2025 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 1-7
[Purpose] To clarify the impact of changes in the educational environment due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, such as switching to remote classes and not conducting regular examinations, on student performance at the Department of Physical Therapy, Kobe Gakuin University.
[Subjects and Methods] We divided the students who had been admitted to the department between 2015 and 2019 into 4 groups: those who graduated without (group I: 134) and with (II: 14) repeating a year (repeat) during the pre‐COVID‐19 period, and those who graduated without (group III: 30) and with repeating a year (repeat) during the post‐COVID‐19 period (group IV: 8). Then, we compared grade point averages calculated from grade points for specialized required subjects (GPAs‐RS) and national physical therapist certification examination scores among the 4 groups.
[Results] During semesters 1 and 2, the GPAs‐RS of group IV were higher than or equal to those of group I. During semesters 3 and 4, the GPAs‐RS of groups IV did not differ from those of group I. During semesters 5 and 6, the GPAs‐RS of groups IV were lower than those of group I. Lastly, during semesters 7 and 8, the GPAs‐RS and national certification examination scores of group IV did not differ from those of group I.
[Conclusion] Changes in the educational environment due to the COVID‐19 pandemic had a negative impact on some students at the Department of Physical Therapy, as their academic performance deteriorated, leading to repeat.
