1. INSTEP: INternationalising Student Education in Physiotherapy
Esa Bärlund, Deborah O’Connor and Candiss Warder

2. “When you walk you flourish…” E. Bärlund (2016)
This project was set up to create exciting and innovative learning experiences for the students studying Physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University and Turku University of Applied Sciences (Eliademy)

3. Where did we start?
MMU and TUAS members of Consortium of Applied Research and Professional Education (CARPE) network
2013 biennial conference was held in Manchester
Discussions about joint collaboration/teaching

4. 2015 conference was held in Turku:
Meeting with Marjut Putkinen, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at TUAS and Claire Hamshire, Head of Education in the Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care at MMU
Focus for the project

5. Initial meeting in MMU 26/11 2015 – PT project
First online meeting 11/ – topic focusing
Planning & prep February – May 2016
MMU visit to Turku 5/2016
Video cases, summer 2016
Building up the website, 9/2016
Finalising instructions 10/2016
Project commence 12/2016

6. Challenges How do we make it work? Professional bodies
Regulatory differences
Custom and practice

7. Chapter 3
Meeting

8. Building bridges Establish key priorities Timetabling
Topics for collaboration
Online environment
Regular skype communication
Build learning materials
Recruit students
Give it a go…

10. 4 online collaborative sessions, 2 hours over 2 weeks
Research Process
4 online collaborative sessions, 2 hours over 2 weeks
24 students – 12 MMU, 12 TUAS
Student interviews – 9 MMU, 7 TUAS
Staff focus group
Thematic analysis

11. 1 Online course finished 12/2016
Interview of the students Jan – April 2017
MMU visit to Turku 5/2016- focus group of staff; themes
Analysing results; abstracts & article drafting May-June 2017
TUAS visit to MMU; Presentation 6/2017
Future planning…
Where does this end?

12. The student experience

13. The Finnish perspective…
”we noted differences in learning styles, when we have been introduced a measuring tool, we haven’t been asked critically enough to make an argument for its benefits and weak points”

14. “I think they understood our problems in English the same way when they would be working with other language than their native, there’s always problem with it.”

15. Why did I get involved? A new experience
Develop new communication skills
Develop reflection skills
Enhance curriculum learning
Exciting opportunity
Enhance CV

16. What did I enjoy the most?
Learning
Exploring pyscho-social aspects of health care
Exploring cultural differences
Outcome measures
Sharing clinical experience
Challenge communication skills

17. Is there anything I would change?
Technology
Facilitation

18. Has it had an impact on my clinical practice?
Developed learning style
Improved communication skills
Self-reflection skills
Team work
Careful consideration of outcome measures
Improved holistic awareness with the patient at the centre of care
Realisation of what kind of physiotherapist I want to be!

19. The staff experience
Widening and increasing perspectives in professional life Continual learning and development Open minded, open to new ideas, comfortable to share, comfortable to be taken out of comfort zone… It is OK to not know where we are going or how we are going to get there “opening the box…”

20. Success factors Similar institutions Similar professional outlooks
Supportive faculty deans
Formal letters of invitation/memoranda of understanding
Scaffolding of existing partnerships

21. Collaborative partnerships…
Build relationships
Good communication
Open, honest and constructive feedback
Make it work…
There are no obstacles, only solutions!

22. Lessons for the future…
Use of social media… earlier introductions
More use of self-study… support face to face interaction
Shorter sessions… more focused discussion
Less is more… numbers of students in a group is key to success
Internet access… technology needs to support, not hinder

23. Where are we now?
Exploring future partnerships – Bern, Geneva, Utrecht…
Conference presentations:
ICED, Cape Town Oct 2016
WCPT, Cape Town July 2017
ENPHE, Iceland Sept 2017
RAISE, student conference, Manchester Sept 2017
ISOTTL, Canada Oct 2017
Informal staff feedback
INSTEP Seminar, June 2017
L&T conference, MMU July 2017
Papers for peer review:
Currently draft stage