Soon B1, Lim M1, Chua E1
1Singapore Institute of Technology, Health and Social Sciences Cluster, Singapore, Singapore
Background: Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is the first autonomous university in Singapore to offer a degree programme in Physiotherapy. The programme started in 2016 and is jointly developed by SIT and Trinity College Dublin. Being a newly developed programme, it is essential to understand from the student´s perspective, factors beyond academic pedagogies and content which may impact the effectiveness and quality of the programme. One approach is to evaluate the educational environment. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) was first published in the 1997 and is a commonly used evaluation tool to investigate the educational climate for institution that offers medical and healthcare related programmes. Although comparison of DREEM results between institutions has been reported to be challenging due to inconsistency in reported data and analytical approaches between studies, DREEM can still be a useful tool to evaluate the changes in educational climate within the same institution.
Purpose: The purpose of the study is to compare the changes in educational environment for the first and second batches of undergraduate students in the physiotherapy programme in Singapore. The study will allow a better understanding of the changes in educational environment over time and to provide an insights for the educators on the perception of the students towards university education. These information are valuable for quality assurance and continual improvement of the programme.
Methods: DREEM was administered to the first two cohorts of undergraduate physiotherapy students at the end of their first year of study in 2016 and 2017. In addition, for the pioneer cohort of students (cohort 2016), DREEM was administered at the end of their 2nd year of study (In the year 2018). The total and subscale scores for DREEM were compared between the two cohorts over a period of 2 years to evaluate the changes in educational environment between cohort and over time.
Results: Total response rate of the survey was 77.3% with a total 253 respondents. The results showed no significant difference in subscale score and total score between both cohorts of students at the end of their first year. In the follow up of the pioneer cohort, there as an improvement in the total score over time (mean 133.12, SD 20.70), mean difference 7.54 (95%CI 0.35 to 14.74), (p=0.036). Subscale score analysis for the pioneer cohort revealed an improvement in perception for the teachers (mean 31.75, SD 4.97), mean difference 2.23 (95%CI 0.47 to 3.99), (p=0.007) and perception of the atmosphere (mean 31.06, SD 5.69), mean difference 2.44 (95%CI 0.34 to 4.54), (p=0.016).
Conclusion(s): The results of the DREEM revealed that the students perceived an overall improvement in their educational environment and in particular, an improvement in the perception of the teachers and a better atmosphere for education as they proceed into their senior years.
Implications: DREEM is a useful analytical tools to evaluate the changes in educational environment and it provides a new perspective for educators to evaluate results of education programme based on the perceived learning experience of the students.
Keywords: Education, environment, Physiotherapy
Funding acknowledgements: None
Purpose: The purpose of the study is to compare the changes in educational environment for the first and second batches of undergraduate students in the physiotherapy programme in Singapore. The study will allow a better understanding of the changes in educational environment over time and to provide an insights for the educators on the perception of the students towards university education. These information are valuable for quality assurance and continual improvement of the programme.
Methods: DREEM was administered to the first two cohorts of undergraduate physiotherapy students at the end of their first year of study in 2016 and 2017. In addition, for the pioneer cohort of students (cohort 2016), DREEM was administered at the end of their 2nd year of study (In the year 2018). The total and subscale scores for DREEM were compared between the two cohorts over a period of 2 years to evaluate the changes in educational environment between cohort and over time.
Results: Total response rate of the survey was 77.3% with a total 253 respondents. The results showed no significant difference in subscale score and total score between both cohorts of students at the end of their first year. In the follow up of the pioneer cohort, there as an improvement in the total score over time (mean 133.12, SD 20.70), mean difference 7.54 (95%CI 0.35 to 14.74), (p=0.036). Subscale score analysis for the pioneer cohort revealed an improvement in perception for the teachers (mean 31.75, SD 4.97), mean difference 2.23 (95%CI 0.47 to 3.99), (p=0.007) and perception of the atmosphere (mean 31.06, SD 5.69), mean difference 2.44 (95%CI 0.34 to 4.54), (p=0.016).
Conclusion(s): The results of the DREEM revealed that the students perceived an overall improvement in their educational environment and in particular, an improvement in the perception of the teachers and a better atmosphere for education as they proceed into their senior years.
Implications: DREEM is a useful analytical tools to evaluate the changes in educational environment and it provides a new perspective for educators to evaluate results of education programme based on the perceived learning experience of the students.
Keywords: Education, environment, Physiotherapy
Funding acknowledgements: None
Topic: Education; Education: methods of teaching & learning
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Singapore Institute of Technology
Ethics committee: SIT-IRB
Ethics number: 20160019
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
