E-Learning-Based Occupational Therapy Education Leads to Committed Students

In Denmark there is a politically focus on educating people in the rural areas and educational institutions are therefore aiming to reach potential students across the country. One way to do this is by providing e-learning. A literature review has shown, that there is limited knowledge about students engagement in e-learning based professional bachelor educations such as Occupational Therapy (OT).
The research questions in this study are: On the basis of the OT-students experiences, how can learning activities be supported in a synchronous, virtual learning environment as Adobe Connect? How do the Occupational Therapy e-learning students experience their engagement in learning activities in Adobe Connect?
Students find that the sense of belonging to both their fellow students and the education is crucial to their engagement in activities in Adobe Connect. It is also important, that their fellow students are engaged and participate, which require a lot of self-discipline. The engagement and self-discipline is distinctive for the e-learning students and these capacities are necessary. Furthermore there is a big difference between the students experiences across semesters, which implies a need for a distinct approach to e-learning.
This study presents the findings from interviews and modified memory-work. The interviews were traditional, semi-structured with few students from different semesters regarding the students own experiences of being an e-learning student in an OT-education. On the basis of the interviews, a modified memory-work was conducted on two students from another semester, writing down a memory from an activity in Adobe Connect.
This study is the first to investigate the lessons learnt from the e-learning students in OT-education in Denmark. Providers of similar educations can use the results of this study to form the design of e-learning/blended learning in their programme in order to enhance students’ engagement. It also includes a modified, phenomenological way of using memory-work.
This study is unique in its use of Adobe Connect in a practical education as Occupational Therapy and in the use of memory-work as a phenomenological approach. Furthermore the findings are interesting, as the students experience how a meaningful and helpful online learning-environment is based on self-regulated engagement.