Addressing the Analysis.....

Ok, so I think I've come up with my 'A' in the ADDIE-of-it-all.....or at least what I'm able to do in the time we have available.

In order to incorporate an e-learning component into the Physiotherapy curriculum, it is necessary to firstly analyze the who, what and why of the proposed endeavour. The 'who' involved are the staff and 3rd year students within the Physiotherapy program at Stellenbosch University. The 'what' concerns the APT and/or CPT modules incorporating the use of an e-learning tool in a PBL format. They 'why' relates to the fact that PBL has been reported to encourage the use of self-directed, deep level processing in understanding the work (Moust, Bouhuijs & Schmidt, 2007). This is not however clearly demonstrated in the feedback from students currently enrolled in the module.
The initial analysis of the situation yielded the following challenges:

• 3rd year students are in a transition phase from didactic lecture-style instructional approach to a PBL instructional approach and clinical/practical learning
• Students have begun to understand the importance of group work, but still struggle to adapt to the new level of responsibility required with self-directed learning.
• The possible difficulties that students are having in this transition phase can result in extra resistance to a completely foreign instructional tool in an e-learning module/component.
• Staff members may be resistant to the resources (time and personnel) needed for the new tool to be implemented within the program.

Further analysis of these challenges has lead to these possible solutions:

• Incorporate the style of the APT module with the learning in the clinical area.
• Keep the group work rationale, while encouraging deep level processing from each
  individual in order to produce the final product.
• Use a learning tool that is not completely foreign in terms of current technological capabilities and what the students are used to, i.e. MS Office, e-mails and basic internet researching.
• Staff members might be less resistant to the resource requirements once they are informed of the benefits of a simple, easy-to-use tool which could solve the currently conceived problem relating to the students' engagement with learning material.

These challenges have illuminated the necessity for literature confirming the assumptions and for guiding the way forward.

To effectively introduce e-learning into any curriculum, an understanding that e-learning is simply a means of using technology to meet society's learning needs (Cohen & Nycz, 2006). This statement implies that there is a need from students for academic staff to adapt their methods of instruction. This has been found to be true in Physiotherapy courses elsewhere (Willett, 2004).
Problem-based learning has been used in a hybrid format in the Physiotherapy curriculum at Stellenbosch University since 2007. The APT module requires an increased level of student responsibility for their own learning as they address clinical problems in small groups in order to generate their own learning outcomes and materials. Currently, the level of interaction that the students have with technology within the module are directly linked to the research they are required to do in order to source their learning materials and specifically in assessment via
multiple-choice questions via the WebCT program. Using e-learning together with PBL has been found to have a positive impact on students learning outcomes (Taradi, Taradi, Radic & Pokrajac, 2004). Students have also had a reported high satisfaction rate and usage rate of e-learning tools in PBL programs implemented in medical schools (Gurpinar, Zayim, Ozenci & Alimoglu, 2009).

Ultimately, students and staff alike have found that e-learning enhances both teaching and learning (Rulz, Mintzer & Lelplzg, 2006) and though neither are expected to abandon classroom or group work learning environments, both groups can benefit from exploring the possibility of the benefits within Physiotherapy (Willett, 2004).

So here we go.....Time to De-mystify the DESIGN :)