OTHA 1405 - Principles of Occupational Therapy Course Syllabus

OTHA 1405:

Description
Introduction to occupational therapy including the historical development and philosophy. Emphasis on the roles of the occupational therapy assistant. Topics include occupation; occupational therapy personnel; current health care environment; and moral, legal, and ethical issues.

Prerequisites

Corequisites

Prerequisite or Corequisite
HUMA 1301, PSYC 2314, BIOL 2402
Semester Offered
Fall
Credits 4 Lecture Hours 2 Lab Hours 6
Extended Hours
0
Contact Hours
128
State Approval Code
51.0803
Instructor Name
Julie Green, OTR, MOT, CLA jgreen@panola.edu
Semester/Year
Fall 2024
Meeting Time and Location
Class section meeting time: Hybrid
Face-to-Face Class Time: Wednesday 8 am - 12 pm
Online: Students are expected to spend at least 4 hours per week reading, reviewing, and participating in pre-class assigned activities for successful completion of this course to meet minimum class participation time.
Alternate Operations During Campus Closure

In the event of an emergency or announced campus closure due to a natural disaster or pandemic, it may be necessary for Panola College to move to altered operations. During this time, Panola College may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include, but are not limited to: online learning management system (CANVAS), online conferencing, email messaging, and/or an alternate schedule. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor Panola College's website (www.panola.edu) for instructions about continuing courses remotely, CANVAS for each class for course-specific communication, and Panola College email for important general information.

Student Basic Needs

Unexpected circumstances may arise, but Panola College offers various resources to support students. If you need mental health services or are facing challenges with transportation, affording class materials and supplies, or accessing food regularly—issues that may impact your class performance—please visit panola.edu/resources.

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance of classes and laboratories is required of all students. When a student has been ill or absent from class for approved extracurricular activities, he or she should be allowed, as far as possible, to make up for the missed work. If a student has not actively participated by the census date, they will be dropped by the instructor for non-attendance. This policy applies to courses that are in-person, online, hybrid, and hyflex.

Attendance in online courses is determined by submission of an assignment or participation in an activity. According to federal guidelines, simply logging into a distance learning course without participating in an academic assignment does not constitute attendance. Distance learning is defined as when a majority (more than 50%) of instruction occurs when the instructor and students are in separate physical locations. Students must engage in an academic activity prior to the course census date. 

When an instructor feels that a student has been absent to such a degree as to invalidate the learning experience, the instructor may recommend to the Vice President of Instruction that the student be withdrawn from the course. Instructors may seek to withdraw students for non-attendance after they have accumulated the following number of absences: 

Fall or spring semesters: 

3 or more class meeting times per week - 5 absences

2 class meeting times per week - 3 absences

1 class meeting per week -  2 absences

The student is responsible for seeing that he or she has been officially withdrawn from a class. A student who stops attendance in a class without officially withdrawing from that class will be given a failing grade; consequently, the student must follow official withdrawal procedures in the Admissions/Records Office.

Please note: Health Science and Cosmetology courses may require more stringent attendance policies based on their accreditation agencies. Please see the addendum and/or program handbook for further information concerning attendance.  

Pregnant/Parenting Policy

Panola College welcomes pregnant and parenting students as a part of the student body. This institution is committed to providing support and adaptations for a successful educational experience for pregnant and parenting students. Students experiencing a need for accommodations related to pregnancy or parenting will find a Pregnancy and Parenting Accommodations Request form in the Student Handbook or may request the form from the course instructor.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Course Policy

Use of generated AI Permitted under some classroom circumstances with permission.

There are situations throughout the course where you may be asked to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to explore how they can be used. Outside of those circumstances, you should not use AI tools to generate content that will end up in any student work (assignments, activities, discussion responses, etc.). In such cases for Option #2, no more than 25% of the student work should be generated by AI. Use of any AI-generated content in this course without the instructor’s consent qualifies as academic dishonesty and violates Panola College’s standards of academic integrity.

