In beta

In this episode of the In Beta podcast, we explore an innovative approach to curriculum design in physiotherapy education, where Ben shares his vision for a new fourth-year module called "Constructing Learning from Practice" as part of a newly validated four-year MSc Physiotherapy programme.

In this episode, we explore Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs), an innovative approach to student and staff mobility in physiotherapy education. These short-term, intensive courses combine physical mobility with virtual learning, fostering international collaboration. We talk about how BIPs enhance cross-cultural understanding, promote idea exchange, and offer flexible mobility options for students and staff in physiotherapy education and beyond.

In this conversation Leanne Wiles and Dean Walker discuss how they used generative AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT to simulate patient interactions for students in physiotherapy education, enhancing their communication and reasoning skills. Students interacted with AI personas portraying diverse health scenarios. The practice proved immersive and effective, displaying significant potential for flexible educational approaches in challenging healthcare communications.

In this episode with Ben Gordon, the discussion explores remote-only physiotherapy, augmented by technology. We talk about how virtual care reshapes physiotherapy's principles, focusing on accessibility, preventative care, and a shift from physical interaction to software-supported decision-making. The conversation also covers challenges to traditional professional norms, urging a reimagined, patient-centric approach facilitated by technological advancements and regulatory adaptations.

Ben and I talk to Lambert Schuwirth about the development of HPE-Bot, a chatbot based on the GPT language model, and its implications for health professions education. The conversation explores AI's potential effects on teaching, assessment, and learner behaviour, raising concerns about accuracy and institutional adaptation. While we highlight the ongoing challenges with integrating AI into professional education, we tend to agree that the opportunities for driving much needed change, are significant.

In this episode, Joost van Wijchen and Michael discuss the integration of digital technologies in physiotherapy education and practice. They explore dynamic knowledge, technology's transformative role in education, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, emphasising networked and collaborative learning. The conversation also explores the complex processes of knowledge creation and integration in the digital era.

Note: We recorded this conversation in the middle of 2023 but for various reasons I was only able to edit it and get it published now. In this conversation, Ben and I had discuss the assessment process, linking it to broader themes of learning, curriculum design, and student experience. We talk about the centralisation of…

In this episode, Ben and Michael speak to Shane Pritchard about using the concept of a 'grand narrative' to structure a simulation programme at scale, across multiple disciplines, in schools of health and social care. We're all familiar with simulation-based activities within, and maybe even across, disciplinary programmes. But what would it take to build a simulation programme across an entire school?

In this episode, we discuss the implications of generative AI on assessment, and on learning and teaching more broadly. This was a wide-ranging conversation that explored some of the detail around how language models work, it's inability to compare responses to valid models of the world, practical uses for AI in teaching, learning, and assessment, and the risks of having AI being trained on data generated by AI.

In this episode, Michael Rowe talks about space as a metaphor for learning and asks if it's still a useful way for us to think about learning and teaching design. Spatial metaphors encourage a certain vocabulary that informs our cognitive frameworks, which possibly limits creative approaches to learning and teaching. Michael asks if other metaphors for learning might get us closer to designing learning experiences that are more aligned with what we care about.