ISRRT_COVID-19_book

online or via pre-recorded videos. Web-discussion and discussion boards are utilised as other
modes of lessons delivery. In tandem, provision of feedback has evolved to giving feedback
remotely as a result of the transition to HBL.
With increased movement restrictions and heightened social distancing measures introduced
in the community, some radiography students had their practical lessons removed from the
curriculum. Fortunately, essential in-persons sessions such as labs and practical were still
permitted in certain countries, but with strict safe distancing measures in place. For students
who had their practical lessons removed, simulation training was an alternative to augment
learning. This includes skills training through simulation-based learning via virtual reality,
augmented reality or mixed reality. Moreover, with the implementation of stringent
measures, students were required to embrace remotely delivered assessments such as virtual
objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and online test applications. Similar to
practical lessons, clinical placements were also subjected to changes. In instances of
suspended clinical placements, IHL responded by repositioning academic modules in the
curriculum to fill the missing gap.
Clinical
Like other healthcare professions, radiography students experienced disruption of clinical
placement. Many IHL made the difficult decision to delay or cancel their students’ clinical
placements. These decisions were often made in consideration of the health of students, with
students on placement identified as a potential vector for transmission of the virus. IHL had
considered the challenges of ceasing placement and had attempted to mitigate the clinical
placement crisis. Some IHL had shortened the duration of their students’ clinical placement,
hoping that the pandemic would be abated in a matter of weeks and the world would then
go “back to normal”. However, with many guilty of this kind of optimism, COVID-19 had taken
over the world with increasingly uncontrollable disease incidence and resultant deaths.
Statistical tipping point was reached in many countries, resulting in unveiling of new
lockdowns, quarantines and curfews. Many local and international students on clinical
placement were affected by these restrictions as their placements were halted with
immediate effect given by the hospitals 1 . Both students and educators were caught by
surprise due to the immediacy of the decision.
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