The Challenges of Conducting Practical Exercises in the Scope of an Adapted Educational Process in Higher Education Institutions During the COVID-19 Epidemic

Matej Plevnik

Summary:  The Covid-19 epidemic that emerged in March 2020 caused a situation in universities where the implementation of many forms of the study process had to be adapted to the restrictions and recommendations for work during lockdowns. The implementation of practical forms of the study process was a particular challenge. The purpose of this work is to show the possibilities of adapting practical swimming exercises and the basics of rescue from the water, which were included in the first year of the undergraduate study course of kinesiology (n = 45), a programme conducted at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Primorska. The results show that the students achieved statistically significant progress in the self-assessment of swimming skills, the time of swimming 100 m and in the length of underwater swimming, despite the interrupted implementation and subsequent adapted condensed implementation of practical exercises during the period. The results vary depending on the group, here as categorised by swimming ability and the duration of the practical exercises. When adapting the implementation of practical forms of study, special attention should be paid to how the purpose of these practical forms of study—that is, the real practical experience of participants in educational programmes—can be maintained; this is analysed by taking into account the possibilities of implementation and providing limitations and valid recommendations.