles, which are based on a sound pedagogical foundation. In this way, the use of technology in the learning environment is constructed around principles that are informed by theory. However, clinical educators who are considering the integration of innovative strategies in the curriculum should be aware that students may initially be reluctant to engage in self-directed learning activities, and that resistance from colleagues may obstruct the process. Conclusion: The development of clinical reasoning, critical thinking and reflection in undergraduate physiotherapy students may be enhanced through the intentional use of appropriate technology that aims to fundamentally change teaching and learning practices. Design research offers a practical approach to conducting research in clinical education, leading to the development of principles of learning that are based on theory. / South Africa

Aims and objectives: To analyse the perceived characteristics of an effective nursing clinical instructor and methods for measure instructor effectiveness. This review also examined importance of characteristics based on student age. Background: The clinical instructor has a vital role in clinical education. While the role may be well defined, the characteristics these instructors need to do their jobs effectively are not. Design: An integrative review from 1985 to present using four key terms: nursing, clinical, teaching and effectiveness. This review revealed 37 articles that met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Methods: Inclusion criteria included studies related to nursing clinical teaching effectiveness of the clinical instructor in a direct patient care setting. An integrative review table of the studies was made by the author. Keywords were analyzed in the results column, and same concepts were grouped together. Results: A synthesis of current research revealed three dominant themes: competency, the ability to develop interpersonal relationships and certain personality traits. The analysis of the literature suggests the ability to develop interpersonal relationships is the most valued skill. Overall, approachability emerged as the most important personality trait needed to be an effective clinical instructor. The analysis also revealed a difference regarding the priority of characteristics based on age of the student. Conclusion: The analysis of the literature suggests the ability to develop interpersonal relationships is the most valued skill for clinical instructors. Overall, approachability emerged as the most important personality trait needed to be an effective clinical instructor. Relevance to clinical practice: Future studies should continue to evaluate the extent of the dominant themes especially considering the rise of the millennial student generation.