Abstract Purpose To investigate if first-year occupational therapy students who have had no on-campus, face-to-face learning experiences differed from second-, third- and fourth-year students in their perceptions and experiences of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods One hundred and fifty-one occupational therapy undergraduate students (80.8% female; 66.2% 20–24 old) completed the Student Engagement in the e-Learning Environment Scale (SELES) and the Distance Education Learning Environment Scale (DELES). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with bootstrapping was completed to examine the differences between first-year and senior students’ perceptions and experiences of online learning. Results Significant differences were observed across several SELES and DELES scales: peer collaboration (SELES) (p = .001), interactions with instructors (SELES) (p = .026), student interaction and collaboration (DELES) (p = .003), authentic learning (DELES) (p = .026) and active learning (DELES) (p = .013). Conclusion The findings demonstrate significant differences in first-year and senior students’ perceptions and experiences of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The outcomes highlight the importance of facilitating collaborative and active engagement for all students by implementing academic, technological and social support measures within occupational therapy curricula.
CITATION STYLE
Brown, T., Robinson, L., Gledhill, K., Peart, A., Yu, M.-L., Isbel, S., … Etherington, J. (2021). Online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic: the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate occupational therapy students at two Australian universities. International Journal of Health Professions, 8(1), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.2478/ijhp-2021-0006
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