Efficacy of the digital textbook for the autonomous work of physical therapy students

Abstract

The evolution of technologies and the health context have favored the development of distance education and autonomous learning. The digital textbook (DTB) is a flexible and accessible teaching resource that favors autonomous work and equity in learning. To evaluate the perception of quality and efficacy of the DTB for the achievement of learning outcomes (LO) in the autonomous work of physical therapy students. A non-experimental, cross-sectional study. A DTB was designed for the Intervention in Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System (IKMES) course. The study was conducted in five stages: design, revision, digitization, implementation, and LO evaluation and perception of quality. The DTB was implemented after peer validation in two-course units for which LO was assessed. Median differences before and after DTB use were compared (Wilcoxon test). A performance improvement of 42% was observed after the use of the electronic resource, which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). In addition, 50% of the students showed median values equal to or above the passing score for the two evaluations after using the DTB. The DTB had a favorable assessment by students, with a 98.14% recommendation. The DTB favors autonomous work, contributing to the achievement of the LO. The resource was highly valued by teachers and students, who recognized the importance of digital resources in their professional development.