Outline

Overview

This unit of study provides students with the opportunity to gain skills in evaluating occupational therapy interventions and occupational therapy outcome measures relevant to practice. Both types of evaluation are core competencies identified by the national professional body. Students will apply their developing research and inquiry knowledge and skills from OCCP 5207 to an evaluation of an intervention and an outcome measure of relevance to their fieldwork experience. Students will develop skills in identifying appropriate goals that relate to the assessment of client outcomes and to the evaluation of an intervention program, and how to measure change to evaluate the degree of achievement of these goals. Students will need to locate and critique relevant literature, and determine practice issues associated with the evaluation of occupational therapy practice.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Participation Sciences
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	OCCP5207 and OCCP5217 and OCCP5237 and OCCP5238
Corequisites ?	OCCP5240
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Anne Cusick, anne.cusick@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Josephine Gwynn, josephine.gwynn@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Anne Cusick, anne.cusick@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Program evaluation plan OT practice evaluation plan - written report	60%	Formal exam period Due date: 25 Nov 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 25 Nov 2022	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Short answer assessment task Short answer questions in template format	40%	Week -03 Due date: 18 Aug 2022 at 23:59 Closing date: 18 Aug 2022	1200 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

ASSESSMENT ONE: In this assessment task students will complete a short answer assessment task which aims to test student understanding and application of content from the self-directed learning modules.

ASSESSMENT TWO: In this assessment task students will develop a program evaluation plan for an occupational therapy intervention, program or service. The evaluation plan will be prepared in the form of a report.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	You have met learning outcomes and demonstrated an outstanding standards of performance
Distinction	75 - 84	You have met learning outcomes and demonstrated a superior standard of performance
Credit	65 - 74	You have met learning outcomes and demonstrated an above average standard of performance
Pass	50 - 64	You have met learning outcomes to a satisfactory standard
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

As per University of Sydney guidelines.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Pre-semester	Introduction to Evaluation of OT Practice (conducted in association with OCCP5240 Briefing on 15.6.22)	Lecture (1 hr)
Pre-semester	Independent learning modules and discussion board participation: Module 1: outcome measurement; Module 2: outcome measurement in OT practice; Module 3: measuring what's important; Module 4: goal setting, measurement and critical appraisal of an outcome measure using the AusTOM example. Modules underpin learning objectives for Assignment 1 which is due Thursday 18 August 11.59pm.	Independent study (26 hr)
Week -04	Introduction to evaluative enquiry and program evaluation.	Workshop (3 hr)
	Appraising evaluation designs and using evaluation findings in practice.	Workshop (3 hr)
	Program evaluation methods.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	Using evaluation findings in practice.	Workshop (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Attendance at the on-campus workshops is mandatory. These have been scheduled to coincide with the same week as the mandatory briefing/ debriefing fieldwork sessions. Attendance at the workshops will be marked ‘complete’ or ‘incomplete’. Participation in the four online learning modules is required and this will be maked as ‘complete’ or ‘incomplete’ pending completion of a minimum of two discussion board posts on topics identified in the modules.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Fawcett, A.J.L. (2007). Principles of assessment and outcome measurement for occupational therapist and physiotherapists: Theory, skills and application. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons [You can read aout the book contents here – it is available as an ebook in addition to hardback: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Principles+of+Assessment+and+Outcome+Measurement+for+Occupational+Therapists+and+Physiotherapists%3A+Theory%2C+Skills+and+Application-p-9781118709696]

Law, M. & MacDermid J. (2014). Evidence based rehabilitation: A guide to practice. (3rdEd). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK. [ebook available: ISBN: 9781617119781, 1617119784; I’ve seen second hand ones for purchase in on-line sites if you are interested in this text for your professional library]

Patton, MQ. (2008). Utilization-focused evaluation 4th Edition. Beverly Hills: Sage. [This is available as a free download pdf at: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-010-0309-4.pdf] [It is a book about educational evaluation so there is a lot about teachers and classrooms but the principles and practices are very similar because they too are aiming for capacity development, enabling environments and behaviour change for task performance. So very useful]

NOTE: Other readings are required or recommended in the modules. Depending on your evaluation plan selections your lecturer may recommend other sources as valuable

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. describe the role and components of outcome measurement as a key component of evidence-informed occupational therapy practice
LO2. select and appraise an outcome measure suitable for measuring outcomes with a client or client population
LO3. recognise the role of program evaluation in measuring both processes (how programs are implemented by occupational therapists) and outcomes (expected change in clients as a result of engaging in the program)
LO4. apply evaluation and outcome measurement tools to design an evaluation plan for an occupational therapy intervention, program, or service.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes	Competency standards
	Australian occupational therapy competency standards 2018 - 1. Professionalism 1.1. Complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s standards, guidelines and Code of conduct 1.7. Collaborates and consults ethically and responsibly for effective client-centred and interprofessional practice 1.8. Adheres to all work health and safety, and quality requirements for practice 3.10. Reviews, evaluates and modifies plans, goals and interventions with the client and relevant others to enhance or achieve client outcomes 3.11. Evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice 3.2. Performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client’s status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals
	Australian occupational therapy competency standards 2018 - 1. Professionalism 1.1. Complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s standards, guidelines and Code of conduct 1.8. Adheres to all work health and safety, and quality requirements for practice 3.10. Reviews, evaluates and modifies plans, goals and interventions with the client and relevant others to enhance or achieve client outcomes 3.11. Evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice 3.2. Performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client’s status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals
	Australian occupational therapy competency standards 2018 - 1. Professionalism 1.1. Complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s standards, guidelines and Code of conduct 1.8. Adheres to all work health and safety, and quality requirements for practice 3.10. Reviews, evaluates and modifies plans, goals and interventions with the client and relevant others to enhance or achieve client outcomes 3.11. Evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice 3.2. Performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client’s status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals
	Australian occupational therapy competency standards 2018 - 1. Professionalism 1.1. Complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s standards, guidelines and Code of conduct 1.8. Adheres to all work health and safety, and quality requirements for practice 3.10. Reviews, evaluates and modifies plans, goals and interventions with the client and relevant others to enhance or achieve client outcomes 3.11. Evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice 3.2. Performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client’s status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals

Australian occupational therapy competency standards 2018 -

Competency code	Taught, Practiced or Assessed	Competency standard
1.1		Complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s standards, guidelines and Code of conduct
1.8		Adheres to all work health and safety, and quality requirements for practice
3.10		Reviews, evaluates and modifies plans, goals and interventions with the client and relevant others to enhance or achieve client outcomes
3.11		Evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice
3.2		Performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client’s status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Prof C advises: In 2022 an introduction lecture will be presented in conjunction with the 5240 fieldwork briefing day to help orientate students to the unit learning activities, assignment and learning supports available for this unit and assignment completion while on fieldwork placement. In 2022 the assignment submissions have been timed to align better with placements. In 2022 the on-campus workshops have been scheduled in the same week and the fieldwork debriefing and consolidated to a block across 3 days rather than having one per week for 3 weeks. This is to give students the opportunity to have a period with no on-campus classes before the final fieldwork placement. These changes should better support students in their learning and provide an opportunity for them to refresh without scheduled classes before the final fieldwork placement commences.

Additional information

The introduction lecture will provide additional information on the structure, learning activities, assignments and learning outcomes of this unit.

Site visit guidelines

Not applicable

Work, health and safety

Usual observance of University of Sydney policies and Faculty of Medicine and Health local provisions for online and on-campus learning apply. Students are required to wear correctly fitted masks during on-campus lectures and workshops for this unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

OCCP5241: Evaluation of OT Practice

Session 2 Early Census, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect