WHAT IS THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICE BASED

WHAT IS THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICE BASED EDUCATION? CATHY MAGINNIS, Dip. App. Sc (Nurs), BApp. Sc (Nurs), MHSc (Nurs) Lecturer in Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery and Teaching Fellow with the EFPI, CSU

Objectives • Discuss terminology used in the literature re student experience • Discuss relevant literature around student experience and PBE • Identify and discuss tools used to capture student experience • Identify and workshop challenges of the student experience

Introduction • The student experience is important as: – It relates to attrition and retention rates; – Need people with degree qualification for the workforce (Bradley et al 2008) – Need to attract younger cohort as ageing population; – Government funding dependent on student satisfaction (Bradley et al 2008) – If students have positive experience will complete their degree – Synonymous terms used

Practice Based Education • Different terms used for PBE • Literature reveals students rate this aspect of their education highly in survey tools and other forms of feedback • It is important for students to learn to do the thing they are learning; to experience it and practice it in appropriate settings, these include simulated labs, clinical practice, fieldwork trips and in appropriate environments

Practice Based Education • PBE refers to: “university education that is grounded in the preparation of graduates for practice. This includes classroom, distance and fieldwork education” (EFPI 2008)

Terminology • Student experience: “. . it is students’ total experience of university- not just what happens in the traditional classroom- that shapes their judgement of quality, promotes retention and engages them in productive learning” (Scott 2006, p. vii)

Terminology • Student Satisfaction: -Usually measures the quality of teaching • Student Engagement: – About the student and their involvement with the university. It encompasses learning, the uni environment; learning resources and teaching methods; how the student engages with educational strategies (Coates 2005)

The Bradley Report • Aust Govt. commissioned a report to review Australian Higher Education, chaired by Prof. Denise Bradley, final report Dec 2008 • Recommendation that all accredited higher education providers to administer GDS, CEQ and AUSSE surveys and report the findings (Bradley et al 2008) • The Bradley report (2008) proposes that performance based funding for uni for research be aligned with satisfaction levels from CEQ and AUSSE • This then relates to the student experience and tools used to measure it

Practice Based Education • Refers to teaching, learning and curricula development to foster preparation of students for practice, professional and workplace roles and expectations (EFPI 2009) • Occurs through real and virtual learning and must contain compulsory fieldwork learning • Need a university wide approach to ensure a positive and relevant student experience

Tools used to Measure Experience • Most universities use a variety of tools to measure student experience and satisfaction • CEQ, SEQ, GDS, AUSSE, CEQuery, subject evaluations, in house for each subject and /or course, variety of fieldwork experience forms

History of Tools • • CEQ trialled in Australia in 1991 Developed to monitor quality of teaching Nationally generated source of data Administered by GCCA on an annual basis through the GDS • GDS administered since 1972 to obtain data on graduates (Scott 2005, Coates 2005)

History of Tools • AUSSE first trialled in 2007 • Developed and managed by ACER • Measures student engagement in university study • Useful for benchmarking and measuring student satisfaction (Bradley et al 2008, ACER 2009)

Positive aspects of the tools • Provide objective data (Coates 2005) • Opportunity for students’ to provide feedback • Student experience is documented in a systematic way (Richardson 2005) • Can be used for benchmarking both nationally and internationally (Coates 2005)

Positive aspects of the tools • Gives the student a voice in a quality assurance process (Coates 2005) • Formal tools seen as formal acknowledgement of the university respecting students’ views (Leckey & Neill 2001) • If used appropriately can improve the quality of teaching and improve learning outcomes

Limitations aspects of the Tools • Kember et al (2002) and Leckey & Neill (2001) question if surveys are done as uni’s obliged to do them as part of quality review • Focus on teaching and quality in classroom settings only (Coates 2005) • Students over-exposed, become cynical, response rate decreases (Kember et al 2002, Harvey 2003, Coates 2005) • Lack of items related to pastoral, physical and social support (Richardson 2005)

