Research and Innovation

Research Activity

2013 - carried out consultations using nominal group techniques with service users, students and other stake holders to formulate a Values Based Recruitment process for UG admissions.
May 2012-date: Member of the College of Health & Social Care (UoS) Ethics Approval Panel (taught).
March 2012: Tendered for a research project with Salford House4Life team to consider occupational use of environment in a virtual representation of a new housing development.
- October 2011 - May 2012 an evaluative project " Occupational Therapy students’ perceptions of using social media networks for professional development"
- September 2010 Received ethical approval and carried out qualitative research to engage undergraduate students with the Second Life environment " Occupational Therapy students’ learning experiences in a virtual environment"
  - 1. To explore the student experience of learning in a virtual environment (Second Life).
  - 2. To identify factors that impact on student engagement with the virtual environment.
  - 3 To identify common themes to inform further research on learning in a virtual environment.
- 2009 - 2012 successful tender obtaining £85000 from a local pilot Community Trust using narratives to consider the client experience of their healthcare as part of their Quality Initiative Programme. I am project manager and a collaborative researcher for this project. Dr Jackie Taylor is Principle Investigator for this project.

Innovation

Occubuzz:

Occubuzz is an app based on principles of occupational science and occupational therapy and uses everyday language to introduce the concepts of occupational overload, occupational deprivation and occupational balance. It provides some immediate tips as to how to improve wellbeing by managing occupations differently, and directs users to further resources about occupational therapy.

Occubuzz was originally developed as a light-hearted and modern tool to promote occupational wellbeing amongst the general public. It was soft launched on World Occupational Therapy Day 2012 using social media and personal networks as a dissemination tool. As hoped for we received a lot of feedback and have used this to help us to develop version two which was taken to COT conference in June 2013 for feedback from fellow professionals

Timeline:

2012: Version 1 was created as a mobile web page in 2012,

2013: Version 2 with more functionality was launched in the app stores

2013: Funding was received to produce a Literature review on the underpinning concepts

2014: Discussions are currently underway to consider Version 3 and areas of research.

Link here to a blog post and video interview re Occubuzz done in 2013 at the COT conference

SECOND LIFE:

- - - - outside the house

- 2009-2010 VC's Iconic Media City project: successful bid for £10,000. Working within a small project group, the strand I am working on is developing land in Second Life to create a virtual home environment for the simulation of a number of scenarios relating to risk assessment and client performance . This will enable students, in the first instance, to experience a number of occupational deprivations in the home environment. It is possible that this will also involve users and carers at a later more appropriate stage.
- 2011: This has led to an involvement in the Salford House 4 Life project acting as link and consultant for consideration of occupational needs in the development of a new community environment.
- Part of a Vice Chancellor working group: Media City Innovation Cell considering university wide innovations in using web 2.0 technology for learning and development. Currently working on eportfolios
- Member of a University wide group considering Re-entry pathways

OT 4 OT was developed by a core group of early adopters of technology. The aim of the group is to share knowledge about online technologies so that occupational therapists can participate in vibrant and effective online communities that support occupational therapy practice, education and research, locally and globally. Established by the international team of OTs who presented together at the WFOT conference in Chile 2010, so far, we have undertaken the following:

Liaison with COT and WFOT, advising on their use of social media for professional development.
Initiation and development of OTWikiflash08/09/10 – a recurrent online, international promotional event for the Occupational Therapy profession.

Organisation of a 24hour Global Virtual Occupational Therapy Exchange to celebrate World Occupational Therapy Day 2010 , and annually since then.

Visit our website for more information and visit our wiki for practical online technology and knowledge sharing tools information.

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