Course requirement- Sams story

This is a story of a girl named Sam who has wanted to be an Occupational Therapist. When Sam enquired about the course she found out the following information:

-Course is in Dunedin or Auckland
-Generally five hours of lectures per day
-Fieldwork Component which means she would have to travel to a destination around New Zealand
-95% of lectures are face to face with the majority being delivered by powerpoint.

Sam suffers from mild dyspraxia this affects how she learns. She can sometimes have difficulty following verbal instructions and planning tasks. Sam can get easily distracted in a classroom environment. Sam had extra tuition at school to enable her to pass her subjects. She is now 21 years of age and has a two year old son living in Balclutha. Sam has been out of the paid workforce as she is at home with her child.

The main issues Sam faces as to why she has not pursued her Occuaptional Therapy Course is the following:

-Geography- The course is in Dunedin however Sam does not want to shift as she has family support in Balclutha
-Face to Face lecturing style is a concern for Sam as she struggled with this style of teaching at High School
-Finances- Sam is concerned at the costs of travelling if she decided to try and commute
-Fatigue- Sam easily tires trying to concentrate in a classroom set up and she finds that mornings are the best time for her energy levels.
-Childcare- Sams has some supports in Balclutha including childcare but the hours do not correspond realistically with the course.

Sam has discussed these issues with her family and with the Occuaptional Therapy Department but at this stage how the courses are run cannot meet Sams requirements.

Flexible Learning Delivery Course

My name is Michelle Holland and I am a lecturer in the Occupational Therapy Department at Otago Polytechnic. The Department is currently rolling out the first year of a flexible learning package to OT students at Wintec in Hamilton NZ. I have been involved in communications with Wintec lecturers, but was not involved in putting the paper online initially.

I am involved in this course as part of the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning. I am also wanting to utilise the skills gained from this course to add to my development knowledge of how to best use technology for both Otago and Hamilton students.