Moving the Classroom to the Clinic: The Experiences of Occupational Therapy Students During a “Living Lab”

This paper describes an experiential learning lab which emerged from designing a "living lab" that was embedded into an intervention course. The lab resulted in a teaching-learning experience that provided students with consistent opportunity to engage in clinical application of theory with feedback from peers and professionals. Results of a qualitative program evaluation indicated that this experience had a positive effect on the professional growth and development of the students and increased their ability to apply clinical reasoning skills. It also provided the students with the opportunity to examine their emotions and their change of emotions over time as they were presented with clinical challenges. A surprise outcome identified by the students was their clarity and understanding about disability. Recommendations for future community experiences for occupational therapy students as well as suggestions for program evaluation of such experiences are provided.