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Occupational Therapy Education - The Lived Experience of Tutors who Facilitate Problem-Based Learning

Roberts, Gwilym Wyn 2011. Occupational Therapy Education - The Lived Experience of Tutors who Facilitate Problem-Based Learning. Presented at: Celebrating the Past and Embracing the Future: Evolution and Innovation in Problem-based Learning, Cumbria, UK, 30-31 March 2011. pp. 29-30.

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Abstract

Problem-based learning (PBL) is increasingly being used as a method for educating healthcare professionals such as Occupational Therapists (OTs). PBL‟s focus is on organising the curricular content around problem scenarios rather than subjects or disciplines. Under the guide of academic tutors as facilitators, students work in groups with a mission of creatively solving or managing these situations. They are expected to engage with the complex situation presented to them and decide what information they need to learn and what skills they need to gain, in order to manage the situation effectively. In this context, PBL invites the students to show personal initiative in defining learning needs and to work using the resource of a team of others and their experiences to find the information required to inform and solve the problem. Through effective facilitation, students are encouraged to be creative and to develop independence in inquiry. Although the nature of effective facilitation has been widely discussed in PBL literature, the lived experience of tutors who find themselves in such roles is not yet fully understood. By investigating the tutors‟ experiences, information may be obtained about influences and perceptions of PBL facilitation. A qualitative phenomenological approach is adopted using semi-structured interviews to collect the data. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach (IPA) is used to analyse the data, as it is grounded in phenomenology and symbolic interactionism. Purposive samples of eighteen academic staff who facilitate PBL on three undergraduate occupational therapy programmes in English universities were recruited. A variety of data gathering methods were used including in-depth interviewing, researcher field notes and a reflexive diary. Many of the findings reflect those of other studies. These include the development of facilitation skills, the role of the tutor, expectations of students, group processes, dynamics, conflicts, creativity, the period of adjustment and transition required. The need for formal training and support is highlighted as one way in which facilitation skills and conflict management are developed. Specific findings that could be used to improve or enhance the PBL experience for both students and academic staff relate to an acknowledgement that the problem solving approach of PBL may 30 inhibit creativity in thinking, learning and facilitation of small groups. A new dimension to PBL is proposed through the introduction of appreciative inquiry (AI), by which tutors guide students to view PBL scenarios/problems first of all with an appreciative eye. What PBL has in limitation, AI offers as its strength; the two appear to be naturally complementary. It is suggested that the development of transferable skills through this new proposed model may enhance the learning experience and clinical practice of OT graduates. As there are limited studies into the implementation of AI to PBL, further action research is recommended to evaluate the perspectives of both tutors and students in its application, synthesis and practice.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type: Completion
Status: Unpublished
Schools: Healthcare Sciences
Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
R Medicine > RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
Last Modified: 03 Feb 2017 03:03
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/17336

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