Evaluation of virtual problem-based tutorials in healthcare professional education

PURPOSE: To explore student and tutor perspectives on the learning efficacy of virtual, compared to in-person, problem-based tutorial (PBT) in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology health professional programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a quality improvement study using a cross sectional survey at a single institution. Separate student and tutor surveys were disseminated online. Students received the survey at two timepoints, tutors received the survey at one timepoint. Descriptive statistics summarized quantitative survey questions. Chi-squared or Fischer's Exact analyses explored differences between in-person and virtual PBT. Exploratory analyses determined if associations amongst programs and/or between cohorts existed on variables of interest. Open-ended survey questions were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 241 students and 85 tutors completed the survey. Results demonstrate most students and tutors were satisfied with the use of virtual tutorials (77%; 89% respectively) and felt that they were effective in exploring content within the PBT course. However, students in the most recent cohort rated virtual tutorials more highly (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Virtual modes of PBT were successful in achieving course objectives and led to high satisfaction in users. Health professional programs can use this information when designing virtual problem-based tutorial courses in the post-pandemic era.