Professor Michael Eraut,

SCEPTrE Senior Research Fellow, University of Surrey

The seminar considers the results of a programme of research designed to improve the quality of the student placement experience being carried out by the Surrey Centre for Excellence in Professional Training and Education, at the University of Surrey (UK). Over half the undergraduates at the university take up work placements of 8 to 11 months duration in the 3^rd year of a 4 year programme and it is an effective educational model in preparing students for professional roles and Surrey graduates consistently top the employability league tables. The research, which is informed by a significant body of research into how professionals learn through work, aims to gain deeper insights into learning activity, learner engagement and learning outcomes from this type of supported experience. The ultimate aim is to improve learner agency so that they can proactively influence their experience and outcomes.

Phase 1 involved analysing documents and interviewing faculty responsible for placements in 12 different subjects. This led to two reports, one based on these interviews described the variations in current practice and the other presented a review of relevant literature on work-based learning.

Phase 2 involved a competition for students returning from placements in September 2009 to write a two thousand word account of their placement experience under the title of Learning to be a Professional. There were 28 entries with a general focus on achievement and professional work. These included several excellent accounts of very positive placements and a few accounts of negative placements. 8 of these students agreed to be interviewed by the author, who clarified a few points, but mainly focussed on the role of the people who helped or hindered them during the course of their placements.

Phase 3 involved the creation of an on-line questionnaire based on the issues identified in Phases 1 and 2. This was completed by 127 volunteer placement students (about 21% of all students on placement) in February and early March 2009, when most students were in their seventh month. The analysis of this data has distinguished between the four faculties.

Phase 4 – the current stage of work, involves presenting and discussing the findings of the work with both students and staff at departmental level. The intention is to strengthen the current system of support through this research and the tools it offers, and an increased capacity to continue to learn from the experiences of those involved.

Phase 4 also involves the refinement of the research tool and its customisation for specific disciplinary and placement contexts e.g. nursing and midwifery clinical placements. The intention is to work collaboratively with Faculty to try to develop, apply and embed the customised research tool in each departments placement programme and to use it to promote a deeper process of critical thinking at the mid point in a student’s placement

experience.

Looking ahead (Phase 5)  the project team is looking for partners in other universities to customise and adapt the research tool to specific discipline or organisational placement contexts. We are piloting this approach in nursing and midwifery clinical placements. At the University of Surrey, the intention is to work collaboratively with those responsible for professional training at departmental level, to try to develop, apply and embed the customised research tool in placement student experiences to promote a deeper process of critical thinking aimed at improving students’ ability to enhance their own learning experience.

The seminar will focus on the research instrument that has been developed and the findings from the first survey of students on placement.

 If you would like to collaborate in this development work please contact Norman.Jackson@surrey.ac.uk