Role Description

This team focuses on research that contributes to best practice in professional education within the OT profession, and between the OT profession, other professions and therapy consumers. Research projects are embedded in undergraduate, graduate entry, post graduate and work-based stages of learning and professional development. Members of the team work widely across and between sectors including public health settings, not for profit organisations, educational facilities and professional organisations to generate evidence to support contemporary professional education processes, and trial and evaluate emerging and innovate educational developments.

Group Leader      

Professor Sylvia Rodger

Team Members

Academic Staff

Mrs Chrisdell McLaren
Professor Jenny Strong
Dr Merrill Turpin
Dr Jodie Copley
Dr Libby Gibson
Dr Louise Gustafsson
Mrs Frances Miller
Mrs Wendy Davila

Collaborators

Dr Lisa Nissen (Pharmacy)
World Health Organisation (WHO) Study Group on IPECP
Professor Michele Clark (QUT)
Assoc Professor Sue Ash (QUT)
Assoc Professor Nick Graves (QUT)
Dr Susan Ryan (Newcastle University)
Professor Marion Gray (USC)
Dr Mia O'Brien

RHD Candidates

Karina Danczer
Leanne Sondergeld 

Current Projects

  • Enhancing the first year experience for occupational therapy students (Rodger, Turpin, Desha)
  • Developing a Student Checklist for the iQIPP Guides to enhance learning on practice placements (Rodger, Caine, Davila)
  • Developing an allied health iQIPP Guide to enhance placement learning across health and rehabilitation sciences (Rodger, Caine, Davila)
  • Exploring threshold concepts and assessment in children and youth courses (Springfield,Rodger)
  • Threshold concepts and their utility for academic staff (Rodger, Turpin, O Brien)
  • Occupational Therapy Students’ Development of their Occupational Identity.  (Rodger &Turpin)

Recently Completed Projects  

  • Mapping the future of occupational therapy education in the 21st Century. Review and analysis of the existing Australian competency standards for entry level occupational therapists and their impact on occupational therapy curricula across Australia. Report for Australian Teaching and Learning Council. (Rodger, Clark, O’Brien, Martinez, & Banks) (2009).  
  • Queensland Health Allied Health Clinical Education Placements: Costs, Productivity and Clinicians’ and Students’ Time Use. (Rodger, Clark, Graves, & Ash)