| Within occupational therapy there are calls to promote both evidence-based (Bondoc, 2005) and inclusive (Hansen & Hinojosa, 2009) education. There is also a growing trend of distance learning, where instructors and students are separated by physical distance (Hollis & Madill, 2006). Based on personal communications with students enrolled in the Boston University online post-professional Master of Science program, a good match between learning style and course material is one of the critical factors promoting learner success and satisfaction in their studies. However, there is limited evidence within the occupational therapy literature to help instructors accommodate for different learning styles in their online courses. This doctoral project (1) identifies two learning style assessments which allow online students to better understand their individual learning needs, (2) investigates evidence and best practice in accommodating different learning styles in online education, (3) modifies an online course module and related major assignments to provide a variety of learning experiences (e.g., assignment format options) for students with different learning styles and preferences, (4) implements the modified module, and (5) surveys students participating in the research study regarding their learning experience in this module. Project results suggest that students find the study of learning styles enjoyable and applicable to their clinical work, but are often motivated by factors such as time and technology rather than learning style when selecting the format of a course assignment. The project's results will contribute to three areas in occupational therapy addressing the specific needs of online students (Hollis & Madill, 2006 Trujillo, 2007), providing more evidence-based education (AOTA, 2007a Bondoc, 2005), and building a more diverse profession (AOTA, 2007a Hansen & Hinojosa, 2009 WFOT, 2008). |
