Gergen

1. Reasons for Non-Adoption of
Distance Delivery in OTA
Education
TERI GERGEN, EDD, OT/L 2015 AOTA/OTCAS Education Summit
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2. Session Objectives
 Consider personal beliefs about the types of OTA courses that can be
taught at a distance
 Explore the feasibility of expansion of online or hybrid courses in existing or
developing OTA programs
 Identify two to three areas for additional research
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3. Statement of the Problem
Hollis and Madill (2006) noted that “…opinions regarding
online learning seem to vary among occupational therapy
educators. Some are enthusiastic supporters who
wholeheartedly embrace online learning…and another
group is unequivocally against the concept…there
appears to be more emotionally charged thinking than
evidence-based reasoning at play” (p.62)
Limited utilization of DE in OTA education
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4. Background
Physicians
Pharmacists
Physician Assistants
Nurses
Radiological Technicians
Social Workers
Clinical Laboratory Science
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5. Percentage of Program Offered by DE
OTA Education: 2010 – 2011 Data
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6. Purpose of the Study
Identify and explain reasons that program directors
embrace or reject distance-delivery formats for OTA
education
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7. Overview of the Literature
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8. Relationship between instructional media and learning outcomes
Educational considerations for students of AHS and related disciplines
Belief systems about use/effectiveness of DE methods
Descriptive studies of DE within AHS and related disciplines
Outcome-based studies on effectiveness of DE in OT education
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9. Research Questions
RQ2 - Do survey responses from OTA directors reflect significant differences in
agreement as to the types of skills (cognitive, psychomotor) that can be
effectively taught using an online delivery format?
RQ3 - Is there a significant difference among high-, medium-, low-, and no-
distance-education-experience groups of OTA directors as to the number and
types of skills they believe can be effectively taught at a distance?
RQ1 - Do survey responses from OTA directors indicate that a greater
percentage of OTA programs are using any one of the available types of
distance or online formats: web facilitated, blended, or online?
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10. Methodology
 Investigator-developed survey
 2-part survey validation procedure
 Target population – All directors of accredited OTA programs contacted
through ACOTE electronic mailing list
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11. Results – RQ1
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12. Results – RQ2
More directors agreed/strongly agreed that 16 of the 20 cognitive skills could be
effectively taught at a distance*
More directors disagreed/strongly disagreed that 15 of the 20 psychomotor skills
could be effectively taught at a distance*
 *Chi-square goodness-of-fit test was calculated for each of the 40 skills at alpha
level of .05
Program directors believed that more cognitive skills can be effectively taught at a
distance than psychomotor**
 **Related-samples Wilcoxon signed-rank test identified significant differences in
the median ranks for cognitive and psychomotor skills (p = .000)
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13. Results – RQ3
Variability in levels of agreement responses was greatest for directors with no
DE experience
 *Chi-square goodness-of-fit test was calculated across the 40 skills at alpha
level of .05
Distance education experience did NOT significantly influence beliefs about
the types of skill categories (cognitive or psychomotor) that can effectively be
taught at a distance.
 *Kruskal-Wallis test
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14. Study Assumptions and Limitations
Assumptions
 OTA directors would have vested
interest in topic
 Truthful responses to survey
questions
 Directors have authority related to
delivery format
Limitations
 Voluntary nature of participation
 Exclusion of non-director OTA
educators
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15. Discussion/Implications for Practice
Development of guidelines for best practice use of DE in OTA education
Need to expand knowledge of DE best practices in OTA education
Use of social media to challenge biases against DE in OTA education
Addressing perceived obstacles to implementation of DE
AOTA role in addressing resistance to adoption of DE in OTA education
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16. Implications for Future Research
 Descriptive studies of current practice
 Impact of attitudes, values, skills, and knowledge on adoption of DE
 Instructional design and assessment of DE courses
 Beliefs about use of DE to teach affective and interpersonal skills
 Use of DE to teach psychomotor skills in allied health science
 Other influences on adoption behavior for use of DE in OTA education
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17. Comments or Questions?
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18. References
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2010). Learning on demand: Online education in the United States,
2010. Wellesley, MA: The Sloan Consortium. Retrieved from http://
sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/pdf/learningondemand.pdf
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2011). Academic programs annual data report.
Academic Year 2010–2011. Retrieved from http://www.aota.org/Educate/
EdRes/OTEdData/42026/2010-2011-Annual-Data-Report.aspx?FT=.pdf
Fisher, G., & Keehn, M. (2007). Workforce needs and issues in occupational and physical
therapy. Chicago: University of Illinois. Retrieved from http://www.ahs
.uic.edu/ot/pdf/workforce.pdf
Gergen, T. D. (2012). Identifying and explaining reasons for adoption and non-adoption of
distance-delivery formats on occupational therapy assistant education. (Unpublished
doctoral dissertation). Nova Southeastern University. North Miami Beach, FL.
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19. References cont.
Hollis, V., & Madill, H. (2006). Online learning: The potential for occupational therapy
education. Occupational Therapy International, 13, 61-78.
Metzler, C. A., & Thomas, J. (2006, October). 2006 AOTA workforce and compensation survey.
AOTA State Affairs Group News, 9(4), 4-8. Retrieved from http://www
.aota.org/Pubs/Enews/StateQuarterly/36453.aspx
Richardson, P. K., MacRae, A., Schwartz, K., Bankston, L., & Kosten, C. (2008). Student
outcomes in a post professional online master’s degree program. American Journal of
Occupational Therapy, 62, 600-610.
Rosenkoetter, L. E. (2007). Moving toward online courses. Radiography, 13, 271-275.
doi:10.1016/j.radi.2006.04.005
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20. References cont.
Schlosser, L. A., & Simonson, M. (2010). Distance education: Definitions and glossary of terms (3rd ed.).
Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance:
Foundations of distance education (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Talbert, J. J. (2009). Distance education: One solution to the nursing shortage? Clinical Journal of
Oncology Nursing, 13, 269-270. doi:10.1188/09.CJON.269-270
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