PPOTD Course Descriptions

PPOTD Course Descriptions

Fall Semester, Year 1

OTH 700 Doctoral capstone experience I:  This course introduces students to the 14-week Capstone Experience and Project and Mentored doctoral experiential component. Students will engage in an examination of their interest area(s) for the capstone experience and related capstone project. Students create a professional development plan with learning objectives for the capstone focused on developing in-depth exposure (beyond a generalist level) in a topic of their choice that is relevant to occupational therapy practice among rural and underserved communities. Students learn though a combination of lectures, discussions, and small group activities. Completion of the development plan is used to assess mastery of course content. (2 credit hours)

OTH 705 Developing, applying, and testing theory: In this course, students will critically examine how theories and models describe or explain a phenomenon at different levels of analysis and the types of scientific evidence that serves to support or refute theoretical propositions. The distinction will be made between models of function and disablement and theories of change. Common approaches to theory generation and testing are presented. Students will also examine how theoretical constructs are translated to guide study design from participant sampling, data collection, intervention and evaluation/analysis. Students examine theories in depth that are relevant to their doctoral project area of interest. Students learn though a combination of lectures, discussions, and small group activities. Formative and summative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (4 credit hours)

OTH 710 Instructional design and academic preparedness: This course focuses on developing effective teaching techniques applicable to a variety of clinical and academic contexts. Students learn the principles of teaching and learning as it applies to the development and implementation of content delivered to clients, communities, groups, or organizations in practice or academic settings. Students are introduced to the concepts of literacy, health literacy, learning styles and the scholarship of teaching and learning as well as the roles and responsibilities specific to academic settings. The impact of ethical, legal, and economic factors on the educational process is also discussed. Course content emphasizes evidence-based approaches to content, course, and curricular design as well as evaluation of teaching and learning. Working with a faculty mentor, students develop a learning module on an area of interest and/or expertise, complete with syllabi and learning outcomes. This course includes a mentored teaching practicum. Students work with a faculty mentor to develop materials for a minimum of two class sessions, during which they serve as the primary instructor (in person or virtual). Students learn though a combination of lectures, discussions, and small group activities. Formative and summative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (3 credit hours)

Spring Semester, Year 2

OTH 715 Intensive in community-based environmental assessment: This course focuses on critical evaluation of out-of-home environments and places vis-à-vis the role they play in shaping occupational performance and participation, occupation possibilities, and health and wellbeing  An emphasis is placed on the critical and systematic analysis of environments and places from the standpoint of complexity, internal and external accessibility, imbued meanings, and their role as contested spaces and therapeutic landscapes. Students engage in a series of case studies involving in-dept examination of out of home environments relevant to rural and medically underserved communities and related to their Doctoral Project. Students learn though a combination of lectures, discussions, and small group activities. Formative and summative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (3 credit hours)

OTH 720 Occupation-based health promotion: This course prepares students to develop a theoretically informed health promotion program grounded in theory and focused on rural and medically underserved populations. Students will be introduced to the role of public health and the role of occupational therapy in the area of health promotion and wellness. Key concepts introduced in the course include, rurality, health disparities, social determinants of health, public and population health, health promotion, health education, health literacy, and health behavior. Evidence-based models of rural healthcare delivery and health promotion and disease prevention are examined with an emphasis on applying concepts and models to develop individual, community, and population-based approaches for meeting the health needs of individuals and communities. Students develop a health promotion program related to a public and/or population health issue. Students learn though a combination of lectures and discussion, reflective discussion, small group activities and community-based outings, and interactions with community members. Formative and summative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (3 credit hours)

OTH 725 Doctoral capstone experience II: This course will guide students through conducting a critical review of the literature. The review will interrogate existing methods for addressing the proposed problem to be addressed in the Doctoral Project. The review will provide the foundation for the rationale, design, and methods for the student’s proposed response to the problem. Students draft the protocol for their capstone project, including identifying potential methods and study designs, collaborators, faculty mentors, and content experts. Students also learn about and evaluate methods appropriate for individuals and programmatic evaluation and assessment (e.g., client surveys, performance assessments, continuous performance monitoring, examples program evaluations). Students also identify possible funding sources for their proposed project and draft a funding proposal. Students learn though a combination of lectures, discussions, and small group activities. Formative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (1 credit hour)

