The integration of blended learning into an occupational therapy curriculum: a qualitative reflection

Abstract

BackgroundThis paper presents a critical reflection of the integration of Blended Learning (BL) into an undergraduate occupational therapy curriculum which was delivered through Problem Based Learning (PBL).MethodThis is a qualitative reflection of a Participatory Action Research (PAR) study using Brookfield’s model for critical reflection of an educator’s practice. The model uses four ‘lenses’ through which to focus enquiry: Lens 1) our autobiography as a learner of practice; Lens 2) our learners’ eyes; Lens 3) our colleagues’ experiences; and Lens 4) the theoretical literature. Grounded theory analysis was applied to the data.ResultsThe factors that contributed to successful integration of technology and e-Learning into an existing curriculum, the hurdles that were navigated along the way, and how these influenced decisions and innovation are explored. The core categories identified in the data were “drivers of change” and “outcomes of BL integration”. Key situations and pivotal events are highlighted for their role in the process that led to the project maturing. Each lens reflects the successes and hurdles experienced during the study.ConclusionBrookfield’s model provides an objective method of reflection which showed that despite the hurdles, e-Learning was successfully integrated into the curriculum.

Teachers' Perception of Student Coping With Emergency Remote Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Relative Impact of Educator Demographics and Professional Adaptation and Adjustment

“…However, research has not yet attempted to investigate how teachers' circumstances, behaviors, and attitudes affect their perception of students' coping with online delivery. Moreover, remote learning entails specific problems that may influence teaching and learning quality and effectiveness, such as the deficit of "live, " "face-to-face" contact felt by both students and teachers (e.g., Stodel et al, 2006;Arroyo et al, 2015;Barnard-Ashton et al, 2017; Janse van Rensburg, 2018; 1 ); lack of adequate technological affordances to efficiently deliver the program, provide support to participants, and satisfy their learning needs; and inadequate teacher and student competencies to use the technological solutions (Garrison et al, 1999;Pawan et al, 2003;Livingston and Condie, 2006). These deficits can result in increased feelings of insecurity, confusion, and threat among learners, as well as feelings of doubt and fear of failure among teachers (Arroyo et al, 2015;Janse van Rensburg, 2018) influencing how they perceive their students and, in consequence, how they teach them.…”

Changes in the learning styles and approaches of students following incorporation of drawing during cadaveric dissection

“…This is challenging due to the heterogeneity of the sensory modalities (Kemény & Meier, 2016), and involves the extraction of relevant details to create a conceptual model of the information (Soltaninejad et al, 2018; Voss, Bridge, Cohen, & Walker, 2017). However, this exercise promotes deeper processing of information (Ong, Burnham, Stevens, & Escudero, 2016; Vizeshfar & Torabizadeh, 2018), and makes the learning experience more motivating (Barnard‐Ashton, Rothberg, & McInerney, 2017). Consequently, multimodal learning is considered a more inclusive response to the needs of nontraditional learners (Chonkar et al, 2018) and lower‐achieving students (Féry, 2003; Greene, 2018).…”

“…The incorporation of drawing is a powerful tool for the development of effective learning practices since it explicitly trains students in the visualization (Grogan & Ferguson, 2018; Hernández‐Torrano et al, 2017; Williams et al, 2019), and interpretation (Pelaccia & Viau, 2017; Vizeshfar & Torabizadeh, 2018) of information. Hence, it is postulated that the overall enhancement of learning behavior in students was due to the provision of training in drawing as an adjunct to the natural transformation that occurs as students navigate the intricacies of anatomy education (Barnard‐Ashton et al, 2017; Schofield, 2014).…”

The ways social networks shape reflection on early significant clinical experiences in medical school

“…1 Reflection is described as structuring and integrating an experience or knowledge to conceptualize it with a novel perspective, raising awareness of sociocultural power relationships or creating new action. [2][3][4] The practice of reflection is known to challenge beliefs and assumptions to facilitate transformative learning in the context of medical school and into one's career. [5][6][7][8][9] In particular, reflection can occur after meaningful or significant experiences and stimulates medical students to understand 'why things are the way they are.'…”