Each month, a faculty member, nominated by their dean, is recognized for their efforts to integrate innovative technology into their classroom. September’s digital faculty member of the month is David Plutschack, assistant professor of occupational therapy, College of Pharmacy and Health Professions. Read an interview with David below:
What course do you use this technology in? Currently, I am teaching the OTD 132 Orthotics and Positioning course, which is generally a very hands-on lecture and lab while on campus.
What type of technology (hardware/software) do you use? Prior to the COVID outbreak, I actually was frequently incorporating various forms of technology within my lectures and lab. I started using a mobile application called PhysioU in 2018 in the OTD 111 (Application of Kinesiology to Occupational Therapy) course and have continued using it this semester. Given the hands-on nature of this course, going virtual provided a new challenge. To combat this, I began using Zoom along with students using smartphone cameras as needed.
In what context do you use this technology (assessment/lecture/group work/etc.)? When on campus, we would typically spend about an hour working in small groups of 5-6 students on patient case studies. Students would work through complex case studies based on upper extremity diagnoses. In a virtual format, lectures are prerecorded using Panopto, but we meet live for one-hour weekly during our regularly scheduled time. Students are broken into small groups using Zoom breakout rooms and complete the case studies virtually. After about 30-45 minutes in the breakout rooms, we go back as a whole class and discuss the case studies as a group.
PhysioU is a mobile platform for occupational and physical therapy education. This website and application have been vital to delivering my labs virtual. Prior to the COVID outbreak, students would watch the videos prior to lab, then complete splinting live during lab. In a virtual platform, students use the videos and complete their splints at home on themselves, family members, or roommates (while maintaining social distancing). During lab times, Zoom is used for check-ins regarding lab assignments and grading purposes.
How does this type of technology align with your teaching pedagogy? Using technology is ingrained in my teaching philosophy and scholarship. Utilizing technology and various multimedia platforms to deliver occupational therapy pedagogy allows for all types of learners (visual, auditory, etc.) to grasp difficult concepts. Mobile technology such as webpages and mobile apps also provides students with the ability to develop hands-on clinical skills, which may be difficult from textbooks alone.
Where did you get the inspiration to make a change (colleague/seminar/administration/etc.)? I started researching mobile applications for teaching occupational therapy clinical skills in 2018 for the OTD 111 course and fell in love with PhysioU’s approach to technology and education. I was able to establish a great working relationship with the founders of PhysioU and have actually developed content as an author of the SplintPro portion of the website. This only further sparked my interest in technology in occupational therapy education
How long did it take for you to implement this technology? Implementing PhysioU into OTD 111 and OTD 132 was quite rapid. Students love it because it has videos of hands-on techniques, rather than text and a picture from textbooks. At the start of the COVID outbreak, utilizing Zoom had to occur quickly, but I was well versed on the platform and felt the transition went well.
Since transitioning to remote teaching, how has your use of this technology changed, if at all? To me, no big changes in using the PhysioU application. The only change is students are completing their splinting at home rather than in lab. Students were given home safety recommendations and home splint fabrication recommendations, since the videos on PhysioU were made with equipment regularly available in clinics and Drake OT labs. The equipment available at home varies between each student.
Overall, what lessons (if any) do you think you have learned while transitioning to remote teaching? I have been incredibly grateful for the Drake University occupational therapy students being flexible, resilient, and creative during this transition to remote teaching. They have made this transition much easier than I imagined. One lesson I have learned while teaching remotely is the extreme amount of preparation that goes in to deliver high quality remote teaching. Another is the importance of face-to-face time with my students. I find the Zoom live group work and lab check-ins weekly to be very valuable to student success. Keeping open communication is key.
Both before and during this transition, did Drake ITS assist you in implementing any of these technologies? If so, how? No, I am pretty tech savvy, so I was able to set everything up personally.
Are you interested in trying out new technology in your classroom? Want help from ITS? Schedule a technology adoption consultation.
Want to learn more about using Panopto or Zoom in your course? Explore the knowledge base categories:
Panopto: https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=17251
Zoom: https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=18578&SIDs=7847
—Jon Hurdelbrink, CPHS, and Carla Herling, ITS
