FEASIBILITY OF A POLICY GAME TO ENHANCE POLITICAL REASONING SKILLS OF BACHELOR STUDENTS

Background: Health service reconstruction is an on-going reality in most western societies. Traditionally often apolitical, OTs can play a role in this transformation if they are skilled to enact political reasoning values... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Health service reconstruction is an on-going reality in most western societies. Traditionally often apolitical, OTs can play a role in this transformation if they are skilled to enact political reasoning values into health service reconstruction under global, national and local socioeconomic conditions. Skill training under this macro-societal perspective needs to be specific: a policy game (or strategy game) was developed to create a learning tool for bachelor students.
Educational Philosophy or theory:
In 2014, focus group interviews with OTs from the Swiss OT associations and other NGOs revealed that OTs need encouragement to bring political reasoning values into local or national committees. Skills like “negotiating”, “valuing different viewpoints” or “advocating client’s views” need to be learned in the context of the federal structure of health and social system in Switzerland. Methodically, policy games allow in a unique way to immerge into the views of different stakeholder, enact possible solutions to future topics, and experience dynamic group effects.
Pedagogy used:
Applying consequently our skill-based teaching concept, 7 teachers supported by a policy game designer developed a policy game in the field of telemedicine. It was challenging to balance reality and fiction, to motivate students to engage and experience and to coordinate 72 different role scripts in 3 different fictional places in Switzerland.
Evaluation:
Till now, two policy games, each 2 full days of length, took place and were evaluated.
Application to Education:
The policy game is a useful possibility to provide training for political reasoning skills for OT students.