Computer-assisted instruction in occupational therapy education.

This article was acceptedfor publication janumy 19, 1996 I n this era of information explosion, decreasing time availability, and faculty shortages, computer-assisted instruction (CAl) could be a useful resource in making occupational therapy education more contemporary and future oriented. Computer-based instruction accelerates learning (Bolwel1, 1993; Hmelo, 1989) and is cost-effective (Bolwel1, 1993) compared with classroom teaching. However, the question becomes one of whether occupational therapy educational programs are taking advantage of the computer as a teaching tool. More than a decade ago, Dengler (1983) suggested that CAl was becoming a more common method of learning throughout all levels of ed ucation and recommended that occupational therapy educators become familiar with CAl and use it in the educational process. She stated that CAl could offer previously unavailable learning opportunities and practice in a variety of problem situations, assisting educators to cope with the increased skills needed to prepare occupational therapy students for entry-level practice. Since that time, there have been few published reports of CAl in occupational therapy educational programs. This article explores the current use of CAl as an educational tool in occupational therapy, discusses its potential and efficacy, and reports the results of a slllvey about the use of CAl in occupational therapy educational programs.