Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Students’ Expectations and Experiences of Academic and Clinical Experiences of Online Learning

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-439-6_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Online learning; Blended Learning; Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology training and Student experience

Abstract

In the wake of COVID-19, higher education institutions deviated towards online learning for undergraduate courses to decrease the spread of the virus and ensure that learning continues. This deviation also affected the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (SLPA) undergraduate degrees. This paper determines the SLPA students’ academic and clinical experiences of online and blended learning. Quantitative and descriptive design methods were employed using an adapted questionnaire. Convenience sampling methods were used to select the 41 participants from a higher education institution in Tshwane, Gauteng. With online learning, the majority (51%) perceived the workload to be greater than that of contact classes, resulting in a significant number (10%) not coping. Negative aspects of online learning included lack of adequate devices and unstable internet connectivity. In contrast, positive aspects included the convenience of online learning in terms of recorded lectures and room for flexibility. Online clinicals were not preferred as students felt that they did not acquire enough clinical skills, clinical competence was taken away because they didn’t partake in face-to-face clinicals. In summary, most students were in favor of blended learning as a measure of getting optimal theoretical and clinical experiences; theoretical work can be done online, whereas clinicals can be done on a face-to-face platform—consideration of students’ demographics when designing blended-learning models, especially in universities serving the most previously disadvantaged students.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Khomotjo Kgare
AU  - Claudia Maepane
AU  - Gomolemo Mabusela
AU  - Modiladi Mphahlele
AU  - Risilingwane Rinae
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/06/19
TI  - Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Students’ Expectations and Experiences of Academic and Clinical Experiences of Online Learning
BT  - Proceedings of the University of Fort Hare Teaching and Learning Conference (UFHTL 2023)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 130
EP  - 149
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-439-6_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-439-6_10
ID  - Kgare2024
ER  -