Jane Strickland

The Role of Reusable Learning Objects in Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Education

Out of early research, Cisco Systems (1999) have built an impressive foundation that advocates for reusable learning objects (RLOs). As the need for online methods for delivering both formal and informal educational content has increased, the prospect of greater influence through carefully constructed RLOs has grown. RLOs are any digital resource that can be used and reused to enhance online learning. RLOs typically are small, discrete, self-contained digital objects that may be sequenced, combined, and used within a variety of instructional activities. RLOs have been implemented in nursing, pharmacy, and physician assistant programs. However, there is a lack of literature regarding RLOs in occupational therapy education. An attitudinal survey was administered to occupational therapy students after they had used an RLO focused on goal writing. Student preferences toward RLO content, instructional design, and eLearning were generally positive. Nearly three-quarters of the students who responded to the survey indicated that the RLO presented was beneficial. All respondents noted that they would use the RLO for future occupational therapy courses. It is argued that incorporating RLOs offers a cost-effective, efficient learning tool, and also adds credibility to the given curriculum program as being innovative with instructing occupational-therapy related concepts.

The Development of a Measurement Tool Evaluating Knowledge Related to Sensory Processing among Graduate Occupational Therapy Students: A Process Description

With an increased demand arising from stake holders to provide more complex clinical experiences and to have students better prepared for clinical rotations, educators need to develop instructional tasks and measures to teach and assess clinical reasoning. The purpose of this article is to highlight a clinical simulation measure revolving around the A SECRET reasoning approach, which is also generalizable to other conditions and interventions. Preliminary findings of 1st year Master of Occupational Therapy students (n = 8) who took part in a pilot of the A SECRET case scenario reported positive, yet not strong, attitudes toward the A SECRET assessment and the sensory processing related content delivered in an online format as a part of a larger study. Overall the student perceptions and the processes of the measure development suggest an inherent value of using the proposed type of simulated case scenarios in assisting occupational therapy students in their programs first year with the development of clinical reasoning.