Readiness for interprofessional learning: a cross-faculty comparison between architecture and occupational therapy...

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Education
• Built Environment Studies

Background:

• Inclusive built environments require professionals trained in interprofessional practice.
• Higher education often neglects interprofessional education, fostering academic silos.
• A gap exists in understanding interprofessional learning experiences across diverse student cohorts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To embed universal design practice education into architecture and occupational therapy curricula.
• To evaluate the impact of this initiative on students' readiness for interprofessional learning.
• To explore the interprofessional learning experiences of architecture and occupational therapy students.

Main Methods:

• An initiative integrated universal design education into first-year architecture and third-year occupational therapy courses.
• The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was administered pre- and post-intervention.
• Students participated in blended online and face-to-face curriculum activities.

Main Results:

• Initially, occupational therapy students reported significantly higher readiness for interprofessional learning than architecture students.
• This trend persisted post-intervention, although occupational therapy students showed decreased positivity on some RIPLS items.
• The study identified unique interprofessional learning dynamics within this specific student pairing.

Conclusions:

• Integrating universal design into professional curricula can impact interprofessional learning readiness.
• The initial positive outlook of occupational therapy students warrants further investigation regarding post-intervention shifts.
• This research highlights the need for tailored interprofessional education strategies across different disciplines.