Sinclair Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Program uses a collaborative learning environment.  This is intended to teach the ability to work in teams and to be goal oriented.  Within this environment information is presented in a case-based format.  Students are given carefully formulated problems, issues, and situations.  They are asked to explore all aspects of the case through research within a small collaborative group.  This promotes the ability to seek out appropriate learning resources, using the faculty as consultants as well as books, journals, online resources and other experts.

A significant part of the program is self-assessment.  Students become proficient in assessing their individual learning progress and that of their peers.  The ability to accurately monitor the adequacy of personal performance is essential to developing life-long self-directed study skills.  The ability to provide colleagues with accurate feedback is an important skill in life and career.

Competencies that SCC’s OTA program promotes are:

·         Adapting to and participating in change

·         Dealing with problems, making reasoned 
     decisions in unfamiliar situations

·         Reasoning critically and creatively

·         Adopting a more universal or holistic approach

·         Practicing empathy, appreciating the other 
     person’s point of view

·         Collaborating productively in groups or teams

·         Identifying personal strengths and weaknesses 
     and understanding appropriate remediation, 
     e.g. through continuing self-directed learning.

Learning within the curriculum is:

·         Active - Students are expected to seek their
     own answers

·         Integrated - Subjects are not presented 
     separately but  within the context of real-life
     situations and in relation to other topics.

·         Cumulative - No subject or topic is studied
     in depth at any one time.  Information is 
     reinforced repeatedly with increasing 
     complexity whenever it is appropriate to 
     contribute to problem solving.  Students 
     achieve a growing familiarity through a 
     sequence of learning experiences that 
     are relevant to the student’s goals.

·         Progressive – Learning experiences and
     expectations change as the students mature.

·         Consistent - Students learn for understanding, 
     rather than for recall of isolated facts.  They
     have many opportunities to apply what has
     been learned.