Introduction of an Emerging Technology Device Through PowerPoint® Training

Successful inclusion of assistive technology in intervention is limited by training and the level of comfort with technology of treating occupational therapists. Experienced and new therapists need exposure and training on high technology assistive devices newly introduced on the market. The purpose of the study was to identify the effect of a PowerPoint presentation to introduce an emerging high technology device on two groups: 30 licensed occupational therapists and 27 students in an entry level master of occupational therapy program. The PowerPoint developed introduced and educated participants on the Assistive Dining Device. Participants completed a demographic form, the Survey of Technology Use and the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology. Participants also to rated their satisfaction with the information presented. Results showed 98% of the participants were satisfied with the information presented and 95% of the participants were satisfied with their acquired knowledge base to recommend the device for client use. Master of occupational therapy students were similar in personal characteristics to occupational therapists but were both more satisfied with the Assistive Dining Device characteristics and had a more positive attitude toward technology. Participants who had a less positive attitude toward technology also had a slightly lower mean satisfaction with the Assistive Dining Device than those who had a more positive attitude toward technology. PowerPoint presentations appear to be one effective means of communicating information about new technologies. Further study needs to be done to evaluate the effectiveness of similar media included in packaging and marketing of assistive technology devices

A Comparison of Computer-Assisted Instruction and Traditional Classroom Lecture to Introduce the Occupational Adaptation Theory

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and traditional classroom lecture (TCL). A randomized two-group pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design was used. Thirty first year students in a Master of Occupational Therapy program located in the southwestern United States were recruited. All participants were female, with a mean age of 25.8 years. Three percent of the participants rated themselves as novice concerning computer skills, 67% average computer skills, and 30% excellent computer skills. Two methods were compared for teaching the basic concepts of the Occupational Adaptation theory: lecture method in which the teacher follows a Power Point presentation, and an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM method, with the same Power Point presentation as lecture. There was no significant difference (p\u3c .05) in baseline knowledge about the theory between the two groups. Results showed significant differences between the two groups in cognitive gains (p\u3c 05.), with the CAI group demonstrating more cognitive gain than the TCL group. Additionally, the CAI group spent 46% less time than the TCL group to cover the material. The results of this study suggested that occupational therapy learners could independently learn theory using computer-assisted instruction materials