Design of an Online Curriculum Promoting Transformative Learning in Post Professional Doctoral Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v19i3.526Keywords:
Online curriculum, transformative learning, doctorate educationAbstract
Written reflections of 113 occupational therapy clinical doctoral students who graduated from an online program between 2007 and 2013 were analyzed for themes which reflected transformative learning and characteristics of curricular design which promoted transformative learning. Qualitative analyses of written reflections were performed. Several themes emerged which are presented using the framework of Person/Learner, Environment/Learning Context, and Occupation/Engagement in Learning Activities. Strategies such as active learning; assignments that directly apply to students’ work settings; implementation of a cohort model; and use of reflection, dialog, and project implementation appear to be effective in facilitating transformative learning in an online clinical doctoral program.References
Allen, S.J. (2007). Adult learning theory & leadership development. Leadership Review, 7, 26-36.
ATLAS.ti Qualitative Data Analysis. (2013). A world of data in your hand ATLAS.ti. Retrieved from http://www.atlasti.com/index.html
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2011). The philosophical base of occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(Suppl.), S65. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2011.65S65.
American Occupational Therapy Association (2007). AOTA’s centennial vision
and executive summary. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61(6).
Benson, R., Hewitt, L., Heagney, M., Devos, A., & Crosling, G. (2010). Diverse pathways in higher education: Using students’ stories to identify transformational experiences. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 50, 26-53.
Boyd, B. (2009). Using a case study to develop the transformational teaching theory.
Journal of Leadership Education, 7(3), 50-58.
Boyer, N., Maher, P., & Kirkman, S. (2006). Transformative learning in online settings. Journal of Transformative Education, 4(4), 335-360.
Cranton & Carusetta, (2004). Perspectives on authenticity in teaching. Adult Education Quarterly, 55(5). DOI: 10.1177/0741713604268894
Eisen, M. J. (2001). Peer-based professional development viewed through the lens of transformative learning. Holistic Nursing Practice, 16, 30-42.
Gilly, M. (2004). Experiencing transformative education in the “corridors” of a nontraditional doctoral program. Journal of Transformative Education 2(3), 231-241.
Henderson, J. (2010). Transformative learning: Four activities that set the stage. Online Education. Retrieved from http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/28439_10.pdf
Hollis, V., & Madill, H. (2006). Online learning: The potential for occupational therapy education. Occupational Therapy International, 13, 61-78.
Law, M., Cooper, B., Strong, S., Stewart, D., Rigby, P., & Letts, L. (1996). The person-environment-occupation model: A transactive approach to occupational performance. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(1), 9-23.
Langley, M.A., & Brown, S.T. (2010). Perceptions of the use of reflective journals in online graduate nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 31(1), 12-17.
Matthew-Maich, N., Ploeg, J., Jack, S. & Dobbins, M. (2010). Transformative learning and research utilization in nursing practice: A missing link? Worldviews on Evidence- based Nursing, 1, 25-35.
Meyers, S. (2008, Fall) Using transformative pedagogy when teaching online. College Teaching, 56, 4.
Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. New Directions in Adult Continuing Education, 74, 5-12.
Mezirow, J. & Associates. (2000). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Olanrian, B. (2005). Computer-mediated communication as an instructional learn tool. In Comcaux, 144-58. Assessing online learning. Bolton, MA: Anker.
Santalucia, S., & Johnson, C.R. (2010). Transformative learning: Facilitating growth and change through fieldwork. OT Practice, 15(19), CE1-CE7.
Schön, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Simons, D., Baron J., Knicely, K., & Richardson, J. (2001). Online learning: Perspectives of students and faculty in two disciplines – occupational therapy and teacher education. Occupational Therapy in Health Care,14, 21-53.
Smyth, S., Houghton, C., Cooney A., & Casey D. (2012) Students' experiences of blended learning across a range of postgraduate programmes. Nurse Education Today 32(4), 464–468.
Statistic Brain Research Institute (2013), Retrieved from
http://www.statisticbrain.com/online-university-statistics/
Stevens-Long, J., Schapiro, S. A., & McClintock, C. (2012). Passionate scholars: Transformative learning in doctoral education. Adult Education Quarterly, 62, 180-198.
Taylor, E. W. (2007). An update of transformative learning theory: A critical review of the empirical research (1999-2005). International Journal of Lifelong Education, 26, 173-191.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
As a condition of publication, the author agrees to apply the Creative Commons – Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY) License to OLJ articles. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
This licence allows anyone to reproduce OLJ articles at no cost and without further permission as long as they attribute the author and the journal. This permission includes printing, sharing and other forms of distribution.
Author(s) hold copyright in their work, and retain publishing rights without restrictions