Gonzalez-Caminal G1, Kangasperko M2, Alves Lopes A3
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya, Physiotherapy Department, Manresa, Spain, 2Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Pori, Finland, 3Alcoitão School of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy, Alcoitão, Portugal
Background: International co-creation and collaborative teaching-learning offer the opportunity to challenge typically teaching strategies used so far. The main obstacle when different universities from various countries work together (e.g., in the EHEA framework) is to find a balance between differences in curriculum. The European Network of Physiotherapy in Higher Education (ENPHE) is the referring network of Physiotherapy in higher education (HE). It brings together and enhances collaboration and co-creation between universities across European countries. Through the working groups (WG) and their results, ENPHE aims to stimulate e.g. physiotherapy education and development of curriculum among European countries. Co-creation, through ENPHE WGs, becomes an opportunity to transform HE culture and to produce meaningful and shared learning materials by approaching perspectives and connecting the strength of the relationship between the main actors working together.
Purpose: Design and validate the learning materials of BleClirc Course for physiotherapy students through stimulating co-creation processes between students and teachers.
Methods: A pilot study was developed in four stages from April 2016 to April 2018. 6 students and 2 teachers participated in 1st stage, 12 students and 2 teachers participated in 2nd stage, 36 students and 2 teachers participated in 3rd stage and 35 students and 5 teachers participated in 4th stage (N=100). 5 universities from 3 countries participated. At first and second stages, the authors facilitated the learning materials draft to be discussed in groups: (i) only students, (ii) only teachers and finally (iii) students and teachers. Group discussions were conducted to modify the first version of the documents. Opened group discussion was chosen because it allows to interact with the different parties and to come to an agreement more easily, especially when working with small groups (the average of each group discussion was maximum of 14 people). Hence, to increase the credibility and validity of the results from this group discussion, a test of course process was done by running the course itself, where the authors were teachers in the course (third stage) and supervisors of the course (fourth stage). The students and teachers participating during seminars and courses were told of the study and participation was voluntary. An informed consent was obtained from them.
Results: A complete set of learning materials for the BleClirc Course was designed, finished and tested during the process of co-creation including course description, introductory video presentation, assessment template, activities guidelines, peer-feedback guidelines, individual reflexion template, and 4 clinical cases. All of them validated by both, students and teachers.
Conclusion(s): Co-creation seeks for improving a product or an output with all the parties involved in the process. It could be then considered a good strategy when designing a course in an international environment. Co-creative experiences enhance the idea of challenge in the way that participants are requested to express and defend their positions, and generate common ideas based on reflection and agreement.
Implications: International co-creation and collaboration between universities should and will be the future having in mind the process of globalization in general and Bologna process in Europe in particular.
Keywords: Co-creation, higher education, internacionalization
Funding acknowledgements: UVic-UCC, SAMK, and ENPHE supported this project.
Purpose: Design and validate the learning materials of BleClirc Course for physiotherapy students through stimulating co-creation processes between students and teachers.
Methods: A pilot study was developed in four stages from April 2016 to April 2018. 6 students and 2 teachers participated in 1st stage, 12 students and 2 teachers participated in 2nd stage, 36 students and 2 teachers participated in 3rd stage and 35 students and 5 teachers participated in 4th stage (N=100). 5 universities from 3 countries participated. At first and second stages, the authors facilitated the learning materials draft to be discussed in groups: (i) only students, (ii) only teachers and finally (iii) students and teachers. Group discussions were conducted to modify the first version of the documents. Opened group discussion was chosen because it allows to interact with the different parties and to come to an agreement more easily, especially when working with small groups (the average of each group discussion was maximum of 14 people). Hence, to increase the credibility and validity of the results from this group discussion, a test of course process was done by running the course itself, where the authors were teachers in the course (third stage) and supervisors of the course (fourth stage). The students and teachers participating during seminars and courses were told of the study and participation was voluntary. An informed consent was obtained from them.
Results: A complete set of learning materials for the BleClirc Course was designed, finished and tested during the process of co-creation including course description, introductory video presentation, assessment template, activities guidelines, peer-feedback guidelines, individual reflexion template, and 4 clinical cases. All of them validated by both, students and teachers.
Conclusion(s): Co-creation seeks for improving a product or an output with all the parties involved in the process. It could be then considered a good strategy when designing a course in an international environment. Co-creative experiences enhance the idea of challenge in the way that participants are requested to express and defend their positions, and generate common ideas based on reflection and agreement.
Implications: International co-creation and collaboration between universities should and will be the future having in mind the process of globalization in general and Bologna process in Europe in particular.
Keywords: Co-creation, higher education, internacionalization
Funding acknowledgements: UVic-UCC, SAMK, and ENPHE supported this project.
Topic: Education: methods of teaching & learning
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: UVic-UCC
Ethics committee: CER-Comitè d'Ètica de la Recerca de la UVic-UCC
Reason not required: Not required since it addresses new developments in education design.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
