involves the integration of a spectrum of assistive technologies into occupation-based evaluation and intervention to meet client-driven functional goals, (AOTA, 2025; WFOT, 2019). In the professional education of OTPs, the American Certification of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) provides AT service provision standards, that offer specific guidelines for the scope of the content that must be covered in OT curriculum at the associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral level. The standard regarding assistive technologies requires inclusion of learning activities designed to establish knowledge and skills about AT “used to enhance occupational performance and foster partici- pation and well-being”, (ACOTE, 2018, pp. 37; 60). ACOTE does not, however, provide specific guidance on how to integrate this content knowledge into broad program curriculum. Programs are left to determine this on their own; choosing either to integrate AT concepts throughout a variety of courses, to develop a stand-alone course in AT, or a hybrid of the two. Since the practitioner knowledge gap is still pres- ent despite these standards in curriculum in the United States, there is a need to investigate the details of curriculum design when determining how to bridge the gap between the class- room and clinical practice. Additionally, at this time, there has not been a comparative analysis conducted to investigate any difference in outcomes between programs that have a stand- alone AT course, and those that choose to integrate AT con- cepts across multiple courses and education opportunities. Though there is intentionality and potential benefit to either approach to curriculum design, inclusion of a stand-alone course provides the opportunity to address several of the barri- ers to achieving practitioner competency in AT, while also con- sistently tracking student learning outcomes within this area of knowledge and clinical skills. The Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina is an entry-level pro- gram, which has designed its curriculum to address AT-related education standards through a combination of a stand-along course in AT, and integration of supplemental AT concepts throughout the program curriculum. This hybrid approach empowers students with the underlying theory informing AT service provision by OTPs across their foundational and clini- cal coursework, and introduces concepts and technologies relevant to particular practice areas and client populations as they progress through the didactic curriculum. Additionally, the stand-alone AT course provides a number of benefits to en- hancing learning through targeted instruction by a variety of content-expert instructors, hands-on learning opportunities, on-campus and community collaboration, and opportunities to contribute to research and capstone projects in the area of AT. The stand-alone course, Supporting Occupational Perfor- mance with Technology and Environments , in Methodist Uni-
versity’s OTD Program curriculum utilizes a variety of unique strategies to optimize learning outcomes in the area of AT knowledge and service provision. This begins with focus on mapping broad OT theoretical models onto those that are AT specific, providing students with a foundational understanding of how to apply OT specific concepts and interventions to AT models of practice such at the Human Activity Assistive Tech- nology (HAAT) Model, (Cook, Polgar, & Encarnação, 2020). The dissemination of the course material to students calls on the expertise of multiple parties. The primary course instructor is a licensed OTP, as well as a certified Assistive Technology Pro- fessional (ATP). This resume provides a unique knowledge and clinical skillset that other OT instructors who cover AT topics in their coursework may not have. The course is also supported by a lab assistant; an OTP and adjunct instructor whose primary clinical role involves high levels of specialized AT service pro- vision. In addition to having experienced clinicians teach this course, there is intentional use of guest lecturers throughout this course to provide students with the expertise of additional stakeholders in the AT field. As user experience is such an in- strumental component of on engagement in and reflection on outcomes of AT service provision, students learn directly from disabled AT users as they serve as guest lecturers across the course. Students not only gain knowledge about the ex- periences these individuals have with using AT, but also about systematic barriers they may have faced as a disabled AT user. Additionally, students begin reflection about general user ex- perience (UX) design, which is an emerging, non-traditional area of practice for OTPs. Finally, local AT equipment vendors are utilized as guest lectures to offer their expertise on a par- ticular group of technology such as wheelchairs and mobility aids, augmentative and alternative communication systems, and 3D printers. From these lab experiences, students not only gain exposure to a variety of AT, but also learn the importance The entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at Methodist University aims to deliver the most contemporary, high- quality educational experience to train future practitioners that are compassionate and ethical leaders who will engage, enrich, and empower the lives and communities they serve.
10 https://www.closingthegap.com/benefits-of-membership/ | February / March, 2024 Closing The Gap © 2024 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator