Accommodating student learning styles and preferences in an online occupational therapy course

Issue title: Fieldwork

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Doyle, Nancy Wolcott | Jacobs, Karen

Affiliations: Boston University, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, Boston, MA, USA

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Nancy Wolcott Doyle, 149 North Carolina Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003, USA. Tel.: +1 202 675 1081; Fax: +1 831 417 6085; E-mail: nwdoyle@gmail.com

Abstract: Occupational therapy's online education must be research-based and inclusive. One way to provide a more inclusive online learning experience is to attend to individual learning styles and preferences. This study uses the best available evidence on learning styles and online education to develop, implement, and study occupational therapy students' experiences with an online learning module and related assignment. Eight students consented to take an online survey after completing a learning module and related assignment in an online post-professional graduate course in occupational therapy. The survey explored their learning experience and its applicability to clinical work. Data gathered from multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions were descriptively analyzed. Results from this study suggest that students find the study of learning styles and preferences enjoyable and applicable to their clinical work, but are often motivated by factors such as time and technology when selecting the format of a course assignment.

Keywords: Inclusive education, research-based education, distance education

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-121501

Journal: Work, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 247-253, 2013