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Curriculum Design
Curriculum is the expression of both mission and philosophical ideology operationalized or put into practice. We must reflect on our mission and philosophy to answer, “What should our students know?” and “How should they come to know it?” (Prideaux, 2003).
Statement of intent: It is our aim that students should be prepared for entering and succeeding in the everchanging workforce in the field of Occupational Therapy and our curriculum should prepare them to do so. Prideaux indicates that there are at least four important elements in curriculum: content; teaching and learning strategies; assessment processes; and evaluation processes (2003). The Accreditation Council on Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) is prescriptive in the content for an Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at the Associate’s Degree level. From the prescriptive learning objectives of ACOTE, and in reflection of our mission and philosophy, Program Competencies and Course Outcomes emerge.
Our Program Competencies are meant to prepare our students for entering and succeeding in the everchanging workforce in the field of Occupational Therapy. We strive to successfully prepare our students for traditional and emerging practice areas within the profession.
In our Program Competencies there are some terms that repeat themselves due to their extreme importance in the domain and process of Occupational Therapy. These terms include: client-centered, occupation-based, and professional. Our Program Competencies must be open to change with changes in time. This is reflective of our 12th Program Competency, which was added sometime in 2017. This particular Program Competency embraces the idea and value of evidence-based practice to make the best practice decisions and ensure quality services with positive outcomes.
In addition to this prescriptive model impacting curriculum design, we must think of the real-life environment and systems that our students will become a part of and consider the hidden curriculum that will help make them a great success. In that hidden curriculum we have found important skills such as inter-personal skills, professionalism, problem solving, critical and creative thinking, ethical decision making, and growth mindset. We also strive to foster passion for the profession and life-long learning. Read More www.weebly.com/editor/main.php#/
Curriculum Design Statement of Intent Objectives
The curriculum is divided into five threads, or themes. Basic knowledge or core concepts are introduced with increasing complexity in each of the threads.
Threads in the curriculum
- People
- Environments, Occupations, Adaptation
- Process
- Systems
- Professional Identity
Foundational knowledge provides the basis for understanding the whole person-client factors (values/beliefs/spirituality, body functions, and body structures), and human diversity while developing use of self within occupational therapy.
1. The student will recognize all elements of a whole person to include values, beliefs, spirituality, body functions, and
body structures.
2. The student will identify the various performance patterns (habits, routines, rituals, and roles) that can support or
hinder occupational performance.
3. The student will recognize and appreciate diversity among humans.
4. The student will describe and discuss changes in client factors throughout the lifespan and the impact on
engagement in occupations.
5. The student will identify potential barriers (such as physical, personal, cultural, and social) and how barriers impact
engagement in occupations.
6. The student will demonstrate effective therapeutic use of self skills.
Curricular Thread/Theme: Occupations, Environments, Adaptation
Knowledge and identification of occupations and environments lay the foundation for analysis and application needed to select or develop, design, and create appropriate solutions for adaptation which involves critical thinking and problem solving skills.
1. The student will identify occupations that people engage in and the environments in which they take place.
2. The student will recognize elements of the environment that support or hinder engagement in occupations.
3. The student will demonstrate ability to identify and analyze occupations and use meaningful occupations as both a
means and an end throughout the intervention process.
4. The student will recognize and select appropriate low tech and high tech adaptive equipment/computer assistive
technology and demonstrate the ability to develop, design, and create appropriate adaptive devices to support
engagement in desired occupations.
Curricular Thread/Theme: Process
The Occupational Therapy process, as described in the current Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, allows for general information acquisition, concept formation, and application for intervention with individuals and groups in traditional and emerging Occupational Therapy practice settings.
- The student will list aspects of the evaluation and intervention process and identify targeted outcomes as the end result of the Occupational Therapy process.
- The student will identify the types of interventions used in Occupational Therapy treatment and recognize occupation-based intervention as the distinct value of the profession.
- The student will identify approaches to intervention and explain how these strategies direct all aspects of the occupational therapy process.
the inter-/intra-professional team throughout the evaluation/intervention/discharge process.
5. The student will apply the occupational therapy process within traditional and emerging practice settings.
Curricular Thread/Theme: Systems
Understanding the various systems in which Occupational Therapy services can be delivered forms a foundation upon which students develop skills in service management allowing them to successfully navigate these systems. The ability to compare and contrast these various systems to make sense of the unique role of the OTA within them and identify systems that might best serve individuals, groups, communities, and populations is essential for quality service provision.
1. The student will describe the various systems that Occupational Therapy Services can be delivered in as well as
the roles and functions of members within these systems.
2. The student will identify appropriate systems for providing Occupational Therapy services to individuals, groups,
communities, and populations.
3. The student will articulate the relationship between service provision, funding, documentation, and reimbursement
within various systems.
4. The student will describe mechanisms to maintain and improve quality services
within systems and describe their role in these mechanisms.
Curricular Thread/Theme: Professional Identity
Professional identity emerges from developing a passion for the profession of Occupational Therapy and its distinct value, a commitment to quality service, respect for the Code of Ethics as a guide for ethical decision making and behavior, and a desire to engage in life-long learning.
1. The student will explain their role within scope of practice, ensuring quality service provision, and promoting the
distinct value of Occupational Therapy.
2. The student will summarize their role and relationships within intra- and inter-professional teams.
3. The student will demonstrate professional behaviors guided by the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics.
