Academic assessment of work placement made easy

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Academic assessment of work placement made easy?

• Dr Karen King ,
• Institute of Agri-food and Land Use and Centre of
  Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Biosciences.
• School of Biological Sciences

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My background in work placement

• Involved in optional placement for over 20 years.
  
• Chaired University Work Related Learning
  Academic Group.
• In 2006 devised compulsory work placement modules
  for summer (16 weeks) and year long placements.
• Academic placement modules common for 3
  different new undergraduate degree programmes
• Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition,
• Land Use and Environmental Management and
  Agricultural Technology.
• Available as option in Biological Science
  degrees from 0809.
• Modules successful as evidenced by student and
  placement host comment.

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Academic assessment of work placement made easy?

• Why is assessment of work placement difficult?
• How these difficulties can be overcome
• Teaching, learning and assessment
• Learning outcomes
• Examples of assessment

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1. Why is assessment of work placement difficult?

• What are the key aspects or differences about
  work placement which make it more difficult to
  assess than other taught modules?
• In groups consider why assessment of work
  placement is difficult.

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1. Why is assessment of work placement difficult?

• Variation in work placement undertaken by
  students.
• No control over the learning environment.
• Remote learning (away from the university).
• Link to degree studies.
• Students are carrying out different activities
  and therefore learning different things.
• How can learning outcomes and hence assessment
  be defined which will suit all students on work
  placement?

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2. How these difficulties can be overcome.

• A work placement approval process
• the work placement must be assessed to ensure
  that the student will be able to attain the
  learning outcomes.
• Variation in work placement
• not a difficulty, it is a necessity to ensure
  all students can attain placement.
• Remote learning
• not a difficulty if guided by use of, for
  example, log books and work based learning
  elements.
• Link to degree studies
• Specific aspect of assessment.
• The learning required by the students is defined
  by Learning outcomes.

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3. Teaching, learning and assessment

• Normal module
• i. learning outcomes defined,
• ii. teaching based on the learning outcomes and
  
• iii. assessment used to test student achievement
  of the learning outcomes.
• Can we apply this to work placement?

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4. Learning outcomes

• What might be the learning outcomes from work
  placement?
• i.e. What do we want the students to learn from
  doing work placement?
• In groups consider what the learning outcomes
  could be for work placement.

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4. Learning outcomes

• In order to define learning outcomes from work
  placement they need to be defined at a broad
  level. i.e.
• At the end of the module students will
• have increased their ability to relate academic
  theory to the work environment
• have developed identified work related skills
• be able to critically evaluate their learning
  from the placement
• have enhanced their career knowledge.
• have planned, carried out, evaluated and reported
  on a project.

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4. Learning outcomes

• These learning outcomes cover all aspects of work
  placement and can be weighted in assessment or
  omitted depending on the specific requirements
  for the placement.
• i.e. Project may be omitted for a short,
  non-project based work placement.
• Skill development, especially subject specific,
  may be weighted highly for example in clinical
  placements.

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5. Examples of assessment

• Once learning outcomes are defined, assessment is
  easier to devise.
• Most placement assessment comprises
• A log book completed whilst on placement and a
  final summative report.
• May include placement host/tutor assessment.
• And is based on skills attained whilst on
  placement.

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5. Examples of assessment

• Need to devise assessment which assesses student
  achievement of learning outcomes
• At the end of the module students will
• have increased their ability to relate academic
  theory to the work environment
• have developed identified work related skills,
• be able to critically evaluate their learning
  from the placement,
• have enhanced their career knowledge,
• have planned, carried out, evaluated and reported
  on a project.
• Based on reflection by the student of their own
  learning.

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5. Examples of assessment

• Normally, we devise assessments which
  specifically test achievement of learning
  outcomes by the students.
• As we have controlled the learning environment,
  we know what they should have learnt and can set
  assessments accordingly.
• In work placement we have much less control of
  student learning and therefore the student has to
  be given the responsibility to show in the
  assessments that they have met the learning
  outcomes through the learning activities they
  have undertaken whilst on work placement. i.e.
  through reflection.

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5. Examples of assessment

• The assessment must be reflective and students
  must be given practice at reflecting prior to
  their final portfolio/report.
• Pre placement submission practice at
  reflection, prepares the student for learning
  from the placement.
• On placement - Log book activities and learning
  from these activities.
• Work based learning elements encourages the
  student to learn about aspects of their placement
  host outside their job.
• Placement host assessment based on job
  description and employability skills.
• Post placement - Final portfolio/report
  demonstration of achievement of learning outcomes
  by reflecting on learning from work placement
  evidenced from previous work.
• Presentation - provides students opportunity to
  express orally how they have achieved the
  learning outcomes.

