# The Future of Physiotherapy Education - Savonia AMK

> News from the ENPHE Spring Seminar.

## Overview of the ENPHE Seminar 2025
The ENPHE Seminar 2025 was hosted and organized by the Department of Physiotherapy at Avans University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands). The event spanned three days, offering a diverse and enriching program. 

The first day, Thursday, April 10th, 2025, was dedicated to the Student Program and the ENPHE Board Meetings. Group facilitators met with the board to discuss the topics of the spring seminar and future ideas for the working groups.

## Seminar Theme and Participation
The ENPHE Spring Seminar was attended by 170 participants from 22 countries, including both teachers and students. The overarching theme for this year’s seminar was “The Future of Physiotherapy Education: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities.” This theme highlighted the evolving landscape of physiotherapy education, exploring innovative practices, addressing critical challenges, and identifying pathways to harness emerging opportunities.

## Keynote Presentation
The spring seminar’s keynote speaker was Prof. Dr. Peter Verkoeijen, who presented on the topic: "Self-Regulated Learning in Higher Education: A New Way Forward?". This talk highlighted possible strategies for the regulation of self-learning in students, which may be useful for both participating students and faculty.

## Research Group Work and Student Perspectives
Both teachers and students were involved in research group work aimed at promoting the teaching and learning of evidence-based physiotherapy. The research team promoted a survey specifically targeted at students. 

Working in small groups, participants brainstormed and contributed reflections on various topics. The debate was highly enriching and produced ideas for the construction of a student survey, covering areas such as:
* The impact of the teacher and their teaching on student learning.
* Possible barriers to students learning evidence-based physiotherapy.

The joint results were compiled for further use and will assist in the design of tools to obtain information on evidence-based physical therapy from the students’ perspective.

* Picture 1. Research team participants working during the seminar.
* Picture 2. Research team participants working during the seminar.
* Picture 3. Research team participants working during the seminar.

## Conclusion
The seminar offered an excellent opportunity for networking, sharing ideas, and fostering collaboration among educators, students, and professionals in physiotherapy education.

## Writers
* **Marja Äijö**, PhD, principal lecturer of rehabilitation and gerontology, Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland).
* **Zeltia Naia**, PhD, lecturer, Universidade da Coruña, Faculty of Physiotherapy (Spain).