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Curriculum design is a complex task. One tool used in the design process is curriculum mapping. A mandated transition from a quarter to a semester academic calendar, alongside preparation of accreditation self-study materials, provided an opportunity for faculty teaching in an entry-level occupational therapy program to review the underlying basis of the curriculum. Two taxonomies of learning (Bloom’s cognitive domain and Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning experiences) were used to examine existing courses and to consider how learning outcomes and experiences varied over the sequence of courses in the curriculum. This led to the creation of a series of course maps that have been useful in informing current curriculum design and guiding future work. In this article, the authors describe the context under which this review took place, briefly review the pertinent literature relating to curriculum design and mapping in occupational therapy education, discuss the mapping process, and provide examples of course maps. The authors reflect on the process and plans for using what was learned in future curricular design projects.

Background World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) member organisations comprise 77 national occupational therapy organisations across the world. Each national organisation interacts with its members and the public using diverse methods. Increasingly, national organisations are broadening their communication methods. Objective The objective of this study was to examine if and how occupational therapy organisations are using social media for communication, and if so, the types of concerns or barriers they experience and what role they anticipate social media might play in the near future. Methods An online survey was developed; 57 of 77 WFOT member organisations responded. Findings This study identified that WFOT national organisations are using social media, to varying degrees, with or without an individual formally assigned to manage social media. Respondents reported that they used social media to: communicate with members, promote the organisation and promote the profession. Commonly expressed needs included assistance with guidelines for ethical social media use, developing technical expertise, and recognition of limits of time and competing priorities. Recommendations arising from this research are at the global, national, local and individual levels and incorporate active dissemination and pure diffusion approaches. Taking steps to increase the use of social media could indirectly impact occupational therapy practice through enhancing organisations’ abilities to support practitioners to enhance their practice. Limitations and recommendations for further research Although 57% of WFOT member organisations returned usable responses, there may be some additional perspectives that were not captured. It would be helpful to contact non-responding organisations to explore their social media use and plans. Further research could examine how future initiatives put in place by WFOT impact social media use by member organisations.

Online Technology for Occupational Therapists (OT4OT) has been an established group of volunteers since 2010. We are now into the 4th year of delivery of the 24-hour virtual knowledge exchange for occupational therapists (OT24Vx). By using technology to engage in knowledge brokering we have reached over 1000 participants in 30 countries, thereby blazing a new highway for the way we are ALL going to travel in the next era and fostering a sense of unity across the world of the commitment to occupation and enthusiasm for our profession. This paper presents an account of the development of OT4OT and its mission in relation to knowledge brokering and global professional development.

Date Presented 3/30/2017 This study used a mixed-methods survey to explore World Federation of Occupational Therapists member organizations’ use of social media. It found that although social media tools are well utilized by many organizations, enhancement of technical skills and resources would be beneficial. Primary Author and Speaker: Anita Hamilton Additional Authors and Speakers: Susan Burwash, Karen Jacobs, Merrolee Penman Contributing Authors: Angela Hook, Sarah Bodell, Ritchard Ledgerd, Marilyn Pattison

Date Presented 3/31/2017 Stigma affects people with mental illness, limiting access to services and contributing to poor health and well-being. It influences practitioner choices. Occupational therapy practitioners should be part of the solution to stigma. This research suggests that a contact-based intervention could change student attitudes. Primary Author and Speaker: Susan Burwash Additional Authors and Speakers: Diane Norell

With the current emphasis on accountability for outcomes and the need for objective evaluation of efficacy of interventions, physiotherapists are increasingly using evidence from research as a source of information to support clinical decision making. The concept of evidencebased practice has been adopted widely in physiotherapy with much work devoted to encouraging the transfer of research results into clinical practice. Under the definition developed by Sackett et al (2000) – a group of clinical epidemiologists – evidence-based practice requires the integration of three components: patient values, clinical expertise, and best evidence from research. Best evidence from research is defined as ‘clinically relevant research… [about the] accuracy and precision of diagnostic tests, the power of prognostic markers, and the efficacy and safety of therapeutic, rehabilitative, and preventive regimens.’ Increased focus on using evidence from research as a source of information for clinical practice has led to the development of hierarchies for evaluating research rigour (Guyatt and Rennie 2002, Higgins and Green 2005, Butler et al 1999). Evidence hierarchies are most often based on criteria for rigour developed for quantitative research designs. Design is ranked according to the extent that the study is internally valid or free from sources of bias, with large randomised controlled trials providing the highest level of evidence and physiologic studies and unsystematic clinical observations providing weaker evidence. Qualitative research is excluded from most prominent hierarchies because qualitative and quantitative research have different underlying philosophies, methods, and criteria for judging quality. However, it should not be inferred from this exclusion that rigorous qualitative research is a less valuable form of evidence or that research employing qualitative methods cannot be used to inform clinical practice. In fact, the Cochrane Qualitative Research Methods Group is exploring whether and how studies using qualitative methods can be included in systematic reviews. As clinicians, we know that implementation of interventions in real-world situations requires knowledge about patients’ values and experiences, contextual variables that influence how interventions are delivered, and the difficult-toquantify human aspects of clinical practice – what Guyatt et al (2000) refer to as the broad perspective offered by the humanities and social sciences. Since selection of research methods should be based on their ‘best fit’ with the research questions, qualitative methods (used alone or in a mixedmethod design) provide a systematic approach to producing knowledge about the behaviours, values, and experiences of patients, their families, and clinicians. Qualitative research can provide clinically-relevant information about patient values and experiences. In the reality of clinical practice, knowing why patients choose not to participate in an intervention is as important as knowing about its efficacy. Efficacious interventions will have limited therapeutic value if patients cannot or