A massive open online course for teaching physiotherapy students and physiotherapists about spinal cord injuries

Abstract

Study design: A descriptive audit.

Objectives: To audit the participation and satisfaction in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for teaching physiotherapy students and physiotherapists about spinal cord injuries.

Setting: Global and online.

Methods: A 5-week MOOC about the physiotherapy management of spinal cord injuries was hosted by Physiopedia and run in partnership with the International Spinal Cord Society. The MOOC was based on the physiotherapy-specific module of www.elearnSCI.org, and also involved extra readings, activities and online discussion through a closed Facebook group. Participation and satisfaction was quantified through a pre- and post-MOOC knowledge assessment and an online course evaluation. Participation was also gauged through Facebook activity and internet-based usage statistics.

Results: Three thousand five hundred and twenty-three people from 108 countries registered for the MOOC and 2527 joined the Facebook group. One thousand one hundred and twenty-one completed the pre- and post-MOOC knowledge assessments, with more completing one or the other. The median (interquartile range) results for those who completed the pre and post-MOOC knowledge assessments were 70% (60-80%) and 90% (80-95%), respectively. One thousand and twenty-nine completed the online course evaluation, with more than 80% agreeing or strongly agreeing with 12 of the 13 positive statements posed to them about the course.

Conclusion: Most participants who completed the MOOC performed well on the post-MOOC knowledge assessment and enjoyed the learning experience. However, these results may be biased if those who did not complete the MOOC were dissatisfied and/or did not sit the post-MOOC knowledge assessment.