Hands-On Learning in Tillery

The Tillery Experience provides a unique, cross-cultural opportunity for students to learn and practice occupational therapy skills in a rural, primarily African American community in northeastern North Carolina. This qualitative study investigates how involvement in this community-based experience affects participants. Twelve past and current students participated in a focus group. Results indicate that participants valued the hands-on learning they experienced, felt enriched as a result of the hands-on learning, and developed cultural competency as a result of their involvement in the Tillery Experience. These themes relate to theories of transformative education, transformative learning, and situated cognition. Implications for supervision and planning educational experiences are discussed.