Educación a distancia en Fisioterapia en tiempos de pandemia: experiencia con estudiantes de pregrado.

Background and objective: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Universities have adapted their teaching strategies to virtual education with online classes, which has limited the development of group and practical activities, which are essential for the Physiotherapy studies. For this reason, the objective of this study was to learn about the experience of Physiotherapy undergraduate students in distance education strategies during the pandemic period. Material and method: 24 fourth-year physiotherapy students (12 men and 12 women) from the Universidad de LasAméricas, Chile were included, who participated in a COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) experience with the Universidad de la Sabana, Colombia. The academic, disciplinary and cultural experience was collected through a questionnaire of 8 questions. Results: 87 % of students think that they have acquired new knowledge, 66 % believe that it has been an enriching experience and 91 % of those surveyed recommend the COIL experience. Conclusion: the COIL online education strategy used during the pandemic with physiotherapy students was a positive experience from a methodological, disciplinary and intercultural exchange point of view, which is highly recommended for most students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]