Abstract
Background Interprofessional education represents an opportunity for healthcare and design students to deepen their understanding of users and enhance skill development through collaborative experiences. Embedding these collaborative experiences within entire curricula moves the notion of experiential learning from stand-alone projects towards the nuanced learning opportunities only available with sustained regular contact. Methods Occupational therapy doctoral students were integrated into two cohorts of Master of Industrial Design (MSID) student courses for one academic year. Interviews were conducted to gather qualitative information about the student experiences, which were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes.Results Industrial design students reported positive learning experiences when collaborating with occupational therapy students that deepened understanding of user-centeredness, improved communication skills, and more well-developed student projects than would have been possible alone. Conclusion The contribution of occupational therapy and industrial design students into collaborative courses and projects may result in a greater topical understanding and more advanced skill development than any singular discipline’s program. Further research to compare development against students without collaborative experiences is needed to understand the magnitude of a collaboration’s potential impact.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the design faculty and students at Thomas Jefferson University, East Falls Campus, for their openness and generosity of time; their contributions and expertise were invaluable. We appreciate Maura Giannone and Carly Scheiner for their support in preparation of this manuscript.
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Research was conducted as part of university-sponsored course curricula with available data analysis software. No additional funding or outside support was provided.
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Barrett, M.P., McNabb, S.A., Mollo, K.S. et al. An exploration of an interprofessional embedded educational model between occupational therapy and industrial design: a qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological inquiry. Int J Technol Des Educ 33, 1901–1921 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-022-09797-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-022-09797-4