An examination of the prevalence, impact, experiences and perceptions of learning and health technologies on students, academics and educational leaders in complementary medicine education institutions: A mixed method study of two institutions, one in Australia and one in the US

Publication Type:
Thesis
Issue Date:
2022
Full metadata record
๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ: The global healthcare and higher education sectors are experiencing unprecedented changes due, in part, to technology adoption. Meanwhile, complementary medicine (CM) continues to thrive across many countries with increased CM education enrolments. Despite these circumstances, there has been limited and sporadic research examining CM education. In direct response to this important gap, this thesis reports on an examination of the prevalence, experiences and perceptions of learning and health technologies on students, academics and educational leaders in CM education institutions. ๐— ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜€: Following a critical integrative literature review, fieldwork design involved a three-phase approach adopting health services and mixed methods research methodology. Academics, students and educational leaders at two sample institutions in the US and Australia were interviewed, two key institutions were audited, and stakeholders surveyed on their perspectives of practice and learning technologies. ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—น๐˜๐˜€: A literature review of educational research in CM from the last 12 years found an uneven range of empirical research. Initial Phase One fieldwork identified CM students as critical of the deployment of classroom learning technology, possessing lower levels of digital literacy and the existence of a digital divide between subsets of students. Academics were noted to have lower levels of health and learning technology uptake. In Phase Two, the institutional audits identified a difference in the approach, policy and strategic planning for technology use between the two institutions. Subsequent cross-sectional surveys in Phase Three revealed that CM academics perceive technologies as having a detrimental impact on their studentsโ€™ future workplace skills, knowledge and attributes and the learning technology training offered by CM educational institutions to academics is perceived to be ineffectual. CM academics place the responsibility for any personal and professional digital shortcomings with their institution rather than themselves. Students also have technology challenges with evidence of digital literacy divisions within the student body, and a perception that there is a lack of institutional support. Generally, students appear more open than academics to clinical practice enhancing technologies. An urgent need has emerged for educational leaders to address digital literacy inequalities through further training. ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—น๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Despite the high levels of CM use in the community, and the thriving nature of CM educational institutions globally, the current evidence evaluating the procedures, effectiveness and safety of CM education remains limited.
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