Document Type (Journals)
Original Research
Abstract
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational therapy students at one university received all orthosis fabrication education through an in-person laboratory-based environment supported by clinicians and instructional videos. Due to the pandemic restrictions, orthosis fabrication labs for occupational therapy students were transitioned to a hybrid in-person and at-home supported lab. Presently, there is no research investigating how a hybrid in-person orthosis lab and at-home orthosis fabrication experience impacts the professional practice skill development of occupational therapy students entering the workforce. This research examined the learning outcomes of participation in a hybrid orthosis fabrication experience consisting of one in-person laboratory-based experience and one at-home supported experience (instructional videos, written instructions, without instructor supervision). The research also explored the implications of this hybrid learning experience for future curriculum development. This qualitative study included two components: (1) Interviews with six occupational therapy graduates; (2) 26 student reflections following the hybrid learning experience. The results of this study highlighted three overarching themes: orthosis skill development; transferable skills development; future considerations for implementing a hybrid learning method. A hybrid learning approach provided unique opportunities for the scaling of independence and productive struggle to develop student competence in orthosis fabrication. This research provided insights for occupational therapy curriculum developers to modify educational approaches and effectively support students as they develop into competent occupational therapists.
Biography
Evelyn Lee, MSc OT Reg.(Ont.) graduated in 2022 with an MSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto and a BSc in Health Science and Kinesiology in 2020. She is a co-researcher and co-author of the reported study.
Amanda Leung, MSc OT Reg.(Ont.) graduated in 2022 with a MSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto and a BSc in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo in 2020. She is a co-researcher and co-author of the reported study.
Sylvia Langlois, MSc OT Reg.(Ont.) is an associate professor in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Canada. Sylvia has a keen interest in pedagogy and understanding student learning. She co-supervised and is a co-author of the reported study.
Susan Hannah, MSc OT Reg.(Ont.) is an assistant professor in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Canada. As a Certified Hand Therapist, she is the Canadian Representative at the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy. She is the primary investigator of the reported study.
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no declarations of interest.
Recommended Citation
Lee, E., Leung, A., Langlois, S., & Hannah, S. (2024). Learning Outcomes of Hybrid In-Person and At-Home Orthosis Fabrication Instruction for Occupational Therapy Students. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 8 (1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2024.080105
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Occupational Therapy Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Orthotics and Prosthetics Commons, Other Education Commons