Innovative Learning

The CELC provides innovative, active learning opportunities to maximize student clinical competency. Our curriculum bridges biomedical, public health and sociocultural perspectives to provide an inclusive occupational therapy (OT) education. Several courses allow students to interact with specific populations in the community and provide information and services.

The CELC’s space, in combination with the renovated spaces in 509, 508 and the hospital simulation lab on the lower level, is also where many of the hands-on lab activities are conducted with guest lecturers, subject matter experts as well as volunteers and members of the community to provide experiential learning.

Washington University occupational therapy and Fontbonne University speech-language pathology students participated in a collaborative interdisciplinary learning experience focused on working with individuals who experience cognitive and/or language challenges associated with a variety of neurological conditions in the CELC. Students learned how to develop and implement individualized treatment plans focused on different cognitive interventions with volunteer participants from the community.
The CELC hosted a community-based learning event in Fall 2023 for St. Louis-based SSM Health’ outpatient occupational therapists. Peggy Barco, OTD, OTR/L, SCDCM, CDRS, FAOTA, and student Alyssa Castro, OTD/S ’23 provided training focused on utilizing and performing functional cognitive assessment in their settings.
In the Applied Strategies in Biomechanical Performance course, first-year students learned splinting from Milliken Hand Rehabilitation Center specialist therapists. Specifically, students learned how to fabricate a resting hand splint adhering to precautions using various materials.
As a part of the Applied Strategies in Biomechanical Performance course, first-year OT students gained the confidence to pass a practical showing competency in manual muscle testing and range of motion (goniometry) measurements through two optional evening practice sessions held in the CELC with their course director and six peer mentors.
Second-year students in the Evaluation and Intervention: Adults and Older Adults II course engaged in skills checks such as adaptive dressing, transfers and balance activities at the end of the Spring semester.
Students in the WashU OT Maternal Health Collective (MHC) Lab learned about ergonomics and breastfeeding for new and expecting parents through hands-on activities. The MHC Lab combines faculty and clinician expertise to further practice in the emerging practice area of maternal health through research, OT service delivery and student education.
In the Evaluation and Intervention: Children and Youth I course, first-year students planned several activities with kids aged 8-months to 5-years-old in the CELC spaces for a WashU OT kids play date experience. Students also interviewed caregivers about their child’s milestones.
First-year students in the Evaluation and Intervention: Children and Youth I course had the opportunity to observe infants ages 6 weeks. Learning developmental milestones starts at birth, so volunteers brought their young babies to WashU OT to teach students about infant development.
First-year students got hands-on experience planning and implementing an intervention with school-aged children in the Evaluation and Intervention: Children and Youth II course. OT students practiced supporting all sorts of skills that children wanted to work on, including shoe tying, baking, basketball dribbling, and scoring soccer goals.
As part of their final competency for the Occupational Analysis class, the first-year MSOT and OTD students facilitated group teaching demonstrations for the Celebration of Occupations Fair. Student groups led fellow students, faculty, staff and community guests to engage in various skill-building and wellness-promoting occupations while demonstrating how occupations, tools and environments can be adapted to meet individual participant needs.
Mike and Nik Freehill of Quantum Rehab presented alternative drive controls for power wheelchair users to second-year students in the Evaluation and Intervention: Adults and Older Adults I course. Students learned how power wheelchairs can be programmed to fit their clients' needs as well as trialed alternative access devices and tech, including head arrays, chin drives, switch scanners, sip-n-puff, fiber optic hand pad, foot drive, knee-linked drive and a variety of alternative joysticks in November 2024.
Second-year students in the Evaluation and Intervention: Adults and Older Adults I course participated in learning performance-based assessments to prepare for evaluating and treating volunteer clients with functional cognitive challenges as part of their course learning experience.

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Innovative Learning

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