Unit Outline
CXA717
Occupational Therapy Practice 1
Semester 2, 2025
Michelle Fair
School of Health Sciences
College of Health and Medicine
CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

Unit Coordinator
Michelle Fair
Email: michelle.fair@utas.edu.au
What is the Unit About?
Unit Description
 

In this professional experience placement unit, you will examine different contexts of occupation to situate the threshold concepts of occupational therapy process including client assessment, occupational analysis and occupational enablement. You will draw on the concepts and principles of occupational science and occupational therapy to select and apply an occupational model and other frames of reference to client situations using an evidence-based clinical reasoning approach. The unit includes experiential learning activities to provide you with practical, interactive and interprofessional opportunities to apply client-centredness, clinical reasoning, critical self-reflection, and evidence-based approaches to the performance and application of your foundational occupational therapy skills, values and knowledge.
Intended Learning Outcomes
As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:
1
Establish and communicate personal learning objectives appropriate for practice placement and future theoretical study and occupational therapy lifelong learning skills and attributes.
2
Engage in culturally responsive and inclusive occupation focused practice including needs of Aboriginal Peoples.
3
Demonstrate safe and effective foundational level written and verbal communication skills with clients, families, colleagues, and service users.
4
Integrate foundational level professional knowledge for occupational therapy practice and process.
5
Demonstrate foundational level professional practice behaviours in accordance with relevant codes and standards.
Requisites
REQUISITE TYPE
REQUISITES
Co-requisite
CXA716 Foundations of Occupational Therapy
Alterations as a result of student feedback
No alterations have been made as a result of student feedback.
 
 

Teaching arrangements
ATTENDANCE MODE
TEACHING TYPE
LEARNING ACTIVITY
CONTACT HOURS
FREQUENCY
On Campus
Independent Learning
Online PEP orientation and monitoring
1
Study Period 5 times
Independent Learning
Assessment tasks
1
Study Period 5 times
Clinical or Professional Practice
Professional Experience Placement - 15 days part time over 10 weeks.
8
StudyPeriod 15 times
Workshop
One preparation workshop before on-site PEP and one debrief workshop post PEP.
3
Study Period 2 times
Practical
Simulated placement pre-PEP
40
Study Period 1 time
Attendance / engagement expectations
If your unit is offered On campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online or includes online activities, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline or MyLO, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.
 
 
 
 

How will I be Assessed?
 
For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.
Assessment schedule
ASSESSMENT TASK #
ASSESSMENT TASK NAME
DATE DUE
WEIGHT
LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:
Occupational Therapy Skill Performance and Learning Objectives Plan
Week 8
30 %
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:
Application of an occupation focused model Part 1
Week 12
40 %
LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:
Assessment of Occupational Therapy Practice
Refer to Assessment Description
0 %
LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 4:
Application of an occupation focused model Part 2
Refer to Assessment Description
30 %
LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
 
Assessment details
Assessment Task 1: Occupational Therapy Skill Performance and Learning Objectives Plan
Task Description:
Occupational Therapy Skill Performance and professional learning objective plan

This assessment requires you to reflect on skills developed and feedback provided from participation in an authentic simulated PEP. In the SIM you demonstrate occupational therapy skills and person-centredness, professional communication and clinical documentation. You will find the description of the SIMPrac on the MyLO site.

On completion of full participation of the Simulated PEP (SIMPrac) you will use the feedback provided by your clinical educators to formulate your experiential PEP Learning Plan. It is your responsibility to record, summarise, check understanding to interpret the feedback received across the SIM using a structured reflective practice process. The learning plan should refer to the EFPC, relevant competency frameworks including attention to Aboriginal Peoples experiences of health, and occupational therapy knowledge, skills, and attributes. You will develop five SMART goals and related action-oriented strategies to achieve the goals.
Task Length:
1000 words
Due Date:
Week 8
Weight:
30 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Critically reflect on performance feedback and articulate personal and professional learning goals.
LO1
2
Plan to perform practical skills in accordance with best practice guidelines using person- centredness.
LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
3
Plan to use best practice structured communication for safely sharing clinical information with others.
LO2, LO3, LO5
 
Assessment Task 2: Application of an occupation focused model Part 1
Task Description:
Application of an occupation focused model Part 1

The assessment task requires you to describe a situation from your placement experience to demonstrate your ability to apply, and analyse process models, conceptual models and supplementary frames of reference, to articulate your understanding of occupation focussed practice.

