Presentation at the Higher Education in Transformation symposium

1. Engagement with a custom-
made online system designed to
support undergraduate work
placement
Claire Mc Donnell DIT
Fran Pedreschi DIT

2. Common work placement
issues
• Students on work placement often complain
about a lack of communication and feedback
from their academic supervisors.
• It is difficult to standardise assessment for
students on placement.

3. Case Study
• BSc Optometry undergraduates
• 5 month work placement
• Required documentation:
– Log book
– Competencies
– Case reports
– Eye test records
– Contact lens records
– Dispensing records
– Supervisors reports

4. Problems with paper system
• Limited opportunities for formative feedback.
• Difficulty getting supervisors to send in
monthly reports
• Loss of work (particularly log book)
• Delays in receiving students’ work

5. Solution: online system
• Original plan: Everything online
• New plan: dispensing records, competencies
and supervisor reports

6. Details
• Webapp creating using Google App Script
– Hosted on Google’s servers
– Not compatible with Internet Explorer
• Data stored in Parse online database

7. Opening Summary Page

8. Dispensing Record

9. Record with Feedback

10. Competencies

11. Supervisors’ Reports

12. Engagement: Stakeholders
• Students
• External (industry) supervisors
• Internal (DIT) supervisors

13. Pilot 2013-14
• All students used the system to record some
competencies and to submit all ten dispensing
records.
• 16 out of 18 external supervisors graded
competencies online and 17 out of 18 delivered their
monthly reports via the online system.
• Only 2 out of 6 DIT supervisors used the system to
provide students with feedback.

14. Changes based on the pilot
• Changes made to the system:
– Sign in simplified
– Marking rubric supplied to DIT supervisors and students
– DIT supervisors and students started using the system
while still in college
– Email alerts sent to DIT supervisors when their students
submitted records
– Students could now see on their opening page when they
had feedback.

15. Rubric

16. Second iteration: 2014-15
• All students submitted all five dispensing records via
the online logbook
• 14 out of 21 students have completed competencies
online
• All external supervisors have submitted at least one
monthly report online
• 9 out of 21 external supervisors have signed off some
competencies online

17. • 5 out of 6 DIT supervisors have provided
students with feedback via the online system
Second iteration: 2014-15

18. Lessons learned
• A home-made system requires a lot of support
• A pilot is essential before making the use of
the system compulsory
• The majority of students & supervisors
(internal & external) expressed a preference
for an online system over hard copy

19. Literature
• Students like feedback stored electronically in
the one place making it easy to retrieve.
(Hepplestone et al, 2009)
• Tutors (supervisors) may not engage with new
IT systems if they feel that learning how to use
the system will take up too much time.
(Proctor et al, 2011)

20. Literature
• Work done by students on placement stored
electronically might be used by students post
graduation to showcase some of their skills (Proctor
et al, 2011)
• “Proper management of the placement process and
the preparation of participants for placement are
essential to the quality and value of the learning
experience.” (REAP project)

21. References
• Hepplestone, S., Parkin, H., Thorpe, L., Holden, G. & Irwin, B. (2009).
Technology, feedback, action! Sheffield Hallam University. Available from
http://tinyurl.com/tfaproject
• Procter, C & Whatley, J 2011, Using e-portfolios to support student work
placements. Conference proceedings: Education in a Changing
Environment, University of Salford 2011.
• Sheridan, I., Linehan, M. Work placement in third-level programmes. REAP
(roadmap for employment – academic partnerships. Funded by the HEA
(higher education authority). Published by CIT (Cork Institute of
Technology) press.

22. Thank you for your attention