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5. Examples of assessment

• Comparison to taught module
• Pre placement - submission coursework
• On placement - Log book lecture notes
• Work based learning elements coursework
• Post placement - Final portfolio/report and
  presentation final summative assessment

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5. Examples of assessment Pre placement

• Submission
• CV and covering letters.
• Reflection on each application template.
• Forward analysis of skills to be gained whilst on
  placement template relating to
• i. Knowledge and understanding (relating
  academic
• knowledge to their placement)
• ii. Cognitive skills
• iii. Subject specific skills
• iv. Transferable skills
• (ii to iv development of work related skills,
  based on Programme Specification)

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Student comment on skills analysis

• This was where we had to think about the
  placement and what we wanted to learn and then
  write about the skills that we thought would be
  used. I found this a very useful task but again
  quite difficult as I was not completely sure what
  my placement would involve. It was a very useful
  task to carry out as it really made me think
  about what I would be doing and how I could use
  my academic knowledge and experience whilst on
  placement. It also helped to set out what I
  wanted to learn and what skills could be achieved
  from different aspects of the job, which could be
  useful in a future career. However, looking back
  on the pre-placement skills form I found that it
  was very sparsely completed as I did not have the
  experience and knowledge which I now possess and
  this helped to show me that I had learnt a lot
  whilst on placement even though at certain times
  throughout it I felt like I was not learning very
  much. This part of the process taught me a great
  deal about evaluating what I can achieve without
  the complete information before hand, which is a
  skill I can take with me for the future.

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5. Examples of assessment on placement

• Log book Based on
• i. activities and
• ii. what the student has learnt from the
  activities .
• ii. is the most important what the student has
  learnt.
• Work based learning elements
• Reports based on an aspect of the placement host
  not related to the students job.

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Student comment on the log book

• In order to recognise all of these skills that
  were developed or acquired I had to be able to
  critically evaluate what I had learnt whilst I
  was on placement. I was able to do this through
  the weekly logbook, which allowed me to write
  about what I had done during that week and then
  pick out areas that I could relate to my academic
  theory or skills that I had used or even
  acquired. It also allowed me to have a critical
  view of how well I was achieving my learning
  outcomes and helped me to try and find something
  better and more worthwhile in the next week.

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Student comment on WBL elements

• I also found that the work based learning
  elements contributed to my enhanced career
  knowledge. I chose topics that were not known to
  me and I had to learn a lot before I could write
  my essay, my first essay was on the management
  structure of XXXXXXXX. It has helped me to
  understand a great deal more about business and
  the qualities of a good manager who can really
  drive a business and employees to make a business
  very successful. Since doing the research for
  this essay I also realised that I have a great
  interest in business. It has opened up a new
  area to me that I did not previously think about
  and it made me take a wider view of the company
  as a whole. Through my learning elements I
  learnt a great deal about myself, and possible
  attributes I would like in a future career.

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5. Examples of assessment post placement

• Final portfolio/report
• Students are required to show how they have
  met the learning outcomes based on the learning
  gained from the activities carried out on
  placement.
• The assessment weighting given to each learning
  outcome can be adjusted for a particular subject.
  i.e. Skill development may be of greater
  significance in some subject areas.

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5. Examples of assessment

• Pre placement submission 20
• CV and covering letter 20
• Application reflection 40
• Forward skills analysis 40
• Final portfolio 60
• Report 60
• Log book 10
• WBL elements 20
• Placement host assessment 10
• Presentation 20

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Academic assessment of work placement made easy
by

• Defining clear learning outcomes.
• Operating a placement approval process which
  ensures students can achieve the learning
  outcomes.
• Being based on student learning from the
  activities carried out on placement rather than
  the activities themselves.
• Devising assessment to measure student
  achievement of learning outcomes, using the same
  principles as taught modules.

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Student comment

• I also believe the whole process has prepared me
  for life after university, I am now equipped with
  the necessary skills to construct a well
  presented CV, apply for jobs and portray myself
  effectively in interviews. The most important
  lesson I learnt is that organisation is key to
  success and I feel that if I get organised and
  prepare correctly I feel I can obtain my dream
  job. I believe that I have developed greatly over
  the last year, and I dont think I would have
  developed to the same extent if I had not done
  placement.
• Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition student

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Student comment

• After completing my work placement I have really
  changed my attitudes and views and almost feel
  like I have matured throughout the process. I
  have picked up and enhanced so many new skills
  and feel for once that I know that what I am
  doing is right for my future career. The
  placement has been an experience as I have done
  so many things that have been a success but I
  have also learnt from my mistakes and learnt how
  to evaluate the work that I am carrying out. All
  of the attributes I have gained from placement
  will help me in the future and in most aspects of
  my life.
• Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition student

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Work placement

• An on-line support package for academic staff
  considering setting up work placement should be
  available from July 2009 on the Centre of
  Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Biosciences
  website.
• The site includes information on all aspects to
  be considered and template forms.
• Development of this resources is supported by
  TQEF.
• Anyone who would like to act as a pilot
  assessor of the resource should contact Dr King.