OCTH 738: Special Topics in OT Practice
Spring 2007
2 Credit Hours
Course Coordinator: Kathy Parker
Telephone: (913) 588-7195
e-mail: kparker@kumc.edu
Course
Description
OCTH
738 Special Topics in Practice.
(2 credit hours) Focused
study of theory application, professional topics and skills, and emerging
practice questions. Learning
experiences may be in the form of guided readings and discussion, directed
projects, seminars, or community/clinical experience with focus on advanced
supplemental or exploratory learning.
Specific topics and formats will vary as they are generated by student
interest and faculty expertise.
Course Requirements:
1.
Students
are eligible to take this course after completion of Fall 2.
2.
Each
student will have a faculty instructor or mentor from the OT Department.
3.
Any
course or experience chosen to fulfill this requirement must provide a connection
to the profession of occupational therapy.
4.
There
are three options that will satisfy course requirements:
a.
faculty-facilitated
intensive mini-courses, which will be offered during the designated Spring 2B
semester. A description of the
mini-courses to be offered is included in this syllabus.
b.
faculty-directed
projects, which
will be made available to interested students after the Fall 2 semester and completed
before the Spring 3 semester.
Faculty will provide an overview of available projects. Student expectations are consistent with guidelines for student
initiated projects.
c.
student-initiated
projects.,
which may be completed any time after the Fall 2 semester and before the Spring
3 semester. Guidelines for student
initiated projects are described in subsequent sections of this syllabus.
5.
Students
must enroll for two credit hours to fulfill the course requirement. (The exception to this requirement is
the completion of a pre-approved college course from another department or
university. Such a course would most
likely be a 3 credit course.)
6.
Faculty
will follow university time requirements per credit hour for structured
mini-courses. (16 hours of lecture, 32 hours or lab, or an appropriate
combination of the two for each credit hour). For workshop/conference
attendance, see attached guidelines.
For other experiences, students should expect to spend 64 to 70 contact
hours per credit hour.
7.
Supplementary
reading will be required for each faculty-directed or student-initiated project. Reading parameters will be at the
discretion of the faculty mentor.
8.
A
culminating project will be required of each student participating in a
faculty-directed or student-initiated project. Possibilities include, but are not limited to, a scholarly
paper, presentation, product development, teaching a course module.
Enrollment and Grading:
Each student will be officially enrolled for this
course in the Spring 2 semester. If
the approved experience is not completed by the end of the Spring 2B semester,
a ÒWGÓ will be posted at the end of the Spring 2 semester and will remain until
the experience is completed and a grade is posted. The experience must be completed, and a grade posted, prior
to the beginning of the spring 3 semester. Individual course instructors or mentors will be responsible
for assigning grades; the course coordinator will track and submit grades to
the Registrar. A Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
grading scale will be employed.
Teaching/Learning
Experiences
Course Options:
1. Faculty-facilitated mini-courses
These
involve structured and/or guided learning on a topic generated by student
interest and/or chosen by a faculty member. The individual instructors for each mini-course will provide
the course syllabus/outline.
If you wish to use the mini-course option
for fulfilling the OCTH 738 course requirement, please use the Mini-Course
Option form to indicate your preferred choices. You must submit this form to the course coordinator by December
1.
2. Faculty-directed
projects
These projects are
initiated and made available through faculty-developed professional
experiences/contracts that provide a mutually beneficial experience for both
faculty and students. Along with
professionalism, advanced study of theory application, assessment and/or
intervention techniques, system change strategies, program
development/implementation will be emphasized.
3. Student-initiated
projects/learning experiences
These
are collaborative learning experiences between an individual student and
designated faculty member/mentor in exploratory study of theory application,
emerging practice, professional development or advanced techniques relevant to
occupational therapy practice.
Projects are initiated by student interest and proposed for course
approval prior to experience engagement.
Examples of student-initiated projects include, but are not
limited to:
a. Independent Study
Guided learning on a topic
chosen by the student. Must be
pre-approved by the course coordinator, be conducted with guidance of an
appropriate mentor, and meet all course requirements.
b. On the-Job Experience
Earn credit for your
experience serving individuals with disabilities. Many OT students gain valuable experience working in nursing
homes, in respite settings, or at summer camps for kids with disabilities. This is an opportunity for you to
relate your experience to OT and to earn credit. You and your mentor will decide how you can demonstrate the
knowledge you have gained.
c. Graduate
School Courses
Graduate level study at KU or other accredited
university. (Must be transferable
to KU grad school—course would be listed in transcript in lieu of OCTH
738). The course must be
pre-approved by OT course coordinator to fit general course criteria. Course must be a graduate level
course given for at least 2 credits.
The grade earned will be calculated into the GPA during the semester in
which the course is taken. Enrollment will need to be coordinated through the
OT Education Department.
d. Conference/Workshop
Attendance and Guided Study
In collaboration with a
faculty mentor, students develop a plan to attend a conference or workshop of
their choosing that is relevant to their interests. Critical reflection of the conference or workshop as well as
supplementary readings and/or a culminating project on the topic of interest
will provide opportunities to apply this learning experience to current practice. Examples of appropriate conferences
include, but are certainly not limited to, the following:
á
AOTA
Conference
á
Assistive
Technology Conference
á
KOTA
Conference
The faculty has agreed in
principle that a reasonable amount of time may be missed from other classes to
attend conferences. As part of the
project plan, the student must develop a plan for how to receive the
information missed if regular classes are missed, discuss the plan with each
instructor affected and receive their approval, and receive final approval from
their OCTH 738 course mentor. (See conference guidelines, attached.)
e. Participation
in Research
Students work with faculty on a research project
and will develop a plan for guided learning appropriate to the topic being
explored. This does not exclude
monetary payment for the work being done.
f. Community/Agency Experiences
Administrative and/or policy development - Students engage in a
guided learning experience with an appropriate organization. Examples include, but are not limited
to: the National Association for
Mental Illness, the Kansas Action for Children, and the Kansas Board of Healing
Arts
Program Development - Guided learning
experience with a foundation or other organization focusing on innovation in
development of community opportunities and programs.