Instructional Goals and Purposes

The goal of this course is that students are able to discuss how social, cultural and psychosocial factors influence health, lifestyle and occupational engagement for individuals, groups and organizations. This awareness is then applied to how these factors guide the culture and values of the occupational therapy profession. The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction of the - history and philosophy of occupational therapy; evidence-based practice, scholarly study, intervention methods, legislation, ethical and professional organizations; occupational therapy personnel and associated roles/responsibilities; assessment tools; psychosocial factors, lifestyle choices, disease and disability that affect occupational performance, quality of life and occupational engagement.

Learning Outcomes

Articulate the history and philosophy of occupational therapy; define the process of theory development and its relation to occupational therapy; contrast the education, roles, and functions of occupational therapy personnel; describe occupational performance areas, skills, and contexts; compare practice areas; explain the concepts of ethics in occupational therapy practice; and demonstrate patient/practitioner interaction.
 

Specific Course Objectives (includes SCANS)

After studying all materials and resources presented in the course, the student will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of:
• The structure and function of the human body that must include the biological and physical sciences, neurosciences, kinesiology, and biomechanics.
• Human development throughout the lifespan (infants, children, adolescents, adults, and older adults). Course content must include, but is not limited to, developmental psychology.
• Concepts of human behavior that must include the behavioral sciences, social sciences, and science of occupation.
B.1.1. Human Body, Development, and Behavior
Apply and analyze the role of sociocultural, socioeconomic, and diversity, equity, and inclusion factors, as well as lifestyles in contemporary society to meet the needs of persons, groups, and populations. Course content must include, but is not limited to, introductory psychology, abnormal psychology, and introductory sociology or introductory anthropology. B.1.2. Sociocultural, Socioeconomic, and Diversity Factors; and Lifestyles
Demonstrate knowledge of the social determinants of health for persons, groups, and populations with or at risk for disabilities and chronic health conditions and distinguishes the epidemiological factors that impact the public health and welfare of populations. B.1.3. Social Determinants of Health
Apply scientific evidence, theories, models of practice, and frames of reference that underlie the practice of occupational therapy to guide and inform interventions for persons, groups, and populations in a variety of practice contexts and environments. B.2.1. Scientific Evidence, Theories, Models of Practice, and Frames of Reference
Demonstrate knowledge of the current published American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and AOTA Standards of Practice and use them as a guide for ethical decision making in professional interactions, client interventions, employment settings, and when confronted with personal and organizational ethical conflicts. B.2.10. Ethics and Professional Interactions
Demonstrate knowledge of effective leadership styles.
Identify personal and professional strengths and areas for growth to become an effective leader.
B.2.11. Leadership
Apply knowledge of occupational therapy history, philosophical base, theory, and sociopolitical climate and their importance in meeting society’s current and future occupational needs as well as how these factors influence and are influenced by practice. B.2.2. OT History, Philosophical Base, Theory, and Sociopolitical Climate
Explain to the community of interest (e.g., consumers, potential employers, colleagues, third-party payers, regulatory boards, policymakers, and the public) the distinct nature of occupation and the evidence that occupation supports performance, participation, health, wellness, and well-being. B.2.4. Communicate the Distinct Nature of Occupation
Understand how occupational performance is affected by the effects of disease processes including heritable diseases, genetic conditions, mental illness, disability, trauma, and injury. B.2.6. Effects of Disease Processes
Create and implement a plan to address individualized personal and professional responsibilities that are consistent with current accepted standards and long-term professional goals.
The plan must address the following:
• Personal well-being.
• Alignment with current accepted norms in occupational therapy practice.
• Advocacy related to clients, occupational therapy, or the role of the occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant.
• Long-term career objectives.
• A strategy to evaluate, refine, and update the plan over time.
B.2.9. Personal and Professional Responsibilities
Demonstrate professional reasoning to inform occupation-based interventions that focus on:
•Client factors, performance patterns, and performance skills.
• Creation, promotion, establishment, restoration, maintenance, modification, and prevention.
B.3.2. Professional Reasoning
Demonstrate awareness of the principles of intraprofessional and interprofessional team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles to plan, deliver, and evaluate patient- and population-centered care as well as population health programs and policies that are safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable. B.3.22. Principles of Interprofessional Team Dynamics
Contribute to the evaluation process of client(s)’ occupational performance by completing an occupational profile and administering standardized and nonstandardized screenings and assessment tools as delegated by the occupational therapist.
Explain the importance of using psychometrically sound assessment tools when considering client needs, and cultural and contextual factors.
B.3.3. Standardized and Nonstandardized Screening and Assessment Tools
Assess, grade, and modify the way persons, groups, and populations perform occupations and activities by adapting processes, modifying environments, implementing assistive technology or adaptive equipment, and applying ergonomic principles to reflect the changing needs of the client, sociocultural context, and technological advances. B.3.8. Grade and Adapt Processes or Environments
Design and implement occupation-based interventions using the strategies of establish, restore, and modify approaches to address deficits in performance skills. B.3.9. Establish, Restore, and Modify
Identify and analyze the influence of contextual factors and current federal, state, and local policy issues and structures on the delivery of occupational therapy services for persons, groups, or populations and social systems as they relate to the practice of occupational therapy. B.4.1. Factors, Policy Issues, and Social Systems
Understand the business aspects of practice including, but not limited to, the development of business plans, financial management, reimbursement, program evaluation models, strategic planning, and liability issues under current models of service provision including providing services on a contractual basis. B.4.4. Business Aspects of Practice
Demonstrate knowledge of applicable national requirements for credentialing and requirements for licensure, certification, or registration consistent with federal and state laws. B.4.5. Requirements for Credentialing and Licensure
Define effective, competency-based legal and ethical supervision of occupational therapy assistants and non–occupational therapy personnel. B.4.9. Supervision of Personnel
Explain how scholarly activities and literature contribute to the development of the profession. Locate and demonstrate understanding of professional literature, including the quality of the source of information, to make evidence-based practice decisions in collaboration with the occupational therapist. B.5.1. Professional Literature and Scholarly Activities
Understand how quantitative and qualitative research studies inform occupational therapy practice. B.5.3. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

