A cross-sectional analysis of student perceptions toward face-to-face and blended learning effectiveness in applied exercise rehabilitation course between faculty of sports science and recreation UiTM campuses

This study examined differences in student perceptions of face-to-face (F2F) and blended learning (BL) effectiveness in Applied Exercise Rehabilitation courses across four Faculty of Sport Science and Recreation (FSR) Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) campuses in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, with 212 undergraduate students completing a structured questionnaire, using a Likert scale, assessing perceived effectiveness in developing fundamental knowledge, clinical skills, and social competency, and learning enjoyment. Chi-square tests of independence with adjusted standardised residuals were conducted to identify campus-specific variations. Results revealed consistently positive F2F perceptions across all campuses, with significant differences observed for fundamental knowledge (p=.004) and social competency (p=.025). However, substantial campus variations emerged for BL perceptions across all domains (p=.001), with FSR UiTM Seremban demonstrating the most favourable perceptions and FSR UiTM Arau exhibiting the least favourable perceptions. Similar patterns were observed for learning enjoyment, where F2F classes received uniformly positive ratings while BL enjoyment differed significantly across campuses (p=.001). These findings suggest that campus-specific factors, including technological infrastructure and instructional design quality, significantly influence BL experiences in psychomotor-intensive disciplines. The study recommends that FSR UiTM Arau prioritise upgrading technological infrastructure and instructional design capacity, while adopting FSR Seremban BL implementation practices as a benchmark, alongside sustaining substantive F2F components across all campuses to preserve psychomotor skill development.