A presentation from the STEM Annual Conference 2014.
As part of research into improving students’ employability skills in the College of Science Dublin Institute of Technology we have looked at maximising the work placement experience through improved supports and innovative assessments. Students on work placement will have very different experiences from each other however they are generally not connected to their peers but working with professionals under the guidance of a tutor. During work placement they are not formally supported by peers and cannot learn from the diverse range of activities their peers will experience. This presentation describes an approach for developing critical thinking skills through reflective writing by introducing an online blog work placement assessment which also allows experiences to be shared within the class. We identified key requirements and resources to prepare support and engage students in all aspects of the assessment.
We will discuss these resources and activities implementation of a pre-placement reflective writing workshop feedback mechanisms and assessment strategies which actively promoted student interaction with their peers. This ensured that all students had the potential to learn: from their own reflections; from each other’s experiences; from tutor feedback on peer blogs; from the process of peer review and through broadening the curriculum by connecting the ‘class room’ setting to ‘real life working environment’. It has also helped to further develop their personal and employability skills: such as critical thinking and analysis through reflection; writing skills; communication; professionalism; listening and giving/accepting constructive criticism through the discussions with each other. Evaluation results including recommendations limitations and suggested improvements will also be discussed.