You are required to de-identify the scenario and the situation that led to the person receiving occupational therapy services. Using an occupational profile approach, introduce the de-identified client via contextual information extracted from observations, informal interactions, formal information gathering.

Choose an occupation process and practice model – either the AOTA OTPF-4 OR the OPPM.

Identify other occupation-based models, theory and supplementary frames of reference that were useful to meet the occupational needs of the person or family.
Task Length:
1500 words
Due Date:
Week 12
Weight:
40 %
 
 

CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Select occupation focused models, theory and frames of reference appropriate to an authentic scenario and justify your selections.
LO2, LO4
2
Identify occupational roles, performance issues, participation and risks and describe how the client is supported to prioritise these issues.
LO2, LO4
3
Document and provide rationale for client centred goals.
LO3
4
Analyse the role of sociocultural and diversity factors in contemporary society that present in an authentic scenario through an occupational lens.
LO2, LO4, LO5
5
Illustrate the relationship between a model of practice and a frame of reference in occupational therapy through application.
LO4
 
Assessment Task 3: Assessment of Occupational Therapy Practice
Task Description:
Assessment of Occupational Therapy Practice at foundational level.

During your professional experience placement (PEP), you are required to demonstrate safe and acceptable performance in practice. The supervising occupational therapist will assess your performance twice over the duration of the placement. One assessment will occur mid placement and another will occur at the end of the placement.
You will be formatively assessed midway, with summative assessment at the end of PEP using the Evaluation of Foundational Placement Competencies (EFPC) tool.

This assessment is a hurdle task which you must pass to pass the unit.


The EFPC assessments are to be uploaded to your Professional Portfolio to maintain a record of your professional development across competency domains on multiple occasions.
The requirements for performance in PEP are stated in your PEP Manual. Whilst occupational therapy clinical and practice educators report on your performance in practice, it is the UTAS School of Health Sciences that has the responsibility for determining your final assessment results in this unit.
Task Length:
160 hours (10 weeks part time)
Due Date:
Refer to Assessment Description
Weight:
0 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Meet PEP requirements as outlined in the PEP manual.
LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
2
Perform across the Six EFPC domains at an acceptable foundational level standard.
LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
 
Assessment Task 4: Application of an occupation focused model Part 2
Task Description:
The assessment task requires you to demonstrate a second reflection of a de-identified client you encountered during the professional experience placement to describe the occupational therapy process with particular attention to outcome measurement.
Use the occupational therapy process and practice framework you selected for part 1 (i.e., either the AOTA OTPF-4 OR the OPPM) to situate your analysis in the appropriate stage of the occupational therapy process.

Illustrate the key stages of outcomes aligned with a particular occupational therapy process model.

Linking to assessment task 2: Application of an occupation focused model Part 1, re-identify the client goals, describe the administration of an assessment and / or outcome measure observed in PEP including the explanation provided to the person as to why the measure was used, and how the physical and therapeutic environment was set up for the administration.
Explain the results of the outcome measure and how the information gained indicated goal achievement or defining goal review and ongoing service provision.
Discuss the strengths and possible improvements of the outcome measures relevant to the scenario.

Conclude the assessment task with a short critical refection on your primary learning outcomes from engaging in OTP1.
Task Length:
1500 words
Due Date:
Refer to Assessment Description
Weight:
30 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Describe relevant information from an observed client interview and other occupational therapy process.
LO2, LO4
2
Justify the selection of a specific occupational model and a frame of reference.
LO2, LO4
3
Interpret common outcome measurement methods and tools used in Occupational Therapy.
LO2, LO3, LO4
4
Apply the principles of evidence-based practice to occupational therapy process and practice.
LO5
 
 
 

How your final result is determined
To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.
Academic progress review
The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.
Submission of assignments
Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.
Academic integrity
Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see
Important Guidelines & Support.
Requests for extensions
If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.
 
A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.
 
The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.
Late penalties
Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.
 

Review of results and appeals
You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.