According to the European standards and guidelines for quality assurance within higher education institutions physiotherapy bachelor degree programmes are developed continuously to meet the changes of the demanded competencies in the professional field. Physiotherapy education in Austria has changed into a competence based education using problem based learning in the same way as the members of European Network of Physiotherapy Higher Education do in their local study programmes. To achieve integration and deepening of both skills and knowledge a project work within a course of 18 ECTS was designed. Companies that are potential employers to future graduates provide a perfect environment for this task and join this part of the course. After finishing the input-phase during the course of occupational medicine students of physiotherapy at the University of Applied Science FH Campus Vienna start their own project in cooperation with the work health center of Erste Bank: They (a) accomplish a work station analysis, (b) select and implement preventive physiotherapeutic measures on base of this analysis and (c) evaluate the implementation. The students (d) advice clients in ergonomics, posture, movement and relaxation. After the project the students reflect their experiences in the occupational area in a project report. This report is given to the companies and it is used as an indicator regarding the quality level of the students’ competencies. In the next part of the course both project process and project outcome are presented by the students and discussed with the teacher within a comprehensive supervised reflection. The university and the cooperating company face following questions: Do the students achieve the intended level of competencies by the instrument of project work in real life? Do the activities of the students get the expected benefit for the company? Which factors promote a positive outcome of the project work for the company?

The course is evaluated through student questionnaires and reflective discussion with the teacher to find out which knowledge and skills the students have achieved and where they still lack. The main parameters that were documented in the written project reports are compared with the intended level of the curricular objectives to analyse learning outcomes for students at the project phase of their training. Using the ECTS grading system (A-F) the students´ performance is qualified in three items: assignment (structure), measures (content) and reflection. Six months after the project phase the analysis of the grade of goal achievement on companies’ side is done with a survey among contact persons of the work health center with a questionnaire that was structured along the following main topics: (1) Adapting work stations of the employees for ergonomic aspects, (2) instructing the employees in ergonomics (3) handouts regarding the training for the employees.

It is expected that students reach the curricular objectives during the project work and strengthen the intended competences although they have less contact hours as the project work is done during the course: They are able to associate their physiotherapeutic knowledge and skills to strategies in solution to problems in professional fields. Students feel more responsibility for their learning outcomes than in courses with traditional learning settings within contact hours only. When they have checked acquired competencies in prospected occupational areas they have improved their professional competencies for their potential employers as well. In addition it is assumed the project is most effective for both cooperating company and employees if the project goals are well defined and employees are informed about the project steps and planned measures in advance.