Note: Alphanumeric codes, descriptions, and objectives, as indicated above, are retrieved from the Accreditation Standards for an Associate-Degree-Level Education Program for the Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Citation: Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. (2023). 2023 Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) Standards and Interpretive Guide. https://acoteonline.org/accreditation-explained/standards/

 

SCANS implemented in these course objectives include:

Foundation skills Workplace Competencies
Basic Skills: i, ii, iv Resources: i, ii, iii
Thinking Skills: i, ii, iii, v, vi Interpersonal Skills: i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi
Personal Qualities: i, ii, iii, iv, v Information: i, ii, iii, iv
  Systems: i, ii, iii
  Technology: i, ii, iii
Course Content

A general description of lecture/discussion topics included in this course are listed in the Learning Outcomes / Specific Course Objectives sections of this syllabus.

Students in all sections of this course will be required to do the following

  1. Understand and comply with all instructional policies and procedures in the current Panola College OTA Student Policy Manual and the Panola College Student Handbook, including but not limited to attendance, assignment submission, makeup exams, professional and ethical behaviors, etc.
  2. If a student receives less than a 75% grade on their midterm check-in, their overall grade point average drops below 80% after week 4, or their weekly timesheets are not kept up-to-date, they may be required to schedule an academic advising session with the course instructor.  As a part of the academic advising session:
    1. The student will create a measurable academic success plan for remediation with the instructor's guidance.
    2. The academic success plan will remain in effect until the end of the semester.
    3. Subsequent advising sessions will be mandatory at a rate established by the instructor in the first academic advising session.
Methods of Instruction/Course Format/Delivery

OTHA 1405 utilizes a hybrid course format with instructional principles rooted in the Team-Based LearningTM framework. According to the Team-Based LearningTM Collaborative (TBLC), “Team-Based Learning is an evidence-based collaborative learning teaching strategy designed around units of instruction, known as “modules,” that are taught in a three-step cycle: preparation, in-class readiness assurance testing, and application-focused exercise. A class typically includes one module.”

