Distance Learning: A New Era In Orthotic/Prosthetic Education

By Robert Lin, CPO, FAAOP

Distance education programs abound in higher education. Undergraduate, certificate, and post-baccalaureate level programs are all offered in many regionally accredited colleges and universities. Indeed, nearly 57 percent of all accredited higher education institutions offer courses through distance education. Until now, orthotic and prosthetic primary education was never offered in a distance learning format.

In August 2002, the Newington Certificate Program, a subsidiary of Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc., imitated its pilot Distance Learning Program (DLP) in orthotics. Five students were admitted as part of the experimental group, and the 15 seated students were considered the control group. Instruction is provided asynchronously (not real time) to the DLP students, with the same fundamental curriculum provided to both student groups. Lab projects were completed by the DLP students at their remote sites and digital images were taken of their work (casts, models, delineations, etc.) and either e-mailed or sent to the instructor via floppy disk or CD-ROM.

The interactive component is being offered via weekly teleconferencing with each student and the instructor viewing the edited/chaptered lecture DVD from their respective sites and engaging in open discussion for clarification or amplification.

Patient from remote clinic wears a UCBL made by a Distance Learning student.

Following the conclusion of the first semester for the pilot group of DLP students, they were required to travel to Newington (the site of the Certificate Program) to undergo two days of intensive oral and practical examination. All of the projects required of them over the past 15-week semester were repeated onsite under the auspices of the core instructor.

At the midway point in their education, a comparative analysis was done of the mean test and project scores, comparing DLP to seated students. The DLP students performed on the average five points (or half a letter grade) better than the seated students on all didactic and practical examinations.

It is postulated that this discrepancy can be, at least in part, attributed to the fact that DLP students have a permanent video record of the entire lecture, as opposed to relying on notes or audiotapes. This enabled the DLP students to view the lectures multiple times in preparation for the exams and actual clinical practice.

Students learn to modify casts. Photos courtesy of Newington Certificate Program.

The same method of comparison will be utilized at the end of the academic year, when four core courses will be analyzed. The fall of 2003, 20 DLP students will be admitted to the NCP (ten in orthotics and ten in prosthetics). Once the database has increased over a five-year period, the statistical significance is expected to rise. At the conclusion of each year, a Likert-type student satisfaction survey will be administered to ascertain subject feedback from the DLP students entering residency training in their respective disciplines.

If the results show no significant differences between the traditional classroom learning and distance learning, or if the distance learning group continues to perform at a higher level on test scores and in residency, the fundamental process in which orthotists and prosthetists receive their education could be revolutionized. The use of these new technologies to deliver O&P education could in turn make schools more cost-effective and enable them to matriculate a much larger class with the same complement of instructors. The implications and possibilities are innumerable.   

Robert Lin, CPO, FAAOP, is the program director for the Newington Certificate Program; director of Residency Training for Hanger P&O, chief orthotist/prosthetist at Connecticut Children’s Hospital, and an associate clinical instructor at the University of Connecticut School of Allied Health.

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Table Of Contents - June 2003

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	Orthotic & Prosthetic Technological Association (OPTA) “The mission of OPTA is to recognize and fulfill the unique professional needs of the orthotic and prosthetic technical specialist.” Shop Talk
	Distance Learning: A New Era In Orthotic/Prosthetic Education Education Outlook
	Otto Bock Initiative Includes Upper-Extremity Professional Services Team Leading EDGE
	Creative Adaptations: Helping Young People with Disabilities Salute!
	Glasgow Hosts BAPO Conference Global View
	Alicia Marquardson, CO Profiles
	It’s All About Education, Training, and Experience Perspective
	From The Editor Viewpoints