Site-specific learning objectives (SSLOs) are used to measure the student’s performance and entry-level competence in that practice setting. These are a helpful tool for the fieldwork educator to use in order to give feedback, monitor status and midterm and final, and use as a learning opportunity for students (DeIuliis & Hanson, 2022).
If your site does not already have SSLOs for incoming fieldwork students, this post will help guide you towards creating your own effective SSLOs for your students! It is important to reference the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) when creating your SSLOs to ensure the objectives align with the expected performance of students in order to pass Level II fieldwork. For example, items 25-28 on the FWPE are categorized as “Management of Occupational Therapy Services, according to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). So, an example SSLO for this category may include “Student will independently manage caseload of 75% productivity by week 11” (DeIuliis & Hanson, 2022)
There are many different approaches and resources to utilize when creating SSLOs. One method includes the RUMBA method:
- Relevant – would this be expected of an entry-level OT at this site?
- Understandable – would a student know what to do when they read the objective?
- Measurable – can I clearly identify if the student has met this objective?
- Behavioral – is the objective written so that the expected performance can be observed?
- Achievable – is this realistic for the time frame, demands, and resources?
(Wimmer, 2004 as cited in DeIuliis & Hanson, 2022)
Site-Specific Learning Objectives Template
This Word Document provides a weekly plan for SSLOs and a weekly feedback meeting.
FLOTEC Level II Site Specific Objectives Checklist
Example Site-Specific Learning Objectives
Written by Gianna Martello, OTS
References
DeIuliis, E. D. & Hanson, D. (Eds.). (2022). Fieldwork educator’s guide to level II fieldwork. SLACK Incorporated.
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