What is the role of distance learning in health care education? How does online learning impact the development of professional skills? Can new technologies make health care education faster, less expensive, and more accessible to a diverse population of future health professionals, without sacrificing quality and connection? This session will address those questions and more, presenting innovative strategies for humanizing online learning, building community, and providing support for learners in a hybrid health education program. Rooted in current evidence on best practices in online and hybrid teaching and learning, this session will explore challenges and reveal opportunities for leveraging technology to promote diversity, professional development, leadership, and resilience in today’s students.
Hybrid Health Care Education: Rethinking student support and innovating for the future
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Kendra Gagnon, PT, PhD, is Clinical Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at Baylor University, which is home to one of the first fully hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs in the United States. She has been a physical therapist educator since 2005, teaching in both entry-level and post-professional programs in online, residential, and hybrid environments. As a founding faculty member in the Baylor DPT program, she has played a key role in developing strategies for keeping learners connected and providing student support in both virtual and face-to-face settings. Her scholarly interests focus on educational research, and her recently disseminated work includes exploration of experiential learning in pediatric physical therapist education, use of social media in health care education and practice, and recommended practices in hybrid DPT education.