This I believe...

Last semester, I wanted our HE-DPT Students to contemplate their values as a future physical therapist. Here is my take on professionalism:

I believe PROFESSIONALISM is the total package: it is the mind, body, and heart of physical therapist practice. To have any 2 of these 3 is not good enough-we must encompass all 3 components in order to exude the values and behaviors worthy of professional respect. In my 28 years of practice and 17 years of teaching, I have learned that this “total package” is also what makes a successful PT student.  Let me take a moment and explain…

The mind: immediately we think about the individual who is smart, gets good grades, and retains information well. I’d like to suggest that you are NOT your GPA---and the MIND part of practice is actually more sophisticated that getting good grades, it is what you’re thinking and not what grades you’ve received. Instead, habits of mind include things like:

·         Questioning: having a natural curiosity about why and how and what if. It also means asking because you’re interested and not because of a grade.

·         Recognizing patterns and seeing connections: for example, noticing how the synergistic actions of the muscles of the shoulder are both similar and different to the synergistic actions of the muscles of the pelvis. Noticing your own behaviors and patterns and how they impact you as a learner.

·         Reasoning: using your brain, not someone else’s power point presentation, to think through a problem or situation-including clinical reasoning and ethical reasoning. No one will ever think for you, which is why you must think for yourselves

·         Continuing to learn-seeing yourself as a seeker of information and never as a closed book, being open to the fact that what you THOUGHT was so MIGHT NOT BE, and having the internal desire to become a better person than you were the day before.

Body: There is no question that we are a physical profession. Understanding the human body, being in tune with how it works and most importantly how it moves, is key to being a good physical therapist. Do you see things as movement. Do you recognize a body type with similar body types and complaints. If you’re not sure what I mean, compare the frame of a long-distance runner and a wrestler.  As PT’s, we also use our body to demonstrate, correct, or provide support to other people—good PT’s know how to recognize our bodies as important tools that help to teach patients. Later this month, you’ll learn that expert PT’s have a strong sense of movement and how to teach others using movement.

Heart: To me, the heart of the PT Professional is what is most noticeable to those around him or her. It is the student that works extra hard to understand a concept and then never forgets it, or the therapist that ignores the fact that it’s lunch time in order to finish a treatment session, or the individual who LISTENS to the needs and concerns of every individual patient in order to make an individualized plan of care. It is the HEART of the PT that also holds the core values and ethics of the profession, even when it is uncomfortable, unpopular, or . Your patient’s may not realize it, but it is your HEART that they respond to in therapy. Consider this excerpt from the book entitled “Stroke of Insight” written by a young scientist who had a stroke:

                “One nurse was very attentive to my needs: Was I warm enough? Did I need water? Was I in pain? Naturally I felt safe in her care. She made eye contact and was clearly providing me with a healing space. A different nurse, who never made eye contact, shuffled her feet as though she were in pain. This women brought me a tray with milk and jello, but neglected to realize that my hands and fingers could not open the containers. I desperately waned to consume something, but she was oblivious to my needs. She raised her voice when she spoke to me, not realizing that I wasn’t deaf. Under the circumstances, her lack of willingness to connect with me scared me. I did not feel safe in her care.”

The heart of physical therapy helps us put others BEFORE ourselves. It gives us our ability to empathize and to care,  it is how we look at each individual as a person and NOT a diagnosis, it is how we form connections with other humans who happen to need our help.  The heart, in my opinion, is how we translate our mind and body into compassionate, meaningful concern in order to solve movement problems. It’s why we take steps to improve not only ourselves and our patients, but our profession and the world at large.

Finding a balance-hybrid style...

Well, it's been 3 months (almost 4) since my last blog post, which is short hand for...we've been busy! The exciting part of developing a new PT program that uses a novel approach to learning is that you must continually reach and strive in ways you didn't think possible.  We've had an exciting 3-4 months, yet the key to the hybrid way of life seems to be moderation and balance. Balancing online activities with F2F (face to face) activities. Here are some of our highlights-

• Our white coat ceremony October 22, 2011. During this ceremony, students donned their white coats for the first time, while faculty and family supported their commitment to adopting the 7 core values of the PT profession: Accountability, Altruism, Compassion & Caring, Excellence, Integrity, Professional Duty, and Social Responsibility.  All students shared how they intend to demonstrate one or more core values over the next year. Dr. Keiba Shaw received the altruism award, and Ms. Diana Ickes, Chair of FPTA Political Action Committee (PAC) gave the keynote address.