Students must complete preparatory materials before class, including text readings, voice-over PowerPoint presentations, reflection papers, discussion postings, videos, and other materials. Digital content presentation occurs in Canvas, Intedashboard, EHRgo, Simucase, ICE videos, and other online technologies/learning modalities. At the start of in-person class, students participate in Readiness Assurance Testing (RAT) as individuals (iRAT) and as a team (tRAT). In-class clarification lectures follow the IRAT process to improve student comprehension, and the rest of the class time is spent performing application-focused activities/exercises/labs. Major exams cover content from multiple related modules.

Course Grade

The following items will be assigned and assessed during the semester and used to calculate the student’s final grade.

Learning Tasks  Weight
Individual Assessments 40%
     Major Content Exams  
     Individual Readiness Assessment Tests (iRATs)  
Individual Assignments & Application Activities  30%
     Individual Application-Focused Activities/Exercises/Labs  
Team Assignments 20%
     Team Readiness Assessment Tests (tRATs)  
     Team Application-Focused Activities/Exercises/Labs  
Professional Development 10%
     Professional Skills Assessment  
     Peer Feedback  

 

 

Numeric grades in the course will be converted to Letter Grades according to the following conversion chart: 

% Score Letter Grade
90-100 A
80-89 B
75-79 C
60-74 D
Below 60 F

Note 1: No assignment or final scores will be rounded.

Note 2: All rules and regulations printed in the College catalog, the Panola College Student Handbook, and the OTA Student Policy Manual will be reinforced throughout this course.

Note 3: The OTA Program will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty defined in the Panola College Student Handbook or unethical behaviors defined in the OTA Program’s Student Policy Manual. Any student participating in academic dishonesty or unethical behaviors will receive a zero (0) on the assignment or exam and may be subject to further disciplinary action.

Note 4: See the OTA Program’s Student Policy Manual regarding the results of a non-passing score on the Professional Skills Assessment.

Major Assignments/Assessments

The following items are assigned and assessed during the semester and used to calculate the student's final grade.

Assignments

Individual Assignments & Application Activities

  • Individual Application-Focused Activities/Exercises/Labs/Reflections

 

Team/Group Assignments 

  • Team Application-Focused Activities/Exercises/Labs

 

Assessments

Individual Assessments    

  •  Major Content Exams     
  •  Individual Readiness Assessment Tests (iRATs)
  •  Peer Feedback Assessment
  • *Professional Skills Assessment

 

Team Assessments

  • Team Readiness Assessment Tests (tRATs)

 

*Note: See the OTA Program’s Student Policy Manual regarding the results of a non-passing score on the Professional Skills Assessment.

Required Readings

All required readings, videos, and pre-class preparatory learning activities will be posted on your Canvas course. 

