Student education
Feature
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What is OT Plus ?
OT Plus is an online platform within Cardiff University that aims to encourage pre-registration occupational therapy students to participate in a range of extra-curricular opportunities and get into the habit of recording and sharing their learning .
The platform provides easy access to various organisations , resources and events , such as volunteering , research and continuing personal and professional development ( CPPD ) opportunities , which are available internally within the university and externally .
OT Plus also has a range of guides , including those developed by RCOT , to help students record any participation , as well as resources to help students practise their critical reflective and evaluative skills .
All of these resources are linked in one place and are easy for students to conveniently explore their areas of interest in their own time .
Who is it for ?
OT Plus is designed for all pre-registration students currently enrolled in an occupational therapy programme at Cardiff University . It aims to sit alongside current curriculum content that encourages students to be involved in CPPD and extra-curricular opportunities and to record these in personal CPPD portfolios .
It also provides a space for all students to share stories and provide lived accounts of experiences , placements and community ventures , that can help students form new interests and passions in different specialities or projects .
Community-led projects may also benefit from increased volunteers and it enables student recruitment and helps to raise awareness of the ways that students can impact their local communities .
How does it work ?
Enrolled students can link to the OT Plus Teams page , where there are separate channels called Access , Record , Evaluate and Celebrate . Each channel has tabs at the top of each page , which instantly link to various organisations , documents and websites .
As these are linked directly , students are always up to date with the latest information straight from the source and new tabs can be added as and when new opportunities become available .
The Celebrate channel provides students with access to discussion boards , podcasts , surveys and photo walls , where they create and shape the content of the channel based on their own lived experiences .
Why is this space needed ?
The relationship between occupation , health and wellbeing forms the central ethos of the occupational therapy profession . It is not surprising , therefore , that occupational therapy students often engage in extracurricular activities in their communities , for example through volunteering .
This , however , typically goes uncelebrated in the academic environment . OT Plus aims to support preregistration students who want to engage in community activities , but do not know how to link with a wide variety of opportunities .
OT Plus provides a platform for pre-registration students to record and reflect on their engagement and a space to share and celebrate their learning . Sharing these personal experiences with peers allows students to develop their reflective skills organically in a collaborative and informal environment , rather than the theoretical and measured assessments of reflection found in current curriculums .
From an academic perspective , OT Plus aligns with Cardiff University ’ s civic mission and fosters closer relationships between the occupational tharapy programmes and the community and encourages students to participate in CPPD opportunities to develop their learning .
Where can we see OT Plus in the future ?
As students move through their academic journey at university , there is great emphasis on appreciating and understanding the unique circumstances and perspectives of service-users and its importance in professional practice .
OT Plus is a collaborative and interactive venture , where students can discuss , highlight or introduce new ideas , organisations and events . In the future , we hope that the open line of dialogue that comes from sharing their unique circumstances , perspectives and experiences , both personally and professionally , will give students more confidence , understanding and resilience when it comes to entering the workforce .
Additionally , OT Plus can help to promote good practice by encouraging student engagement in a range of CPPD activities and recording and reflecting on their experiences . An occupational therapy ethos of collaboration and community participation is being lived and experienced by students every day – it is time we recognised and celebrated this engagement as an important part of our student ' s journey to becoming the next generation of compassionate and well-rounded practitioners .
Words CARYS WILLIAMS , ROSA BREW , DAMARIS VENTRESS , JO FITZMAURICE , Occupational Therapy Students at Cardiff University , CATHERINE PURCELL , Lead for Research and Development in Occupational Therapy , School of Healthcare Sciences , Cardiff University , and DEB HEARLE , Deputy Head of School , School of Healthcare Sciences , Cardiff University hearled @ cardiff . ac . uk
April 2023 OTnews 49