Program Goals and Outcomes

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DOCTORAL PROGRAM PHILOSOPHIES:

The Kettering College Occupational Therapy Program has adopted the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy, the AOTA Commission of Education (COE) Philosophy of Occupational Therapy Education, and the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (4^th ed) as guiding documents for our Program Philosophies. The fundamental beliefs about humans and how people learn is adapted from Andragogy (Knowels, 1980).

Occupations and Occupational Therapy

Occupations are the things people want and need to do; often chosen occupations are influenced by the cultural context. It is important that therapists understand the cultural context of occupation and how it influences the interactions of people as they engage in occupations. Occupations and engagement in occupations are basic human rights and impact the overall health and well-being of human beings. Not all human beings are afforded the privilege to engage in fundamental occupations. Furthermore, many people have limited opportunities to engage in and to excel in occupations beyond those that support basic human survival. The call of occupational therapy, and practicing therapists, is to help any individual, group, community, or population fulfill their desire to not only survive but also to thrive in their daily engagement in occupations with the support of or despite their environmental or personal factors.

Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy. Am J Occup Ther 2017;71(Supplement_2):7112410045. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.716S06

Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process—Fourth Edition. Am J Occup Ther 2020;74(Supplement_2):7412410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001

Fundamental Beliefs About How Human Beings Learn

Human beings have an innate drive to learn. Learning prepares people for full participation in the occupations of life. The learning process is unique for each individual and based on multiple dynamic variables of personal and environmental factors such as individual personality, the purpose for learning, the learning environment, the time frame for learning, and the complexity of information to be learned. Acquisition of knowledge and skills occurs through seeking, reflecting, hands-on practice, and self-assessment. Successful educators facilitate and mentor learners in methods that support life-long learning.

Within the OTD Program we strive to teach from a multimodal pedagogy that demonstrates our commitment to a student-centered learning environment. Throughout the program students will have the opportunity to experience lecture-based learning, hands-on learning, problem-based learning, etc. It is our belief that by teaching from several different pedagogies, students will acquire the needed skills to become a board certified and state licensed occupational therapist. Ultimately the goal of all faculty within the OTD Program is to meet the learning needs of all students enrolled in the Kettering College OTD program.

Philosophy of Occupational Therapy Education. Am J Occup Ther 2018;72(Supplement_2):7212410070. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.72S201

CURRICULUM DESIGN

The occupational therapy curriculum design is organized based on the human development model of disability, health, and well-being for a conceptual framework and the three domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy as the categories of educational activities. The human development model is used to guide the students in learning and understanding the impact of both personal factors and environmental factors on occupational performance during the life span of individuals. By recognizing that occupational performance and engagement do not happen solely within the realm of an individual, we acknowledge that even absent disability or illness and/or in the presence of wellness, all individuals do not experience optimal occupational performance equally, equitably or with justice. This foundational framework allows students to develop critical thinking and clinical reasoning while also applying cultural proficiency in a client-centered manner. Additionally, the three domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy (knowledge, skills, and attitude), are also applied throughout the curriculum. The curriculum involves the acquisition of knowledge and the development and shaping of intellectual skills to transform students’ critical thinking along the continuum of factual knowledge to metacognitive knowledge. The ability to critically examine information and create effective intervention is of utmost importance and is used extensively in the curriculum. Personal attitude is important in all professions, and even more so in a clinical profession such as occupational therapy. Therefore, students’ awareness of their personal and professional strengths and opportunities is strongly emphasized from day one of the curriculum. This is accomplished through self-assessment and reflection, peer feedback, faculty feedback, and professional feedback from clinical educators.