4. The student will engage in self-reflection for professional development and as a guide for life-long learning.
Curriculum Design Models
Our curriculum design reflects our Program Philosophy.
Curricular content encompasses our understanding and appreciation of Occupational Therapy Philosophy. Curricular content is largely prescribed by ACOTE and is organized into a Curriculum Design Statement of Intent Aim, Curriculum Design Statement of Intent Objectives, Program Competencies, and Course Outcomes.
Beyond this, we must decide what type of educational experiences will likely meet/reach these purposes (aim, objectives, competencies, and outcomes). We must decide how to organize these experiences effectively. Finally, we must determine the best way to assess if these purposes are being attained.
The organization and planning of educational experiences as well as how we assess performance stems from our beliefs about Occupational Therapy Education Philosophy.
Important beliefs about Occupational Therapy Education and learning include the following elements:
- Learning is an ongoing and dynamic process with feedback and self-reflection as essential elements
- Learning must encompass both academic and experiential elements
- Cognitive and affective/behavioral maturation occurs within and throughout quality learning environments
- Cognitive maturation is the development of internal processes leading to growth and development in creative problem solving and critical thinking skills
- Learning best occurs in a developmental sequence of simple to complex and concrete to abstract
- General Information Acquisition leads to concept formation resulting in problem solving skills
- Student are best served when they are encouraged to embrace a growth mindset, exposed to positive role models, and are given opportunities to develop solutions to problems in a safe and supportive environment
We have a developmental model of curriculum design. Teaching/Learning and skills are arranged sequentially so the learner can develop mastery of prerequisite sub-skills and skills before mastery of higher-level skills is achieved. Teaching/Learning is also sequenced to promote cognitive strategy for the acquisition of learned information and development of the learners’ cognitive and affective/behavioral skills.
Our curricular themes or threads spiral throughout our sequence of courses as a part of our developmental model and represent the importance of these themes.
With a developmental curriculum design, we value teaching and learning both knowledge/comprehension as well as application/experience. We also value assessing both knowledge/comprehension as well as application/experience. Objective exams are enhanced by assignments and lab practical experiences. Practice does not take place on paper and for this reason, we value hands on learning experiences as well as performance-based assessments.
In summary, our curriculum is designed around our beliefs about how students learn and grow in a sequential manner.
With OT 101-Intro to Occupational Therapy and OT 102-Occupational Performance, our students learn the fundamentals of OT History, Philosophy, and are exposed to base understandings and abilities in the field, such as OT Domain and Process, Activity Analysis, Grading and Adapting, Documentation, Emerging Practice, and Cultural Competency. These elements of our curriculum are echoed again, purposefully, to remind the student of prior knowledge and expand their existing schemas. Students learn activity analysis in OT 102, but then complete activity analysis in OT 120-Human Occupation Across the Lifespan, OT 200-Psychosocial Practice, OT 209/210-Adult Physical Dysfunction, and OT 218/219-Disabilties of Development and Aging. Students are first exposed to the fundamentals of documentation in OT 101; but this skill is scaffolded in OT 120 and they will practice documentation in OT 219 and OT 222-Technology in Documentation and Research. Students are introduced to Emerging Practice areas in OT 101; but they must reflect on emerging practice in OT 141-Level IA Fieldwork-Research of Community Practice and must address ideas for emerging practice across the lifespan in OT 120. Students begin to appreciate cultural competency in OT 102; but will expand upon this initial learning in OT 150-Therapeutic Use of Self.
Our course content is directed around development beginning with OT 120-Human Occupation Across the Lifespan, which focuses on typical human development. Subsequent courses address content across the lifespan with respect to intervention relative to that course (i.e. OT 200-Psychosocial Practice, OT 209/210-Adult Physical Dysfunction, OT 218/219 Disabilities of Development and Aging.
Students take OT 130-OT Interventions and learn base ideas in intervention such as transfer training, goniometry, manual muscle testing, teaching and learning, and then later apply these learned skills to courses such as OT 209 and 218.
COURSE
SEQUENCE SEMESTER |
CORE
COURSE REQUIREMENTS |
FOUNDATIONAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS |
FIRST
YEAR FALL SEMESTER |
Introduction
to OT |
College
Composition* |
Occupational
Performance |
General
Psychology* |
|
|
Anatomy
& Physiology I* |
|
|
Anatomy
& Physiology I* Lab |
|
FIRST
YEAR SPRING SEMESTER |
Human
Occupation Across the Lifespan |
Abnormal
Psychology* |
OT
Interventions |
Anatomy
& Physiology II* |
|
Therapeutic
Use of Self |
Anatomy
& Physiology II* Lab |
|
Level
I A Fieldwork-Research of Community Practice |
|
|
FIRST
YEAR SUMMER SESSION |
Level
I B Fieldwork-Physical Disabilities |
Introduction
to Sociology* |
SECOND
YEAR FALL SEMESTER |
Psychosocial
Practice |
|
Adult
Physical Dysfunction |
|
|
Adult
Physical Dysfunction Lab |
|
|
Disabilities
of Development and Aging |
|
|
Disabilities
of Development and Aging Lab |
|
|
Technology
in Documentation and Research |
|
|
Biomechanics
in OT |
|
|
SECOND
YEAR SPRING SEMESTER |
Level
II A Fieldwork |
|
Level
II B Fieldwork |
|
|
Professional
Issues |
|