Flexible Learning Proposal
First draft
Post Graduate Occupational Therapy Course
Driver Assessment and Rehabilitation
Hilary Blamires
July 2009

Contents
 Section 1: Background
 Section 2: Course proposal
 Section 3: Blended delivery. Why?
 Section 4: Inspired by…

Contents
 Section 5: Access and equity
 Section 6: Sustainability
 Section 7: Alignment with Otago
Polytechnic strategic direction
 Section 8: Conclusion

1: BACKGROUND

Background
 No post graduate occupational therapy
driver assessment and training course
in New Zealand

Background
 Nearest course in Australia
 This is a two week full time course

Background
 Only three qualified assessors in New
Zealand
 Two in Hamilton (OTRS Ltd)
 One in Christchurch
 Team of assessors supported by the
qualified assessors

2: COURSE PROPOSAL

The course details
 Otago Polytechnic/ OTRS Ltd course
 Level 400 or Level 7 on NZQA framework
 200 hours study
 20 credits
 Flexible learning plan

On line and off line activity
 Online/recorded lectures
 Reading
 Audio
 Video
 PDF readings
 Links to NZ Land Transport, legislation and
other useful sites.

Flexible fieldwork
 Canterbury Driving Assessment Tool
(CANDAT) assessments with clients
 Off road and On road assessments with
clients

3: A BLENDED
DELIVERY : WHY ?

Why?
Flexibility:
 Course tailored to suit individual
circumstances with work and family
commitments and access to technology

Why?
 Travel costs reduced

Why?
 Reduced hours away from home

Why?
 Supported face to face field work activities

4: INSPIRED BY...

Inspired by…
 The Otago Bachelors of Occupational
Therapy programme based in Dunedin and,
for the first time this year, in Hamilton.

Inspired by…
 OTRS Ltd expertise in driver assessor
training and rehabilitation

Inspired by…
 No New Zealand recognised training,
 A workload requirement nationally
(ACC and private)

5: ACCESS & EQUITY

Access & equity
 Easier access by students if on line/off line
and flexible around learner activities

Access and Equity
 Serving a national rather than local population
 Future potential of international training

Access & equity
 access to knowledge easier by accommodating
different learning styles:
◦ Visual
◦ Audio
◦ Reading
◦ Kinaesthetic (Hands on/practical sessions)

Access & equity
 Overcoming physical, environmental and
technological barriers by introducing course
materials in different formats to suit different
learning environments and facilities.

Access & equity
 Pitch the material and complexity of material
at the right level,
 Examine the course content and delivery
against measures such as:
◦ Rule of Thumb
◦ Universal Design recommendations
◦ Flesch Reading Ease Score

5: SUSTAINABILITY

Social sustainability:
 Less classroom time lecturing allowing a more
self directed approach and support as
required.
 Appropriate face to face components for on
and off road activity and feedback.

Economical sustainability:
 Better use of lecturer and student times with
tailored to suit programme around other
workloads
 More links to current and expert resources

Ecological sustainability
 Less paper, less environmental waste

6: CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Cultural diversity
 Changing the delivery style means reaching a
more diverse range of culturally diverse
population .
 Open topics relevant to country, culture,
beliefs, interests, lifestyles and learning styles.

7: ALIGNMENT WITH
OTAGO POLYTECHNIC’S
STRATEGIC DIRECTION

Otago Polytechnic’s strategic
direction
 To engage more learners
 To develop self directed learning
 Promote learners time, learners place,
learners’ outcomes
 Be more cost effective

8: CONCLUSION

Conclusion
 We have the New Zealand expertise
 We have the academic blended delivery
structure
 We have the services requiring this
expertise
 There is no current training course in
New Zealand...Yet.