Outreach Experience - Guided learning
experience focusing on service provision.
Examples include, but are not limited to a humanitarian expedition,
serve as a staff member or volunteer in the leadership seminar for youth with
disabilities in Lawrence, or engage in OT service provision in another country
Interdisciplinary Grants – Grant opportunities are
available from other departments.
These grant activities often take place during the summer and include a
student stipend.
g. Other
This category would cover any experiences
suggested by faculty or students not covered above.
If you wish to fulfill the OCTH 738 course
requirement with a faculty-directed or student-initiated project, you must
submit your initial plan to the course coordinator by December 1st. Please use the Project Proposal Form
enclosed in this syllabus.
___1. I wish to fulfill the OCTH 738 course
requirement by participating in one of the 2007 minicourses. I have indicated below the order of my
preferences for the minicourses available in Spring 2b 2007. This form must be submitted to the course
coordinator by December 1st.
My preferences are
indicated here by rank ordering the four choices
(1
= first choice, 2 = second choice, 3 = third choice):
___A.
___B
__C.
Or
___2. I wish to fulfill my Special Topics
class with a Faculty-Directed Project.
Please attach completed Project Proposal Form.
Or
___3. I wish to fulfill my Special Topics
class with a Student Initiated Project.
Please attach completed Project Proposal Form.
(This form can be
downloaded as a textfile from http://www.ot.kumc.edu/OCTH738/project.rtf )
Steps To Project Development
and Proposal completion:
1. Identify a professional area of interest
2. Student-Initiated Projects
require contact with a possible faculty mentor to determine an appropriate
mentor relationship for the project.
Faculty-Directed Projects will be determined through contact with
faculty offering project participation.
Preliminary thoughts can be processed in consult with course coordinator
who will direct you to an appropriate faculty member/mentor
3. Develop project/course
experience with input from faculty mentor. Complete the OCTH 738 Project Proposal form. Provide a copy for faculty mentor to
review and provide feedback.
Revise proposal based on mentor input.
4. Submit completed project
proposal forms to course coordinator by December 1.
|
Student
Name |
|
Date
Submitted |
|
Mentor/Faculty
Name |
|
Experience/Topic
Focus |
|
Estimated
Time Commitment/Structure |
|
Experience/Topic
Description: |
|
Experience/Project
Relevance to Occupational Therapy: |
|
Experience/Project
Relevance to Your Future Career Interests/Goals: |
Do
not write below this line – for office use only
Students will
receive the following feedback:
Reviewer Comments/Recommendations:
Proposal
Status: Approved Denied Resubmit
with response
Proposal
Reviewer(s):
_________________________Date:_______________
OCTH 738 Guidelines
for Conference/Workshop Option
The purpose of this course
option is to allow students to pursue a specific area of interest in an in
depth manner. Students will attend
a conference or workshop of their choosing that is relevant to their
interests. Critical reflection of
the conference or workshop as well as supplementary readings and/or a
culminating project on the topic of interest will provide opportunities to
apply this learning experience to current practice.
Course
Requirements
1.
Plan. The students will meet with their mentor prior to
the conference/workshop. They will discuss plans for meeting course
requirements. Plans must include identification of sessions to be attended and
the method by which the project requirement will be met. Students will decide,
with mentors, whether focus will be on one specific topic or on more than one
topic.
2.
Approval. The student must submit a Student-initiated
Project Proposal Form for approval to the OCTH 738 course coordinator. The plan must include specific
information regarding the conference or workshop, including sessions to be
attended, and the manner in which the project requirement will be met.
3.
Conference
/ Workshop Attendance. Students must attend all conference or
workshop sessions as identified in plan.
A brief (one to two paragraphs) typewritten, double-spaced, critical
reflection on each session attended will be submitted.
4.
Project
Requirement. Students may satisfy the
project requirement through a series of supplementary readings and a written
assignment or with a series of readings and a written assignment in combination
with a culminating project.
Supplementary Readings
Together with their faculty mentors, students will
select current books or articles that provide more in depth information on the
topics covered in the conference or workshop. A written assignment analyzing the readings will be
submitted as a book review, literature review, or practice application
reflection. Requirements:
Conference attendance must be at least 16 hours and student must read at least
2 books or 20 articles.
Culminating Project
A project may be
substituted for some of the supplementary reading, as approved by the mentor,
and will depend upon the credit hours earned. If this option is chosen, a
presentation of the project will be required prior to awarding of credit hours. This presentation could be made in a
work setting, to a group of consumers, to other graduate students, or to
faculty, as appropriate.
5.
Class
Attendance. If more than one student
should choose to attend and earn credit for the same conference or workshop,
the mentor may choose to meet with the students as a group and allow
opportunities for sharing their projects and/or papers. At least one meeting will be held with
the mentor following the conference or workshop.