Training Bilingual Interpreters in Healthcare Settings

This chapter examines students' perceptions of their online learning experience in a healthcare interpreting course as well as their self-efficacy beliefs. The results suggest that teaching presence is essential in online learning, as students indicated that the feedback provided by the instructor were among the most helpful aspects of the course. Additionally, including activities that required learners to interact and collaborate throughout the semester was an effective way of creating social presence. Students specifically perceived that doing peer-evaluations with a classmate on a weekly basis helped them learn and increased their confidence. Regarding self-efficacy beliefs, by the end of the semester students considered that they can meet the requirements established in the National Standards of Practice for Interpreters in Health Care. Overall, a collaborative online environment was successfully created, and learners had a worthwhile learning experience. This study provides meaningful data that can inform future online teaching practices.