Ergonomics intervention project in undergraduate physical therapy program. A curricular innovation approach

Abstract

Competency-based education in ergonomics was incorporated into the physical therapy undergraduate educational program in the University of Chile in 2009 in conjunction with the construction of the graduation profile. The course “Ergonomic Intervention Project” is developed in the last year of the career (5 years of duration). The aim of this non-experimental, cross-sectional analytical design study was to evaluate the academic performance of the course and the students’ perceptions regarding the pedagogical and disciplinary domain. Forty-three students took the course. The academic performance was recorded and a survey was applied in order to evaluate pedagogical domain, disciplinary domain and general aspects. Academic performance average was 5.94 (min 5.28 max 6.51) on a scale of 1 to 7 with all the students approved. Thirty-three students answered the survey sent. Pedagogical dimension obtained a 2.87 score and the disciplinary domain a 3.41 score (Likert 1–4). Regarding the evaluation of the general aspects of the course, 73% was satisfied/very satisfied with the performance of the faculty team, 87% declared to know the evaluation criteria of the subject in a timely manner, 91% considered requirement of the course adequate. Student perception in the pedagogical and disciplinary domain were satisfactory. Teaching-learning strategies based on the experiential learning cycle, in context guided by expert teachers considering an educational competencies model, allow the habilitation in ergonomics themes in undergraduate students.