Meeting the Challenge of Instructor Shortages: A Blended Teaching and Learning Model for a Neuroscience Course in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

BACKGROUND: Physical therapy workforce shortages are expected to increase for all 50 states through 2030. There is a recognized nationwide unprecedented shortage of well-prepared physical therapy instructors. One practical solution can be to share instructors among Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs using a blended teaching and learning model.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a blended teaching and learning model for a neuroscience course in a DPT program.

METHODS: Faculty members from two DPT programs collaborated to develop, implement, and evaluate a blended teaching and learning model. The Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) was available at both institutions and chosen as the learning platform. The design of this research study was retrospective nonexperimental observational.

RESULTS: The overall feedback from the students was positive. Most students (91.6%) strongly agreed or agreed that the content of the course was appropriate for learning neuroscience. The students taking this blended course performed slightly better than the students taking the traditional course, though there was no significant difference (p=0.06).

CONCLUSIONS: The results support the use of a blended teaching and learning model to meet faculty shortage challenges. Future research with a larger sample size is necessary.