QMU Programme Specification: BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy

1. Awarding Institution: Queen Margaret University

2. Teaching Institution: AMC – AKMI Metropolitan College

3. Professional body accreditation: HCPC/COT

4. Final Award: BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy

Subsidiary exit awards: BSc Health Studies; Diploma in Higher Education, Certificate in Higher Education

5. Programme Title: BSc Health Studies; Diploma in Higher Education, Certificate in Higher Education

6. UCAS code: N/a

7. SCQF Level: 10

8. Mode of delivery and duration: F/T (4 Years)

9. Date of validation/review:8 May 2018

Educational Aims of the programme

The aim of the 2018 programme is to produce graduates who are autonomous lifelong learners and who meet the Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency for Occupational Therapy (2013) for safe and effective practice. Students will leave the programme with a strong professional identity regarding the unique contribution of occupation to the health and wellbeing of individuals, groups and communities; Students will have the knowledge, skills and values to work effectively with people, families, groups and communities within diverse practice contexts.

Benchmark statements/professional and statutory body requirements covered by the programme

The BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy (Pre-reg) has been designed to comply with:

HCPC Standards of Proficiency (2013), Standards of education and training (2014), HCPC Guidance on Health and Character (2014), HCPC Guidance on Conduct and Ethics (2016)

Changes in policy and practice outlined in the College of Occupational Therapists Learning and Development Standards for pre-registration education (2014) and College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2015)

World Federation of Occupational Therapy Minimum Standards for Occupational Therapy

Education (2016)

Tuning Occupational Therapy Group Reference points for the design and delivery of degree programmes in Occupational Therapy (2008)

The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education (2001)

Benchmark statements for Occupational Therapy, and QAA Code of Practice (2012) The Quality Assurance Agency (2015)
UK Quality Code for Higher Education; and the QAA (2007)

Codes of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards In Higher Education: 9. Work Based and Placement Learning

Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF) (2012) SCQF Framework for Lifelong learning (2009)
SCQF Partnership handbook (2015)

Learning Outcomes of the Programme

The students will be able to:

Critically articulate the philosophy, beliefs, key theories and relevant knowledge, including that of occupational science and other related disciplines, that informs occupational therapy (K, I)
Develop, implement and evaluate occupation focused practice in diverse contexts (K, I)
Demonstrate attitudes and values consistent with health and social care professionals and citizenship (K, I, P, T)
Critically appraise and articulate the importance of occupation in promoting the health and well-being of individuals, families, groups and communities, including concepts of: health promotion, recovery, rehabilitation, and participation (K, I)
Work autonomously and collaboratively in partnership with individuals, groups, communities and with other professionals and stakeholders (K, I, P, T)
Demonstrate skills in professional reasoning and reflexivity, in preparation for continuing professional development and commitment to lifelong learning (K, I, P, T)
Critically identify systems and structures (such as legislation, policy) and demonstrate leadership and engagement with processes of change (K, I, P, T)
Critically identify practice issues and critically engage with forms of knowledge (including as a consumer of, and contributor to research), to address these and advance Occupational Therapy practice (K, I, P, T)
Practice social and ethical responsibility, cultural and environmental sensitivity and rights based practice, based on equal dignity, and demonstrate how occupation contributes to occupational justice, social justice and social inclusion (K, I, P, T)

Key:

Knowledge and understanding (K)
Intellectual skills (I)
Practical skills (P)
Transferable skills (T)

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Approaches to learning are blended within this programme with enquiry based learning and use of VLE as key drivers in the curriculum. A blended approach allows flexibility of delivery, suits different learning styles and fits with the QELTA strategy of maximising potential through learning. It ensures a learner centred focus and reinforces the need for strategies that promote active autonomous, self- directed learning and collaborative learning.

Enquiry Based Learning

Enquiry based learning (EBL) promotes active learning, reasoning and reflection and is driven
by a process of enquiry. Taking an enquiry based approach, often starting with a “story” or ‘scenario’, the learner identifies issues and questions and examines the resources needed to research the topic. Learning is essentially student-centred, with an emphasis on group work and the use of web and other information resources. In this way, lecturers become facilitators, providing encouragement and support to enable students to take responsibility for what and how they learn. Students become more engaged with the subject and learning is perceived as being more relevant to their own needs, thus they are enthusiastic and ready to learn (University of Manchester (2010)). Learners gain a deeper understanding of the subject- matter, as well as cognitive and leadership skills required for tackling complex problems that occur in practice. EBL allows students to develop a flexible approach to their studies, giving them the freedom and the responsibility to organise their own pattern of work within the time constraints of the task. Aspects of EBL that will be incorporated into the delivery of the curriculum are case based learning; project work; peer and group learning; personal and professional portfolios; reflective diaries; self and peer assessment and evaluation.

Assessment strategies

A variety of formative and summative assessment methods are adopted within the BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy. These are designed to ensure the rigour of academic thinking as well as to encompass the development of transferable skills. Strategies ensure that assessment is both applied and practical, and supports personal growth and practice development. Assessments progressively challenge the learner across all four levels of the curriculum with occupation and occupational therapy at the heart of the assessment experience. The use of formative assessment is an important component of assessment. This is in line with the programme philosophy of promoting autonomous learning while supporting learners to engage in their studies by enabling them to receive early feedback on their performance. Students will be introduced to the value of formative assessment early in level 1 and through this will develop an understanding of how formative assessment prepares them for summative assessment and feeds into the overall learning experience. Assessment strategies have been planned in this programme to ensure:

The mode of assessment is appropriate for the learning outcomes.
Assessments cater for different learning styles and preferences.
Assessments offer the opportunity for formative as well as summative measures.
Assessments are accompanied by comprehensive feedback which has the possibility of being transferred into other learning situations.
Students have the opportunity for self-assessment and peer assessment as part of their learning.
Choice is available where possible.
Students receive information about assessments at the beginning of each module, including full assessment specifications, due dates, criteria and details of the feedback process.