• In November, HE-DPT students collaborated with St. Petersburg College PTA students to discuss some of the issues related to the PT-PTA working relationship. We were SO impressed with the quality and caliber of the SPC students-they were up on issues, ready to discuss, and eloquent in their ability to express their views.  A panel of PT's and PTA's were there to answer questions about the working relationship.

• In December, the HE-DPT faculty had our second pre-semester curriculum meeting whereby we planned for our upcoming winter (also known as spring) classes. Dr. Lance Cherry and Dr. Kathleen Rockefeller presented their courses for the first time to our group-and they, together with Dr. Keiba Shaw and Dr. Melissa Riba did an OUTSTANDING job putting together an excellent hybrid course. Faculty gave input and negotiated on a weekend schedule that would work for all. The "pre-game" meetings are very informative for all of us-a chance to look at the big picture of what students will learn each term and also the many different ways to approach learning. The richness and vast approaches to instruction seemed heightened in the HE-DPT program-whereas in our traditional lives we primary taught by lecture, lecture, and more lecture. If you're interested in seeing a syllabus-give us a shout!

We ended 2011 with a little Rest and Relaxation at our FIRST holiday dinner HYBRID style! Thanks to the Cherry family for hosting our motley (but oh so fun) crew!

And 2012...
Well, we met our two BIG scholarship goals for this year. First, our proposal to present at the annual APTA conference (June 2012) was accepted! Most recently, we received notice that our educational research grant entitled: "Where does the time go?A Work Sampling Study Comparing Faculty Activities in Traditional and Hybrid DPT Programs."
Congratulations to my most awesome TEAM! Let's continue to strive for excellence and balance!

Hybrid Education: It's really NOT about technology, it's about teaching & learning

As I review my previous blogs, I've realized that many of them focus on the technology we're using in our Hybrid DPT Program at NSU.  I want to emphasize that hybrid learning is really NOT about the technology, it's about teaching in a way that connects students to the information so that they can apply it in physical therapist practice.  The technology (voice thread, xtranormal, blogs, powerpoints) are just a means to an end---and the end is student learning.

To really get a grip on this, let's explore traditional professional classrooms. Students get a syllabus which has assigned readings prior to class. Many students don't do the assigned readings and some might not buy the book. After all, when they walk into the class, the instructor gives a powerpoint that details the information they'll need to understand the topic. Hopefully, at that point some students go back to the text/resources and actually read the original sources. Many don't have to because the faculty / instructor is SO good at consolidating the information and making it manageable.  In the live classroom, students can ask questions, although the majority don't unless the instructor really pushes!

• Question: Is it DURING the class that learning occurs?

• My Opinion: Nope, in fact, good listening occurs (hopefully), and even some deep thinking (even more hopefully)...but learning occurs when the student prepares for a test (ie, I have to remember ... and ...) or is asked to APPLY the information (case study, assignment, etc). During the preparation for a quiz or exam, the lecture-based student will a) highlight the powerpoint slide handouts, b) perhaps make some charts/cards to memorize the information and c) try to commit this from short term to long term memory.

What happens in hybrid education? Well, the student is given reading assignments and resources, and then asked to apply the information in either a case, paper, project, quiz....Often, the information in the text is supplemented with a Tegrity video/powerpoint slides (Dr. Shaw), you tube video (Dr. Riba), email from the faculty, or other videos (Blackinton).  This helps tell the student what the faculty thinks is important. The assignment of the week is designed to HELP students learn the material. When the student submits the assignment, he/she receives feedback which is designed to further help with the learning. So learning is an iterative process that occurs through interaction with information, faculty, etc.The role of the faculty moves from the "teller" of the information to the "stacker" of the information-using a combination of resources and feedback to stack the learning deck so to speak.

Question: So when does the student learn in Hybrid education? Is it from the reading? Tegrity session? chats?

My Opinion: Hopefully, students learn in multiple modes (seeing, hearing, doing, asking..).. Do all the students read all the text assignments? I DON"T KNOW! Is it more likely that they have read compared to just showing up for class? ABSOLUTELY! The UNCOMFORTABLE part for both faculty and students is that when you read and think on your own, you may do it differently than your instructor. The FANTASTIC part for both faculty and students is that they are learning to THINK and DO on their own.

