Learning from experience – The involvement of experts by experience in the delivery of learning  

The value of creating partnerships between those delivering and those accessing health services is being increasingly acknowledged (Kerry et al., 2023). The meaningful involvement of people with lived experiences is recognised as an ‘invaluable approach to education that facilitates the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes for collaborative, compassionate and person-centred healthcare practice’ (Parnell et al., 2023). This is reflected in the professional standards for health care courses which state that people who access services, and their carers, must be involved in pre-registration programmes (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, 2019 standard 3.7; Health & Care Professions Council, 2017 standard 3.7). 

The ‘Environmental Influences on Occupational Performance and Identity’ module, within Level 5 of the BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy programme at UoG, is one example of how we have involved service users in an experiential learning process for our students. Students meet service users directly to discuss some of the challenges and barriers that they face in relation to their occupational performance due to the built environment. Students use the narrative and published design guidance to identify potential solutions and design a space which will help to overcome the challenges. Experts by experience then provide feedback on the designs through 1:1 formative meetings. The module has been evaluated positively by both students and experts by experience. This academic exchange will explore the pedagogy and student experience in more depth.