Remote Practical Survey Result_Working File 01-03-2021.xlsx

Practicals are core components of an undergraduate health sciences curriculum to promote experiential learning and motivation in students. With restrictions on traditional forms of face-to-face practicals during the COVID-19 pandemic, we designed and investigated if remote practicals could be viable alternatives to conventional face-to-face exercise physiology practicals in cardiopulmonary physiology teaching. Student volunteers were instructed to perform a graded exercise test in a remote setting and provide their collected data for subsequent discussion in an online lecture with all students. The effectiveness of this remote practical in promoting students’ motivation and learning outcomes achievement was then assessed using a mixed methods design. Continual Assessment (CA) results on relevant topics were also investigated. 61 (out of 81; 75%) students in the module LSM3212 Human Physiology: Cardiopulmonary System responded to self-report questionnaires and 49 (out of 81; 60%) consented to the use of their CA results for this study. Results revealed that all students were moderately motivated and attained strong achievement of learning outcomes. When compared to students who did not volunteer for the hands-on component of the remote practical, students who participated in the hands-on component reported significantly higher self-efficacy (P &lt; 0.05) in explaining the practical procedures to their peers. Qualitative analysis further revealed that experiential learning and real-life data analysis were the central reasons supporting the effectiveness of the remote practical. Students were generally satisfied and would recommend the remote practical to future students. Overall, our study highlights the potential of remote practicals as viable alternatives to traditional practicals. <br>