Enhancing occupational therapy education: Evaluating the impact of a STEAM-based assistive technology curriculum using Kirkpatrick’s four-level model

Integrating assistive technology (AT) into occupational therapy (OT) education is critical to educating students to utilize AT to enhance individual independence. This study aims to describe the development of a science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)-based AT curriculum in OT and evaluate its effectiveness using the Kirkpatrick model. An 18-week STEAM-based AT curriculum was created with lectures, hands-on activities, and a simulation exam. A one-group pretest-posttest observational study was undertaken with 40 undergraduate students to gauge its effectiveness. Their professionalism was evaluated using a multidimensional checklist, whereas a satisfaction survey gathered their feedback on the curriculum experience. Level 1: Participants reported high satisfaction (mean = 4.61, SD = 0.36), with a 97.5% agreement. Level 2: 95% (n = 38) passed the AT curriculum exam. Level 3: Therapists and patients expressed satisfaction with participants' AT skills (therapists: t(39) = 12.22, p < 0.001; patients: t(39) = 8.84, p < 0.001). Level 4: Participants showed significant improvement in professionalism (t(39) = 16.45, p < 0.001). Lastly, using the Kirkpatrick model, the STEAM-based AT curriculum passed the evaluation. The STEAM-based AT curriculum in OT enhances professionalism and potentially boosts patient satisfaction with AT services provision.