Smart learning for gait physiotherapy – a standardized tool for health higher education in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Smart learning for gait physiotherapy – a standardized tool for health higher education in Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Gait is considered as one of the most important motor function in everyday life and crucial for human mobility. Research reports highlighted that gait impairments may greatly affect the quality of life. The problem is all the more important because it affects people of all ages. However the most at risk of the occurrence of gait abnormalities and therefore socially excluded are the elderly who loss of motor functions progressively.
The huge need of physical therapy of those patients must face the skills gaps and mismatches that are mostly connected to a lack of European standards of professionalization of the physiotherapist profession ensuring maximum safety and high quality of therapy on the same level across Europe.
SMARTherapy+ project is dedicated to overcome this problem by creating innovative learning tool that is based on digital modern solutions making the tool intuitive to use and easy to understand thanks to use advanced ICT and VR technologies as well as easy to obtain by creating distance learning opportunities. Particularly SMARTheraphy+ as a learning tool will be a digital and modern platform for standardization of learning in physiotherapy and rehabilitation that include three basic components: USEFUL KNOWLEDGE: a basic range of practical knowledge that is built on various set of case studies; ACCESSIBLE KNOWLEDGE: creations of a sustainable learning tool that will guarantee equal access to the knowledge across Europe; NON-EXCLUSIVE KNOWLEDGE: creation of an effective learning tool that will guarantee obtaining learning effects by students with different educational background.
The consortium is composed of four partners with interdisciplinary skills to guarantee the achievement of the project main objective. SUT, AWF, UzL will guarantee the access to the main knowledge of the course. SUT and FPM is the bridge between the project and a recognized university with gait physiotherapy learning skills and advanced techniques of therapy and has extensive experience in pedagogic elaboration and adaptation of training contents inter alia for the development of online courses using innovative ICT and VR technologies.
The project is planned to 27 months years and it is divided into 7 WPs. From WP1 to 4 the core of the project will be carried out under intellectual outputs: IO1Curriculum definition of SMARTherapy+ tool, IO2Creation and implementation of SMARTherapy+ tool, IO3 Preparatory course for physiotherapy teachers, IO4. Implementation of SMARTherapy+ into learning process at higher education.
WP5 and 6 are respectively dedicated to dissemination and exploitation of the results. WP7 collects all the activities related to project management.
The project results expected during the project and on its completion are divided into three groups: principal measurable results, strategic results and utilitarian results.
The principal and measurable result of SMARTherapy+ will be an innovative open and homogeneous in European level educational tool dedicated to health higher education system.
The strategic objectives of using this tool within educational system are:
-reform learning methods and high schools approach to medical education that are based on practical knowledge gaining from real and variety physiotherapy cases;
-adapt education to the digital age: the challenge is not only to provide current and future generations with the technical skills associated with new technologies, but also to build a new culture of collaboration especially in critical conditions like current pandemic time.
-adapt new skills that give the opportunity to implement therapy solutions based on telemedicine.
The utilitarian objectives of SMARTherapy+ project are:
-to initiate an European debate within health sciences schools stakeholders, managers or decision makers on standardization of learning in physiotherapy and rehabilitation; and on the value, limitations, opportunities and threats arising from innovations and digitalization in education in health sciences;
-to strengthen network within horizontal inter-sectoral cooperation specifically between higher education sector, private and public healthcare organizations, government sector.
The proposed project will also have a great impact on patients, increasing the degree of their functionality, independence and consequently the quality of life. Furthermore, promoting a web based open access on-line course complemented with the serious game and m-learning will contribute to get a better effectiveness of learning process and qualifications of target users. This will provide new employment opportunities for them.
This project will also have positive impact in the participating organisations. The experience of participating in this project will contribute to reinforce the internationalisation strategy of all partners. partners will strengthen their position on this particular field, acting as a reference centre on innovative educational technology in health sciences.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 253260 Eur

Project Coordinator

POLITECHNIKA SLASKA & Country: PL

Project Partners

• FONDAZIONE POLITECNICO DI MILANO
• UNIVERSITAT ZU LUBECK
• AKADEMIA WYCHOWANIA FIZYCZNEGO IM.JERZEGO KUKUCZKI W KATOWICACH