Foreword

The materials presented in this open education resource (OER) have been developed through the hard work and dedication of a small group of final year occupational therapy students at James Cook University, Australia.  As a part of their professional honours major, the student authors were set a challenge to create a dynamic, engaging and informative learning resource in relation to a key or emerging topic relevant to occupational therapy professional practice.

Planning and preparation for this resource involved the completion of a review of the literature, alongside consultations with content experts from clinical practice.  This preparatory work guided the development of key learning objectives and, in turn, the creation of the content within this book. At all times, the student authors were encouraged to develop learning materials that will be both accessible to and engaging for a contemporary target audience, thereby demanding creativity and innovation in their planning and execution.

The student authors who have produced this open education resource have been closely supported by a project supervisor and James Cook University liaison librarians, without whom neither project completion nor open education resource publication would have been possible. We are deeply thankful to all these individuals for the wisdom and guidance that they have provided.

Importantly, this open education resource is a student developed product and, hence, should be read as such. Considerable effort has been taken to ensure rigour and quality in relation to both content and design.  It should be noted, however, that the resource is principally intended to offer introductory content on the chosen topic in a novel and engaging way, rather than be seen as a definitive or comprehensive text.

In closing, I would like to commend the student authors, and those who have supported them, for their dedication and diligence in constructing this excellent open education resource. Having witnessed their thoughtful approach to content creation, I am very confident that the resource will be of considerable value to occupational therapists, students and others.

Freely accessible, high quality, open education learning resources are increasingly serving a critical role in the development and exchange of knowledge within occupational therapy.  With this trend set to continue, our profession can look forward to a rapid growth in the availability of innovative and dynamic resources that support contemporary preferences for professional learning. As an occupational therapy educator and academic I look forward to seeing where this journey may take us.

Daniel Lowrie

Academic Head of Occupational Therapy

James Cook University, Australia

~March 2025~