Train the trainer @ Porto: Evaluation

The train-the-trainer week @ Porto took place the second week of February 2023. 

 On Monday, the program of the week was presented and there was a guided visit of the university and research center in Porto. In the afternoon a visit to the OT Department of psychiatric unit at the hospital of S. João was planned.  

On Tuesday, a workshop was organized on the ECTS files and the OT program design. In the afternoon,  workshops on splinting and assessments were given, followed by a webinar on lifestyle redesign presented by Chantelle Rice Collins, the director of the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice. 

On Wednesday, some cases were discussed. One focused on gerontology and another one on mental health. Special attention was paid to practical exercises. 

On Thursday, a case about sensory challenges was presented followed by a presentation of clinical observations based on the Sensory Integration Theory. In the afternoon the applicability of the Sensory Integration Intervention in different conditions and contexts was discussed. 

On Friday, there was a session about the use of simulation in occupational therapy training. After that, the importance of peer assessment was presented and the evaluations of the train-the-trainers sessions were discussed.  

All the participants found the train-the-trainer week well organised. They all indicated that the content taught during the train-the-trainer week was relevant and understandable and that attention was paid to recent developments within the field of occupational therapy. They also mentioned that the content presented in the train the trainer week suited their level and that they learned new knowledge about occupational therapy. Despite that the participants agree that  the content taught during the trainer week suited their level, there is nevertheless a disagreement among the participants regarding the fitting of the content presented with their prior knowledge. On the one hand five percent responded with rather disagree on the item ‘The content presented in the train the trainer week fitted my prior knowledge.’ On the other hand, 81% agreed that the content fitted their prior knowledge (rather agree (19%) or completely agree (62%)). The 14% participants left expressed no opinion about it and responded with neither agree nor disagree. Of course, it is not easy to take the different levels of prior knowledge into account. There may be different levels of prior knowledge present among the participants.  

When we look at the teaching material used during the train-the-trainer week, the participants are extremely positive and indicate that the train-the-trainer week was attractively designed. The participants found moreover that the teaching methods and activities used during the train-the-trainer week were well chosen and in line with the goals of the train-the-trainer week.  

Additionally, they indicate that the language used during the train-the-trainer week and the materials (presentations) were clear and that the train-the-trainer week had a logical structure and was cohesive. Not surprisingly, all the participants indicated that the applied learning methods and activities used during the train-the-trainer week were inspiring for their own teaching practice. The majority of the participants (95%) mentioned that they will integrate the content and the learning methods and activities of the train-the-trainer week in their own teaching practice. Only 5% of the participants had no real opinion about the integration in their teaching practice and responded to this item with neither agree nor disagree. 

The participants were also enthusiast about the trainers of the train-the-trainer week. They found that the trainers were able to keep their attention and were open to questions and feedback. The trainers are seen as people with sufficient professional knowledge and didactic skills to teach during the train-the-trainer week and as people who made good translations from theory to practice. Moreover, all the participants indicated that the language used during the train the trainer week was clear.