[1B3] Establishing connections for student learning in first year occupational therapy

After the experiences of learning and teaching during COVID-19 restrictions, we wanted to better support first-year, first-semester undergraduate occupational therapy students as they transitioned to university and embarked on their occupational therapy careers. The aim was to build a more collaborative, positive, and flexible learning environment for online and face to face learning. We used the Student Relationship Engagement System (SRES) and the Discussion Feature of Canvas to re-design interactions and learning content in a way that created better connections with students, facilitated peer learning, and offered increased interaction on formative learning tasks. SRES ‘check-ins’ contributed to better relationships with students, and active learning tasks in Canvas helped scaffold student knowledge and understanding as they progressed toward marked assessment tasks.