Summer Semester, Year 2

OTH 730 Research design and methods independent study: This course provides students a more in-depth foundation into methods specific to their capstone projects. Students work with their Doctoral Project mentor to develop individualized learning objectives, assignments, and evaluation of student performance objectives relevant to the specific methodology (e.g., intervention design, qualitative research, survey research, secondary data analysis). Course delivery format and assessment format will vary depending on the learning plan.  (3 credit hours)

OTH 735 Evaluation and outcomes: This course focuses on building skills in the application of quantitative and qualitative methods of outcome evaluation at the person, program, community, and system level.  The course provides foundational knowledge in outcomes assessment that can be applied in the context of a variety of research methodologies (e.g., intervention design, program evaluation, performance assessment) and fosters the skills needed to complete an evaluation plan for the Doctoral Project. Evidence-based examples of evaluation and outcomes plans are examined and their applicability to the student’s Doctoral Project are evaluated. Formative and summative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (3 credit hours)

Fall Semester, Year 2

OTH 740 Doctoral capstone experience III: This course builds on the Capstone experience II and Research Design and Methods Independent Study courses. Based on learning achieved during the independent study, students refine the proposal for their Doctoral Capstone Project and finalize individualized learning objectives, assignments, and evaluation of student performance objectives in collaboration with the Doctoral Project mentor and mentor in the situation of practice. Students learn though a combination of lectures and discussions. Approval of the final Doctoral Capstone Project Proposal is used to assess mastery of course content. (2 credit hours)

OTH 745 Leadership Seminar: The course focuses on academic and professional leadership and professional development. Course topics include organizational psychology and leadership, leadership styles, effective communication and team dynamics, conflict resolution, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. An emphasis is placed on exploring leadership and career advancement opportunities in clinical and academic settings. Students learn though a combination of lectures, discussions, case-based scenarios, and small group activities. An emphasis is placed on developing habits of thought and action central to effective leadership. Formative and summative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (3 credit hours)

OTH 750 Social Policy for Rural Health: This course introduces students to the basics of health policy and its impact on health and wellbeing in rural communities. Students interrogate the history, demographic make-up, and health statistics of a rural community and the health policies at federal, state, and local levels. They are then guided through a problem-based approach to health policy analysis. Course content includes current trends in health policy, social determinants of rural health, and the use of telehealth to improve access to health services. Students also learn about rural health disparities for targeted populations, depending on their focus area. An emphasis is placed on exploring opportunities for community partnerships and policy development. Students learn through a combination of lectures, discussions, case-based scenarios, and small group activities. Formative and summative assessments are used to assess mastery of course content. (3 credit hours)

Spring Semester, Year 2

OTH 755 Mentored Studies in Doctoral Experiential Component: This course provides students with concurrent mentoring from their faculty advisor and situation of practice mentor while they are completing the doctoral experiential component. Students meet online in small mentoring sections with their faculty advisor throughout the doctoral experiential component. Students will complete the Doctoral Capstone Project (a minimum of 540 hours) in the areas of clinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, and/or theory development. (3 credit hours)

OTH 760 Mentored Doctoral Experiential Dissemination: In this course, students complete their culminating Doctoral Project and disseminate the findings from their scholarly work. Students present their Doctoral Project and discuss findings in a professional forum and in the form of a manuscript draft suitable for submission for publication to an academic or practice publication. Development of individualized learning objectives for the dissemination, plan for dissemination, and evaluation of student performance objectives occurs in collaboration with the student, Doctoral Project mentor, and mentor in the situation of practice. Completion of a manuscript draft suitable for submission for publication to an academic or practice publication is used to assess mastery (3 credit hours)