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Effective Evaluation of Placement Learning Opportunities

Lead Institution: University of Bath
Collaborating with: freelance

This is a sub-project of Strengthening, extending and embedding employer engagement

Update reports

Progress was reported throughout the project. For the complete final report of the project see here.

Project progress - October 2011

The project is within its initial stages having started in October 2011 with the following activities having taken place to date:

  1. Five semi-structured face-to-face discussions have been held with staff involved in placements: the Chair of the Placement Tutors Forum (PTF), departmental-level placement staff and faculty-level staff across 3 faculties (with further meetings scheduled).
  2. A review of the University’s placement documentation is under way in collaboration with placements staff. This is alongside review of external good practice.

Some findings

The University of Bath has a very experienced placement staff with a developed understanding of placement learning.

While awareness of several aspects of placement learning is implicit in supporting documents, both internally and externally, there would be benefit in having a comprehensive definition of the circumstances under which students are most likely to learn on placement. Confusion between ‘evaluation’ and ‘assessment’ exists, although it is the norm in HE to ‘evaluate’ learning situations and to ‘assess’ students’ performance. 

Placement staff are confident that nearly all of their placements are of high quality.  They know of very few placements that are poor and such cases as they are aware of are dealt with effectively. Timely feedback and analysis of students' real experiences, both positive and negative, is key to ensuring real quality placement learning. Past research has shown that open dialogue is considerably more revealing than surveys of students’ opinions.[1]  Inconsistencies in the collection and use of student feedback will be addressed in this project.

An important element of placement evaluation is the placement visit.  There can be inconsistency of practice whether or not students are visited on placement and by whom (academics or placement professionals) and the uses made of placement reports.

It is vital that learning outcomes are clearly defined in placement unit descriptions; placement staff, employers and students need to be aware of them and understand how placements can fulfil the set learning outcomes - how this translates in practice within the placement. Academics will need to be involved in defining and assessing students against learning outcomes, related to overall programme aims.

[1] Turner, P. (2005).  Undergraduate learning at programme level: an analysis of students’ perspectives.  PhD thesis, University of Bath. http://opus.bath.ac.uk/432/

What Next?

  1. A meeting has been agreed with all faculty-level Placement Managers to discuss draft Guidelines and Frameworks for the Evaluation of Work Placements.
  2. Feedback from recent placement students has been sought and is likely to be available for use in later stages of this project.
  3. Placement evaluation workshops will be promoted at the meeting of the PTF (February 2012).
  4. Workshops are likely to take place in late February or early March.  

 

Project progress - December 2011

Achievements to date:

  1. The project began with reviews of the University’s current placement practices and documentation, and of external good practice.
  2. Draft Guidelines for Evaluation of Work Placements were drawn up in collaboration with the Chair of the Placement Tutors Forum (PTF) and Placement Managers across 3 faculties.  In addition to the evaluation of work placements, these Guidelines address placement learning and its importance, what promotes and inhibits placement learning, what constitutes high quality placements and a consideration of placement learning outcomes.
  3. Work has begun on Frameworks for analytical evaluation of placements and on materials for use in staff development workshops planned for February/March.

Some findings:

The University’s placement staff have considerable experience in the effective management of student placements.  Current evaluation of placement situations relies on staff’s prior knowledge of existing host institutions and on them asking relevant questions of new/ potential placement hosts.  Some information is also gathered from placement students.

The draft Guidelines recommend increased collection of qualitative feedback from students during placements and that analysis of such data should focus on students’ perceptions of the nature of their placement work, their role, the level of support they receive and their placement learning.

Alongside these Guidelines, and complementary to them, frameworks for analysis are being produced and workshops will be held.  Together, these are intended to achieve the overall aims of this project on the evaluation of placements, i.e. to help staff involved in placements towards greater understanding of placement learning and learning outcomes and in the use of qualitative data in the analytical evaluation of placements.

What Next?

  1. A meeting has been agreed for January with all faculty-level Placement Managers to discuss draft Frameworks for the Evaluation of Work Placements and material for the staff development workshops.
  2. Feedback from recent placement students has been sought and is likely to be available for use in later stages of this project.
  3. Placement evaluation workshops will be promoted at a University of Bath HE STEM seminar on 30 January and a meeting of the Placement Tutors’ Forum (6 February).
  4. Workshops are likely to take place in late February or early March.  
  5. The project will be disseminated more widely at a SW HE STEM seminar in Taunton in June.

Staff involved

Dr Poppy Turner
freelance