Details how to recognize when clients, caregivers, staff, and colleagues require education and training.

1. Recognizing Education and
Training Needs
OTD715: Practitioner as Educator

2. Questions for a Needs Assessment
● What is happening now?
● What should be happening?
● How wide is the performance gap between “what is” and
“what should be?”
● How important is the performance gap?
● How much of the performance gap is caused by
deficiencies in knowledge, skills, or attitudes?
(Rothwell et al., 2016, p. 31)

3. How Will You Know? In client and caregiver education
What is happening now?
What should be happening?
How wide is the performance gap
between “what is” and “what should
be?”
How important is the performance
gap?
How much of the performance gap is
caused by deficiencies in knowledge,
skills, or attitudes?
Observation and assessment
Knowledge of the occupation and goals
Analysis/clinical reasoning
Analysis/clinical reasoning
Analysis of observation and assessment
data

4. Other Things to Consider in Client and Caregiver Education
● Will the client or caregiver benefit from education or training?
○ Cognitive functioning
○ Readiness to learn
○ Values and beliefs impacting current performance
● How much time (or how many visits) do we have to accomplish this goal?
● Are there ways to adapt the environment or occupation, or provide
additional assistance? (Adapt/modify vs. remediate)

5. How Will You Know? In Management and Leadership Roles
What is happening now?
What should be happening?
How wide is the performance gap
between “what is” and “what should
be?”
How important is the performance
gap?
How much of the performance gap is
caused by deficiencies in knowledge,
skills, or attitudes?
Observation and data collection
Knowledge of the position, institutional goals
Critical analysis
Critical analysis
Analysis of observation and collected data

6. Other Things to Consider in Supervisory Education/Training
● What are institutional barriers contributing to current performance?
● Is this an individual need or does it apply to multiple staff?
● What resources are available internally and externally?
● How immediately does this need to be addressed?

7. Reference
Rothwell, W., Benscoter, B., King, M., & King, S. B. (2016). Mastering the
instructional design process: A systematic approach (5th ed.). Wiley.