Other
SCANS Criteria
  1. Foundation skills are defined in three areas: basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities.
    1. Basic Skills: A worker must read, write, perform arithmetic and mathematical operations, listen, and speak effectively. These skills include:
      1. Reading: locate, understand, and interpret written information in prose and in documents such as manuals, graphs, and schedules.
      2. Writing: communicate thoughts, ideas, information, and messages in writing, and create documents such as letters, directions, manuals, reports, graphs, and flow charts. 
      3. Arithmetic and Mathematical Operations: perform basic computations and approach practical problems by choosing appropriately from a variety of mathematical techniques.
      4. Listening: receive, attend to, interpret, and respond to verbal messages and other cues.
      5. Speaking: Organize ideas and communicate orally.
    2. Thinking Skills: A worker must think creatively, make decisions, solve problems, visualize, know how to learn, and reason effectively. These skills include:
      1. Creative Thinking: generate new ideas.
      2. Decision Making: specify goals and constraints, generate alternatives, consider risks, and evaluate and choose the best alternative.
      3. Problem Solving: recognize problems and devise and implement plan of action.
      4. Visualize ("Seeing Things in the Mind's Eye"): organize and process symbols, pictures, graphs, objects, and other information.
      5. Knowing How to Learn: use efficient learning techniques to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills.
      6. Reasoning: discover a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or more objects and apply it when solving a problem.
    3. Personal Qualities: A worker must display responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self management, integrity, and honesty.
      1. Responsibility: exert a high level of effort and persevere toward goal attainment.
      2. Self-Esteem: believe in one's own self-worth and maintain a positive view of oneself.
      3. Sociability: demonstrate understanding, friendliness, adaptability, empathy, and politeness in group settings.
      4. Self-Management: assess oneself accurately, set personal goals, monitor progress, and exhibit self-control.
      5. Integrity and Honesty: choose ethical courses of action.
  2. Workplace competencies are defined in five areas: resources, interpersonal skills, information, systems, and technology.
    1. Resources: A worker must identify, organize, plan, and allocate resources effectively.
      1. Time: select goal-relevant activities, rank them, allocate time, and prepare and follow schedules.
      2. Money: Use or prepare budgets, make forecasts, keep records, and make adjustments to meet objectives.
      3. Material and Facilities: Acquire, store, allocate, and use materials or space efficiently. Examples: construct a decision timeline chart; use computer software to plan a project; prepare a budget; conduct a cost/benefits analysis; design an RFP process; write a job description; develop a staffing plan.
    2. Interpersonal Skills: A worker must work with others effectively.
      1. Participate as a Member of a Team: contribute to group effort.
      2. Teach Others New Skills.
      3. Serve Clients/Customers: work to satisfy customer's expectations.
      4. Exercise Leadership: communicate ideas to justify position, persuade and convince others, responsibly challenge existing procedures and policies.
      5. Negotiate: work toward agreements involving exchange of resources, resolve divergent interests.
      6. Work with Diversity: work well with men and women from diverse backgrounds. Examples: collaborate with a group member to solve a problem; work through a group conflict situation, train a colleague; deal with a dissatisfied customer in person; select and use appropriate leadership styles; use effective delegation techniques; conduct an individual or team negotiation; demonstrate an understanding of how people from different cultural backgrounds might behave in various situations.
    3. Information: A worker must be able to acquire and use information.
      1. Acquire and Evaluate Information.
      2. Organize and Maintain Information.
      3. Interpret and Communicate Information.
      4. Use Computers to Process Information. Examples: research and collect data from various sources; develop a form to collect data; develop an inventory record-keeping system; produce a report using graphics; make an oral presentation using various media; use on-line computer databases to research a report; use a computer spreadsheet to develop a budget.
    4. Systems: A worker must understand complex interrelationships.
      1. Understand Systems: know how social, organizational, and technological systems work and operate effectively with them.
      2. Monitor and Correct Performance: distinguish trends, predict impacts on system operations, diagnose deviations in systems' performance and correct malfunctions.
      3. Improve or Design Systems: suggest modifications to existing systems and develop new or alternative systems to improve performance. Examples: draw and interpret an organizational chart; develop a monitoring process; choose a situation needing improvement, break it down, examine it, propose an improvement, and implement it.
    5. Technology: A worker must be able to work with a variety of technologies.
      1. Select Technology: choose procedures, tools or equipment including computers and related technologies.
      2. Apply Technologies to Task: understand overall intent and proper procedures for setup and operation of equipment.
      3. Maintain and Troubleshoot Equipment: Prevent, identify, or solve problems with equipment, including computers and other technologies. Examples: read equipment descriptions and technical specifications to select equipment to meet needs; set up and assemble appropriate equipment from instructions; read and follow directions for troubleshooting and repairing equipment.