Remote online teaching beyond COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study across Physiotherapy programs in Italy

With the lockdown imposed by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, remote online teaching (ROT) became pivotal in the rapid reorganization imposed on the healthcare professions' educational programs. Physiotherapy programs were particularly affected, as they are characterized by hard and soft skills that are hardly learned with ROT. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the experiences and opinions on ROT by faculties involved in the education and training of Physiotherapy students during the pandemic, and on its possible application thereafter.

Following accreditated checklists for qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted by members of the National Directorate of the Physiotherapy programs in Italy. Academic directors (AD) and clinical training coordinators (CTC) of Italian Physiotherapy programs were randomly selected and interviewed, to collect their experiences and opinions on the use of ROT before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Iterative rounds of readings and discussions were conducted to analyze the interviews.

A total of 22 participants were interviewed, reaching a satisfactory level of saturation. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ROT was used sporadically in academic activities; during the pandemic, participants familiarized themselves rapidly with this new approach, which was generally abandoned thereafter. After initial difficulties, most participants recognized the importance of ROT in preserving education during the lockdown. A negative impact on Physiotherapy students was occasionally reported, especially during their final exam and thesis dissertation. Despite the limitations of ROT in Physiotherapy education, participants recognized its advantages in supporting administrative tasks, sharing lectures, and creating international programs. Its potential for pedagogical innovation and the opportunity for investments in Internet-based didactic approaches were also underlined.

ROT was perceived as an important tool to preserve Physiotherapy programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it was in general discontinued after the pandemic, many participants believed that it might contribute to establishing a "new normal" didactic paradigm in Physiotherapy education.