Limitations of the tools • Don’t measure aspects related to clinical practice esp. fieldwork (Espeland & Indrehus 2003) • Don’t assist prospective students as info is limited and reports are at an institutional level not a student level (Harvey 2003) • Reporting process complex and needs to apply to courses not just institutions (Harvey 2003) • Expensive, time consuming to analyse (Coates 2005)

Challenges of the Student Experience • Learning experience; • Learning environment; • Assessments, both theoretical and practical (Scott 2005); • Type of teaching; • Methods/strategies of teaching; • Contact and feedback from staff (Scott 2005)

Challenges of the Student Experience • Support staff and services (Scott 2005) • PBE/Fieldwork- how, when, where, staffing, equipment (Scott 2005, Meehan-Andrews 2009) • Feedback cycle • Course delivery, timetabling (Scott 2005)

Challenges of the Student Experience • Diversity of students, both in learning needs, age, gender, rural or urban and generational differences re perceptions and expectations • External factors- i. e. Transport, parking, child care, family, cultural, social and religious obligations, time management • Paid employment impacts on coping mechanisms (Krause et al 2005)

Discussion of Challenges • What is the student experience and how do measure it? • Discuss the terminology used and identify key terms/definitions • Explore reality of student fieldwork experience and constraints experienced with it in relation to PBE

Conclusion • The student experience and relating it to practice based education is vital. This has been reinforced by a statement by the Hon Julia Gillard in response to the Bradley report “we must focus on students, their experiences and pathways, the knowledge they gain, the skills they will use, the public good they will achieve” (media release 4 March 2009)

References • • • Bradley, D. , Noonan, P. , Nugent, H. , & Scales, B. (2008). Review of Australian Higher Education Final Report. Australian Government. Retrieved March 12 th 2009, from http: //www. deewr. gov. au/Higher. Education/Review/Documents/PDF/Higher%20 Educati on%20 Review_one%20 document_02. pdf Coates, H. (2005). The value of student engagement for higher education quality assurance, Quality in Higher Education, 11(1), 25 -36. Espeland, & Indrehus (2003). Gillard, J. (2009). Media release 4 th March 2009. Retrieved from http: //www. deewr. gov. au/Ministers/Gillard/Media/Speeches/Pages/Article_090304_1 55721. aspx Harvey, L. (2003). Student Feedback [1]. Quality in Higher Education, 9(1), 3 -20.

References • • Higgs, J et al. (2009). Professional Education and Practice-Based learning: Theme 2 AUQA Report- The Green paper for Discussion, April 2009, The Education for Practice Institute, Charles Sturt University, North Parramatta. Kember, D. , Leung, D. , & Kwan, K. (2002). Does the Use of Student Feedback Questionnaires Improve the Overall Quality of Teaching? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27(5), 411 -425. Krause, K. , R. Hartley, James, R. , & Mc. Innis, C. (2005). The first year experience in Australian universities: findings from a decade of national studies. University of Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 12 th March 2009 from http: //www. cshe. unimelb. edu. au/pdfs/FYEReport 05 KLK. pdf Leckey, J. , & Neill, N. (2001). Quantifying Quality: the importance of student feedback. Quality in Higher Education, 7(1), 19 -32.

References • • • Richardson, J. (2005). Instruments for obtaining student feedback: a review of the literature. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 30(4), 387 -415. Scott, G. (2006). Accessing the Student Voice Final Report, Department of Education, Science and Training, Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 5 th March 2009 from http: //www. dest. gov. au/NR/rdonlyres/B 8 C 7 FFCF-DD 44 - 4983 -A 6 CD 999 F 6 F 1 CF 893/10606/HEIPCEQuery. Finalv 21 stfeb 06. doc The Education For Practice Institute. (2008). Retrieved 4 May 2009 from www. csu. edu. au/division/landt/efp/pages/objectives. html