Mission, Vision and Philosophy

Mission

The mission of the Occupational Therapy Department at Missouri State University is to educate holistic, reflective occupational therapy practitioners who understand the complexity of occupation and value its role in the promotion of health and wellness. Didactic and experiential learning will promote occupation-based practice, community engagement, cultural humility, scientific inquiry, ethical leadership, and life-long learning to develop practitioners who are prepared to meet the needs of persons, groups, and populations across a variety of settings, including those in rural and underserved communities.

Vision

The Occupational Therapy Department at Missouri State University will be nationally recognized as a dynamic program grounded in the core values of occupational therapy whose graduates partner with a diverse society to facilitate quality care through evidence-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, scholarship, and a commitment to life-long learning.

Philosophy

The Occupational Therapy (OT) Department at Missouri State University embraces the Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2017). In concordance with this philosophy, we assert that:

Humans are complex beings with an innate need and inalienable right to engage in purposeful activity, who learn through participation in meaningful occupation and are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated, creative, and inquisitive. The OT Department integrates these concepts to foster academic achievement in students.

In alignment with Adult Learning and Engagement Theories, knowledge and skill acquisition are accomplished through an on-going process of self-determination, direct participation, intrinsic motivation, authentic focus, and collaborative problem solving (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1998; Knowles, 2012). Individuals bring with them life experience and prior knowledge that shape the learning of both teacher and student.

In-person and virtual classrooms, labs, community experiences, and clinical seminars are structured to facilitate learner reflection and enhance problem solving skills (AOTA, 2018; Schӧn, 1983). These attributes are considered central to life-long learning, cultural humility, and ethical, evidence-based practice. Small group work encourages collaboration and consensus among members of the learning community and facilitates dynamic understanding, diversity exploration, and enhancement of leadership, advocacy, and communication skills. Authentic focus emphasizes real-world learning to promote transfer of didactic knowledge to current and emerging practice settings. Small group work encourages collaboration and consensus among members of the learning community and facilitates dynamic understanding, diversity exploration, and enhancement of leadership and communication skills.

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2017). Philosophical base of occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(Suppl. 2), 7112410045.

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2018). Philosophy of occupational therapy education.
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(Suppl. 2), 7212410070.

Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1998). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Educational Technology, 38(5), 20-23.

Knowles, M., Holton, E., & Swanson, R. (2012). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. New York: Elsevier.

Schӧn, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. USA: Basic Books, Inc.