Blended Learning and Satisfaction Among University Students Experiencing Concussion Symptoms

Abstract

Professional sport organizations have successfully raised societal awareness of the serious nature of concussions and the effect on returning to sports activities or “return-to-play.” Existing literature places significant emphasis on return-to-play protocols for concussed athletes, while minimal information is available about when and/or how a concussed person can best return to a formal educational environment. In particular, there is a gap in the literature regarding a holistic view of educational approaches, learning implications, and accommodation needs for Canadian university students recovering from a concussion. Based on this gap, in this study a comparative quantitative-dominant mixed methods research design was used to investigate the suitability of in-person and blended learning environments for university students who have experienced one or more concussions. The study also explored learning implications and accommodations required following a concussion. Fifty current or former university students who have suffered a concussion at some time in their life were placed into two groups: (1) those who had studied in an in-person learning environment; and (2) those who had studied in a blended learning environment. An online questionnaire was used to explore how the students’ concussion symptoms affected their learning, the accommodations they were provided, and self-reported satisfaction with each learning environment. The following controlled variables were considered when analyzing self-reported satisfaction: concussion symptoms, site of injury, accommodations, accident versus sport-related injury, length of time since original injury, isolated versus multiple injuries, gender, medication use, approaches to learning, age, number of courses previously taken in their respective learning environments, and grade achievement. The findings revealed that students who had studied in a blended learning environment reported a higher level of satisfaction. Recommendations focused on the reported changes in learning that follow a concussion, the use of accommodations in different learning environments, and the role of faculty as students reintegrate into a formal learning environment.