The choice of assessment methods are informed by the nature of the module, the aims, learning outcomes and the learning approaches for that module. Guided by the principles of constructive alignment (Biggs 2007) the assessment methods are also supportive of deep learning. This leads to an eclectic mix of strategies including reports, academic essays, reflexive essays, group work, oral presentations, individual viva voce, public presentations, objective structured practical examinations (OSPEs), Moodle discussion board postings, critical appraisals/ literature reviews, posters /leaflets, research proposals, conference abstract and experiential learning on practice education. This results in versatile learners who can negotiate different expectations. Students are assessed on each practice placement by their Practice Educator(s) in collaboration with the student and, if appropriate and possible, other departmental staff, or service users. The process of assessment is ongoing throughout the placement and involves both the practice educator and the student in evaluating performance, using evidence from the student’s practice. Students are expected to actively participate in the midway review, and final evaluation. This process of self-assessment contributes towards the development of students’ professional judgment.

15. Programme structures and features, curriculum units (modules), credits and award requirements (including any periods of placement)

BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy – 480 SCQF, 240 ECTS

Level	BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy	Credits
SCQF 7	Becoming a Professional	20
SCQF 7	Finding and Consuming Knowledge	20
SCQF 7	Humans as Occupational Beings	20
SCQF 7	Occupational therapy process across the life span	20
SCQF 7	Service Learning	0
SCQF 7	Manual Handling	0
SCQF 7	Practice Placement 1	20
SCQF 7	Human Physiology & Anatomy	10
SCQF 7	Academic Essay Writing
SCQF 7	Academic English	0
	Certificate in Higher Education	120
SCQF 8	Assessment and Analysis :Information Based decision making for therapy	30
	Intervention 1: Developing core skills for therapy	30
	Intervention 2: Critically applying core skills for intervention	20
	Practice Placement 2	20
	The Neuroscience of Occupation	10
	Enabling Occupational Performance though Assistive Technology	10
	Diploma in Higher Education	240
SCQF 9	Critical Considerations of Occupation and Occupational Therapy	20
	Reconstructing Occupation:Therapy, Theory, & Practice	30
	Evaluating Occupation and Occupational Therapy	20
	Practice Placement 3	30
	Interprofessional Education 3	20
	International Exchange 1: Professional autonomy and criticalengagement with learning	10/20/30
	BSc in Health Studies	360
SCQF 10	Translating knowledge into practice	20
	Transformation Through Occupation	40
	Professional autonomy and critical engagement	10
	Practice Placement 4	30
	Childhood studies	10
	Group-Work in Occupational Therapy	10
	Independent Study: Critically engaging with 30 occupational therapy	30
	BSc (Hons Occupational Therapy	380
	International Exchange: Professional autonomy and critical 10/20/30 engagement with learning	480

16. Criteria for admission

Metropolitan College shall have reasonable expectation before admission, that an individual applicant will be able to fulfill the objectives of his/her programme of study and achieve the standard required for the award sought.

Typical Admissions: to the course are carried out by a selection committee consisting of the Director of the College, the Programme Leader and selected course tutors. Final decisions are made by the selection committee.
Candidates must be at least 18 years of age in the year of entry. This is the age of graduation from secondary education. All applicants should have a Lyceum certificate. Admissions staff focuses on Sciences and Essay Writing grades as more relevant to the course. They also have to provide two references by two Lyceum tutors concerning their performance and diligence in the above modules.

All applicants should submit the proposed AMC, application form completed to the Admissions Office of AMC in order to be sent to the QMU Records

Mature Applicants: Applicants aged 21 years or over at the point of application to the course will be considered as mature applicants. They may be judged to have satisfied the entry requirements on account of having work experience in an appropriate field and demonstration of recent participation in higher education.

All applicants must bring:

A signed criminal declaration form
Information about their state of health
Written consent to act as a model in practical classes and in practice-based learning.
an interview (individually or in group)
Greek Language Requirements for International Students: International students that will study full time the programme (not exchange students) will be expected to be able to communicate in Greek submitting certification for fluency in the Greek language issued by the relevant department of the National University of Athens in both the reading and the writing sections.
All other candidates who do not come from secondary education, like professionals without undergraduate studies or other special cases, are evaluated by the Director of the College, the Programme Leader, the members of the Course Committee and final approval is given by QMU RPL regulations and processes. We explicitly state that other qualifications and including the IVT diploma qualification have been mapped against the SCQF framework and curriculum content of the Bsc. (Hons) Occupational Therapy programme and as such is dealt with on a case by case basis and credit is being given if relevant.

17. Support for students and their learning

QMU programmes normally provide the following student support:

Personal Academic Tutors
Personal Development Portfolios
Student handbooks
Access to Student Learning Services, Library and IT suppor
Access to Student Services: careers, counselling, disability advice
Representation through Student-Staff Committees

18. Quality Assurance arrangements

This programme is governed by QMU’s quality assurance procedures. See the QMU website for more detail:QMU Website

Where the QA arrangements differ from standard QMU procedures, include that information here.