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Canadian occupational therapy (OT) university programs must teach change agent competencies. These include promoting social justice and empowering clients, which United States occupational therapists also do. Change agent competency requirements are challenging to teach and involve multidisciplinary knowledge and non-traditional skills. As few occupational therapists feel competent to act as change agents, university programs must engage in a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) approach and identify areas of improvement. The aim of this study, informed by SoTL, was to document, as described by participants, the pedagogical activities related to teaching the change agent role in an OT program in Canada and explore possible curricular improvements. Two online 90-minute focus group meetings were held: one with ten teaching team members, the other with six current and past students. Participants were questioned regarding current formal and informal curricular activities, barriers that influenced competency development, and activities that could help improve it. Data were analyzed thematically. Actual informative teaching activities, such as ethics and multicultural courses, were deemed helpful but insufficient, with only one transformative course in the curriculum. Barriers such as a rigid, biomedical-based program structure also affected competency acquisition. Solutions to improve acquisition included mentorship and recognition of relevant extracurricular projects by the programs. SoTL offers a reflective lens to learn from collective experiences. This study showed the importance of involving students and faculty in program development and delivery improvements in order to better support educators and program administrators in their mission to meet the needs of vulnerable populations.

Evidence-based practice integrates and supports the best interventions in clinical practice. However, a gap of about ten years may elapse between the production of evidence and integration of best practices in clinical settings. Some technologies, such as podcasting, have become increasingly popular and are emerging as an innovative teaching modality that can support knowledge acquisition and integration. This scoping study gathered and synthesized the information in the literature regarding the use of podcasts by occupational therapy clinicians and students as a means for teaching and learning evidence-based knowledge. A scoping study approach was used following the five stages defined by Arksey and O'Malley. In four databases and using 40 keywords, two team members selected and cross-checked articles. Two team members also extracted data and analyzed them in the form of descriptive statistics and salience (recurrence and importance). Of the 46 articles selected, seven broad categories of 20 important themes related to the use of podcasting were identified: facilitators and obstacles to podcast use, advantages and disadvantages of podcasts, effects of podcasts, potential utility of podcasts, and elements to consider for podcast creation. Podcasting is an innovative and appropriate modality for the retention of knowledge and the optimization of practical skills. It differs from traditional methods in its ease of access and portability. Many positive effects have been associated with its use. However, podcasts should not replace class attendance or other active learning opportunities.

Entry-level programs are expected to support occupational therapy students in developing knowledge and skills pertaining to the change agent role. To do so, a detailed, multidimensional conceptualization of this role is necessary. To date, in the occupational therapy profession, there is no such conceptualization, which might impact educators’ ability to conduct relevant pedagogical activities. Our study aimed to explore the dimensions of the change agent role for occupational therapy practitioners. We undertook a scoping study of the scientific and grey literature up to August 31, 2018 to “map” what is known about the change agent role. We searched nine databases, including Medline and CINAHL, varying combined keywords according to the database. We also manually searched reference lists and 12 relevant websites. We examined data using thematic charts and analysis. From the 33 documents analyzed, we identified two change agent configurations: social and clinical. The social configuration operates at the macro-level (society) and is aimed at optimizing health and social justice for communities or populations. Actions include lobbying, using media, and assuming a formal duty in an advocacy group. At the micro-level (clinical setting), the intent of the clinical configuration is to inform, sustain and promote individual decision-making and protect civil rights. This involves discussions with clients to understand their values and provide information about rights and options. To play the change agent role, occupational therapy practitioners must acquire a variety of knowledge and skills. To develop their students’ ability to take on this important role, educators must tailor their pedagogical activities accordingly.