Design and implementation of a digital textbook about physical agents as a learning resource in the training process of Chilean physical therapy students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on education, forcing the implementation of distance learning methodologies using information and communication technologies (ICT). The digital textbook is a didactic resource used to guide the training process of students; besides, its interactivity allows systematic work, favoring metacognition and the construction of self-learning. The aim of this paper is to describe, through a descriptive cross-sectional design, the design, review, digitization and implementation phases of a digital textbook about physical agents as a learning resource to support distance education in the training process of physical therapy students enrolled in the physical agents course offered by Universidad Andres Bello in Santiago, Chile, in the context of the human mobility restriction measures implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The textbook consists of thirteen thematic sections and once it was reviewed and validated by peers and by the editorial committee of the university it was digitalized and indexed into the digital resource database of the university, where it was made available to the entire cohort of students enrolled in the physical agents course during the first semester of 2020 (n=115).The digital textbook was successfully implemented as a didactic resource to guide the autonomous and distance learning of students during the time human mobility restriction measures were established in Chile due to the pandemic. Future studies should focus on reporting the students’ satisfaction and perception of this tool and its effect on learning outcomes in order to obtain effective feedback.