Establishment of Reliability of the Occupation-Based Practice Assessment

The profession’s foundational construct; occupation, is therapeutically effective, but there remains inconsistent use as a therapeutic medium. A psychometrically strong tool can measure and maximize the use of occupation. This study establishes preliminary psychometric properties of the Occupation-Based Practice Assessment (OBPA). This methodological study tested inter-rater reliability using simulated video cases to examine the OBPA. Overall reliability was acceptable with at .868. All subsections were acceptable including Meaning and Purposeful Occupation (.871), Therapeutic Intent (.819), and Engaged Participation (.807). Two items, Context (.946) and Actual Doing (.981), demonstrated excellent reliability; while three items, Meaning (.747), Adaptation (.799), and Participation (.735), fell slightly below the acceptable level. Preliminary investigation of the OBPA reveals acceptable inter-rater reliability and suggests potential for use following additional in-vivo testing to measure therapeutic interactions to enhance student learning, optimize clinical practice, facilitate professional development, evaluate programs, and quantify occupation-based practice in research.

Data Management Plan for Preparing Secondary Mathematics Teachers with Video Cases of Students’ Functional Reasoning

Data management plan for 2016 NSF Education and Human Resources (EHR) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education and Human Resources (IUSE: EHR) Program Proposal

From Clinical Practice to the Classroom. Advantages and Disadvantages of Video and Paper Cases on the Motivation and Clinical Reasoning of Occupational Therapy Students

Case-based learning enables the application of theory to practice using real-life patient cases. The present study aims to compare the effect between video cases and paper cases on motivation for learning and knowledge acquisition to perform a clinical reasoning case exercise by occupational therapy students. A mixed-methods design was used with 120 students randomized into two groups. All students conducted a clinical reasoning case exercise on the same case, although in different presentation formats: paper case and video case. The quantitative measures of this study were the scores of motivation for learning from the Instructional Material Motivation Survey and the grades of a clinical reasoning case exercise. The qualitative part was based on the positive and negative aspects perceived by the participants. The results showed that the motivation for learning was significantly higher for the video case compared to the paper case, although there were no differences in the grades of the clinical reasoning case exercise between the two groups. The video cases were perceived as more relevant to professional practice and more informative in terms of non-verbal communication and context. In light of the results, teachers could use these two formats of presentation of cases with different objectives.

Maximizing the Impact of Mobile Devices

The authors feature the M-Learning Framework as a way to view the effective use of mobile devices. Video cases demonstrate the three key features of the framework: (1) authenticity, (2) personalization, and (3) collaboration.

Design Principles for Examining Student Practices in a Technology-Mediated Environment

In this article, we present a set of design principles to guide the development of instructional materials aimed to support preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) examining student practices in technology-mediated environments. To develop design principles, we drew on the literature related to technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK; Niess, 2005), video cases as learning objects (Sherin & van Es, 2005), and professional noticing (Jacobs, et al., 2010). After presenting the design principles, we share a task created using these design principles. Finally, we share PSMTs’ reflections about changes in their own understanding after examining students’ practices. Their responses provide insights into the usefulness of the design principles for deepening PSMTs’ mathematical knowledge and knowledge of students’ understanding, thinking, and learning with technology.

Fictional Video Cases on Parent-Teacher Conversations: Authenticity in the Eyes of Teachers and Teacher Education Students

Video based instructional approaches have become very popular in teacher education. In this context, fictional video cases (FVCs) are a promising format because they can make discrete situations (e.g., parent–teacher conversations) accessible for learners. We critically discuss the concept of authenticity of FVCs with respect to their use for didactic purposes with student and in-service teachers. In an empirical study, we examine the authenticity of a specific pair of contrasting FVCs on teacher-parent communication (showing constructive vs. confrontative communication by the teacher). The FVCs were viewed by teachers and teacher-education students who rated the material regarding its authenticity. The results were that the authenticity of the two video versions was evaluated as “medium”, as was the authenticity of the characters. Moreover, the teachers evaluated the video cases as more authentic compared to the teacher education students. Given that existing studies show that the FVCs in focus here were successfully used in instructional contexts, we conclude that it is possible to create meaningful and effective didactic environments featuring FVCs with a medium level of authenticity.