Do I have questions? Yes! For example, I am not sure that all students are ready for learning in this manner, and I'm very uncertain how to screen for this individual during the admissions process. I do believe that ALL of us are capable of doing AMAZING things when we are asked to participate! I am SO PROUD of the NSU students because they are working hard, they are participating, and they are LEARNING!

That's what it's all about people, it's all about the learning! And how cool will it be that these HE-DPT Students are prepared with learning skills to last them a lifetime!

Got Ethics? An Invitation to my HE-DPT Students

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to interview a very well-respected expert in the area of physical therapy ethics, Dr. Laura Lee (Dolly) Swisher from University of South Florida. My interview with Dr. Swisher was videotaped (thanks to camera women extraordinaire, Dr. Keiba Shaw) and will be shared in our electronic classroom with the HE-DPT students in my class called Professional Issues in Physical Therapy. One of Dr. Swisher's many accomplishments is the development of an ethical decision making model entitled: Realm-Individual-Process-Situation (RIPS) Model. Although we usually associate the word "dilemma" with ethics, the "Situation" component of her model asks us to determine whether a particular situation is indeed a dilemma or some other ethical challenge. These 5 challenges are:

1. An issue/problem-ie, there are important values present or challenged.
2. A dilemma: 2 courses of action that seem to contradict each other, but both could be considered "right"
3. Distress: You know what should be done but aren't authorized to act.
4. Temptation: a choice between right and wrong (angel vs devil on your shoulders).
5. Silence: Your ethical values are challenged but no one is talking about the challenge.

HE-DPT Students: Fast forward--it is suddenly 3 1/2 years from now.  You are preparing to take the licensing examination, and are told by a reliable source about a website that can give you the "inside scoop" on exam questions.  How would you characterize this Situation using the 5 categories above? Also, after you review the Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist - (this is a link to the code) and describe which of the principle(s) you believe is/are violated by a student that cheats on the licensing (or any) examination. Keep your responses short and to the point!

Got Ethics? I think so! Share your thoughts on this blog! If you have trouble posting on this website, email them to me in the Web CT classroom and I will post on the blog.

XtraNormal Video: Ta da!

Well: I did it! I created my first Xtranormal video for the ELC next Monday. Thanks Melissa and Lance for the encouragement, you know I have "issues."

That being said, I had great fun making it (and editing it over, and over...). Seriously, it is a creative venue that hopefully will facilitate some provacative discussions at the Educational Leadership Conference.

Check it out, and if possible, give me your comments. Like a good producer, I am anxious to hear what you thought! There are some snaffoos in the wording, but each time I re-publish it there is a small cost! If for some reason you have trouble responding, shoot me an email at maryb@nova.edu

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12500506/the-talk?page=1?listid=25725340

Diversity is the SPICE of LIFE in Hybrid Education

After a nice hiatus (aka-vacation), I'm back in the saddle of the HE-DPT Program! I'd like to take a moment to thank my fabulous faculty, associated faculty, and staff for not just keeping things on track while I was gone, but really revving things up and making great teaching/learning happen! Here's what's been happening while I was away:

• Dr. Page has been "chatting away" with the students in the Professional Issues in PT class! Phone chats are, as it turns out, a low-tech but VERY effective way to have meaningful discussions with small groups of students. Her insights include: have the chats AFTER the assignments have been turned in, keep the groups small (~ 4 people), and give them the freedom to direct the conversation! Also, if your goal is NOT related to the skill of searching online databases, minimize the searching time for assignments so that they can get to the meat of the assignment sooner.  Her take: students are ENGAGED in the material!
• Dr. Shaw has been using a VARIETY of instructional strategies (voicethread, powerpoint, discussions, quizzes) to keep the students active in the Essentials of Exercise Physiology class. Similar to Dr. P, she noticed that students are very active on the discussion boards and have meaningful discussions. Quiz grades have been improving as students realize that you need to read the text(s) to answer the questions! For those of you reading this who are not in the academic world, it might be surprising to you that reading assignments are considered by many students as "merely a suggestion."  One of the great aspects of a hybrid program is that, without the comfort of powerpoint slides each day, students take more responsibility for their learning by actually buying and then reading the text. Dr. Shaw, like many of us, provides powerpoint slides in the electronic classroom, it's just that the slides cover the basics rather than the entire text. Students, if you are out there, we are so proud of you!
• Dr. Riba has been busy blogging and having her students blog their progress in palpation skills. The blog, set up in the Blogger website but with privacy settings, allow students an excellent forum to post pictures or videos of themselves palpating while simultaneously reflecting on their learning. The blog format allows sharing (via invitation) and commenting by the instructor and peers. Very cool stuff! Dr. R's input: don't assume that setting the blog up is easy, perhaps instruct while on campus to minimize the technology frustration.
• Dr. Morris has been busy making "short but sweet" tegrity videos on the pharmacology topics. His strategy this semester is to have many shorter tegrity videos (lectures) rather than several long sessions. We look forward to hearing his input on which method he prefers!

