The Teaching and Learning Innovation Digest - May 2023

Initial challenges turned into positive professional growth,
Students researching, observing, and creating resources, they did show.
Knowledge transferred the placement partners were ecstatic,
Their clients were appreciative, their feelings emphatic.
Feeling safe to learn and to grow, OTA students relaxed into a sense of belonging.
They took comfort in their purpose as they answered their calling.
Teaching and learning exchanges highlighted the importance of relationships.
Return on investment came through as they hired an Occupational Therapist.
Then COVID hit and placements shut down, the world was brought to the ground.
Our students pivoted and navigated the change, their commitment to the clients remained.
Placements went virtual and adapted very quickly, students ran groups and treated on Teams.
Creating videos and handouts, to support the clients stuck at home with needs.
Role emerging placements made contributions to student learning and community partners.
An opportunity for students to grow and flourish, they met the need for quality fieldwork hours.
Our lessons learned guide our future directions, as we forge on to build connections.
Start up, role development and supports produce better outcomes.
Students and supervisors navigating change when the time comes.
Our focus is on core competencies and fieldwork hours as we move forward,
Funding these models is not always straightforward.
Needing more bang for our buck, we reimagine models for the future.
Group placements with community partners, serving communities is our nature.
PODCAST
The return…
Adam Balan, Faculty, Anthony Moncada, Teaching Assistant
Fitness and Health Promotion (FTHP), School of Community and Health Studies (SCHS)
Greetings, Centennial College community! My name is Adam Balan, program coordinator and full-time
faculty in the FTHP program. I recorded a 16-minute conversation with Anthony Moncada, one of my
second year FTHP students. This winter semester, Anthony is completing field placement hours as my
teaching assistant. After delivering four hours of first-year labs, Anthony and I discussed our experiences
surrounding the pandemic, what that has meant for us, for the program, and for the faculty and students.
Below are some highlights from our discussion.
Listen to the full 16-minute conversation here:
Play audio
Podcast Transcript
What did we learn?
Anthony:
“...Commuting two-plus hours for a 50-minute
lecture isn’t a good use of time. At the same
time, too much online learning strays away
from what college is. The whole point of
postsecondary education is making lifelong
connections and you can only do so much
of it online. A lot of it comes from in-person,
face-to-face interaction…”
Adam:
“…Faculty don’t have the skills to keep up with
the virtual demand right now, especially faculty
members who are not as tech savvy…I am
also concerned with students’ ability to keep
up with online learning…Virtual learning is not
going away and 18-to-25-year-olds may not
have the organizational skills, maturity, and
motivation to do well in virtual classrooms.”
Anthony:
“…With online learning comes the required
sense of accountability. There are things that
make it easier, like no long commute…but if
you’re sitting in a lecture with cameras off there
is no incentive to stay engaged, no one to hold
yourself accountable except you. To stay at
home and on task with no one to encourage
you, it can be a barrier if you’re not used to
it…In the real world the hybrid model is here
to stay, and getting used to online work and
excelling at it now is good, it’s almost a trial
by fire…”
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