Collaborative Course (Re)Design: Working Together to Make it Better

By: Sondos Jaber and Jayne Yatczak

Dr. Jayne Yatczak and I participated in the Collaborative Course (Re)Design (CCRD) Learning Community to redesign the course OCTH 412/512: Models of Practice in Occupational Therapy. This course is one of four in the first semester of the occupational therapy (OT) program, and provides foundational knowledge about theory (“models”) in OT for use in subsequent courses, and in practice. The goal of this course is to introduce students to abstract theoretical principles and link them to concrete intervention planning. Each model has its own glossary of terms, assumptions and principles, assessments, and intervention approaches or guidelines which are all based on the model's focus and theoretical foundation.

Historically, OCTH 412/512 has been the course that creates the most stress for students due to the different types of learning and content required to be successful. Transitioning from memory-based content acquisition to free-range theory application leads to a lot of discomfort. Students have a strong desire to not be wrong when choosing and applying a model. However, there is no right answer to models! Students’ angst comes from no longer operating in an environment where answers are either right or wrong; where things are black or white. They are now operating in the “gray area.”

Working together, we discussed how we could improve this course. Dr. Yatczak and I both agreed that lecture-style education for this content (the traditional PowerPoint and multiple choice exam method) was not the most effective in helping students learn to apply models. The ability to justify, apply, and create the most beneficial plan for a client comes as a direct result of plugging in and attempting to apply models to case studies. So we focused our efforts on how to more effectively share content about the models and how to make better use of case studies.

We discussed how students learn differently and had them take the Felder-Soloman Learning Styles Inventory. We discussed how learning is multimodal and how Multimodal Learning caters to various learning styles. Multiple learning activities were designed to meet the preferred learning styles of students and included readings from textbooks and articles, knowledge checks to ensure understanding of content, mini-lectures on key ideas of the models, worksheets on the models, individual case work with instructor feedback, group case work with instructor feedback, and large class debriefs. We also discussed how case work creates multiple opportunities for students to read, write, speak and listen like an OT, an important transition for students to make.

There was a flip from content exploration in class to content exploration at home. A great deal of responsibility was put on students and their ability to actively attend to the readings, complete individual pre-work, actively participate in group work, and create a learning aid they can use later in the program. One way we approached this was having students work on cases at home, providing their rationale for why they chose the model and applying the model to the case. Class time was devoted entirely to working in groups on cases to give students the confidence to apply models that will translate into real-life application. Students used a jumbo sticky note to work through the case and capture their collective thinking. The aim is for students to support each other’s learning, as they think through the process of choosing a model and applying it to practice.

The ‘Models Worksheet’ students create is a specific example of how one assignment can support individual student needs. Students are assigned articles/textbook chapters for each model, and are required to create a model worksheet. These worksheets are designed to act as mind maps, and funnel information and thoughts related to a case into a model using its terms and concepts. To build habits, these worksheets are used and expanded upon as the program progresses, acting as an individual study guide and learning aid. Students are told and understand that it is important they create these worksheets and apply the models on their own, so they are prepared to participate in group discussions. I created three different templates for how to organize the content for each model. This worksheet is designed to be customizable for each learning type. I created a blank chart, a fillable outline, and a flowchart format of how to take notes about models. This one assignment showcases the unique ways studying and understanding models can be done.

Although we are still in the process of data collection to see if there is a change in student performance in the application of models, anecdotal evidence supports the benefits of the redesigned course. Students have expressed feelings of comfort and confidence in this class. From a course students feared to a student fav, the attitude shift brought on by this new design is vivid!

[Comment from Dr. Yatczak]: As the instructor of this course, I was able to get the student’s perspective, which is different from taking the students perspective. Taking the students perspective implies action on the part of the instructor but excludes the student. Getting perspective implies the willingness of a student to give and an openness of the instructor to invite the voices of students and to receive, creating a space for a more egalitarian relationship. So often the process of receiving feedback about a course, making changes and evaluating those changes, is done within a vacuum. There is no dialogue about why a learning activity did not support students' learning, no discussion about what the learning activity was intended to do. Collaborative course redesign offers students and instructors a unique opportunity to work together in depth to improve a course, to break the seal so that thoughts and ideas can flow freely between students and instructors.