As I sat and listened to this great group of faculty share what they've done, I've had my own "AHA" moments that I'd like to share! First, there are many ways to effectively engage students in a hybrid program. The diversity in approaches are keeping students engaged, interested, and active in their learning. I love the fact that each faculty has approached the hybrid classroom in a way that suits them, their material, and the learning objectives. Second, when you consider the concepts of learning styles and multiple intelligences, this program addresses a plethora of learning modalities (hearing, talking, doing, touching...) and skills (logic, linguistic, intrapersonal...). To me, this is good news for both faculty and students. Third, one cannot over-emphasize the need for faculty to share and learn from one another. I am lucky to work with a dynamic group of faculty who value this learning community. Likewise, I cannot over-emphasize the need for students to stay organized. It takes much less organization to know what classroom to show up to each day than it does to keep track of assignments, postings, chat times, etc.

Lessons learned: diversity is the spice of life, team learning is PRICELESS!

Ready, Set, GO!

READY: Fall term 2011 has officially started! Although our students have been in class all summer taking Anatomy and Physiology, most of the faculty (other than Dr. Morris who was tres busy teaching) have been working on our classes and preparing for this fall term. The fall marks the beginning of physical therapy specific classes: Professional Issues in Physical Therapy, Clinical Applications of Anatomy, Essentials of Exercise Physiology, and Pharmacology.  So this is exciting for the students as well as faculty. It also marks the first time most of us are really 'doing' hybrid in an entry level program. This is where we'll begin to evaluate if our strategies have been on target, what activities 'engage' students versus those that don't, and also how to manage a class that are geographically distant for 3.5 weeks. In a hybrid program, being ready is a lot more UP FRONT work compared to a traditional classroom. Materials need to be ready for students to peek at so they can get a handle on the term-if an assignment is made, the grading rubric and support material should also be available. I would say the "r" in ready needs to be capitalized in a hybrid program.

As is the norm for most professional education programs, while we prepared for the fall term, we are also planning and strategizing for the subsequent terms. Having 5 core faculty and 2 associated faculty on board at this point has allowed us to evaluate our curriculum and have a productive currriculum meeting this past week. How much fun is it to create, discuss, brainstorm, and discuss some more? Ok, well maybe it's not fun for everyone but to me it is much like I imagine a composer feels when she or he puts the finishing touches on a song! I am enjoying and relishing the spirit of our faculty-everyone shares and we are trying (thank you Keiba) not to talk over one another as we get excited about something! That's a good thing to work on, right? White coat ceremony is also scheduled for this October 22nd, so there is much to celebrate ahead!

SET: All classes are up in WebCT (our online classroom system), students have begun interacting (learning how to create their own Blog in Dr. Riba's class, signing up for chats with Dr. Page, connecting to online resources and presentations in Dr. Shaw's class) just to mention a few. In our pre-semester meeting, we were able to look at all 4 classes super-imposed on one another to check for possible conflicts in time or testing. So I guess we're also SET.  The students-many printed materials from WebCT before they even left campus last Sunday-and thus I would say they're ready to GO!

GO:  Speaking of GO, I'm about to take a much needed and anticipated vacation. I'll be back in time for our first on-campus session and greatly appreciate Dr. Page leading Unit 1 of the Professional Issues class  :-)  I feel 100% confident that the students, faculty, and staff are ready for an interactive semester ahead.

Arrividerci! Fans can follow my upcoming travel blog entitled: Io sono Americana