Students on placement: the view from both sides Dr Bob Pymm, School of Information Studies, CSU, Australia SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Industry placements • Common across a wide range of professional study – teachers, physios, vets, accountants..and us • A few weeks to a year or more – and often a requirement to be professionally qualified • Seen as providing a context to help consolidate academic learning and the opportunity to develop skills through hands-on, experiential activities • “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb) SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Industry placements - why • The placement provides an opportunity for student reflection – how classroom learning fits into the broader environment. Is what I’ve learnt relevant? Useful? Are things different in practice? Or reinforce my classroom learning? • Exposes a student with little or no relevant work experience to the expectations of an LIS workplace • Students can see how research can be, or is being, integrated into the practitioners’ world • Develop confidence in the student and provide valuable contacts and hands-on work experience in order to enhance employment prospects SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Industry placements - why • For the host organisation, benefits may include identifying potential new staff members – “try before you buy” opportunity • Students may bring new perspectives to the workplace • Students can undertake a range of tasks useful to the workplace • Provides the opportunity for placement staff to act as mentors and trainers • The university/industry link can be offer potential mutual benefits. SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
In the LIS field • European LIS Curriculum (EUCLID (European equivalent of ALISE) review in 2002) – identified the practicum as one of 12 core components of any LIS course • Of the 58 ALA accredited schools in the US , only two do not offer a practicum in some form • All seven Canadian schools offer the practicum • ALIA see the practicum “as a key element in preparing new graduates”. But it is not offered by all accredited LIS schools in Australia. SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Research on LIS placements • Focus on the student experience – how helpful was the placement? What were your expectations? What did you get out of it • Generally very positive results: • Samek & Oberg (1999) – considerable benefits to student’s enhanced self- knowledge, confidence and professional development • Cuban & Hayes (2001) – placement critical for gaining skills working with different cultural groups • Kim & Sin (2008) – similarly re students improved attitudes working with ethnic minorities • Claggett et al (2002) – student noting the ‘light bulb’ moments she experienced on placement SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Research from the host viewpoint • From the host viewpoint. Less research undertaken, especially in the LIS field • Results more mixed but generally still positive: • Moore & Murphy (2012) – hosts main concern was making sufficient time to supervise students properly (health industry) • O’Reilly, McCall & Khoury (2010) – 15 of 16 hosts happy to repeat the experience (business) • McDermott (2008) – issues with communication between the university and host sites – only 2/3 of sites willing to repeat the experience (social science) • Cannick (2005) – hosts wary of the workload involved in preparing an appropriate program (law librarians) SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
This study • Aimed to research student and placement hosts attitudes and experiences of the placement both in Australia and Slovenia • Undergraduate students on three week placements in Australia and in Slovenia – very similar program • In the first year students were surveyed before going on placement then after completion of the placement • Host sites were surveyed the following year just once, on completion of the placements (thus their experience was of different student cohorts) SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Student surveys • Slovenian students – 56 completed surveys before placement; 35 after. Australian students – 25 before, 25 after. • Anonymous surveys which meant feedback could not be connected to a specific site. • Both groups positive before the placement with 80+% of students agreeing on the importance of the placement. This despite big difference in work experience levels – 80% of Aust had relevant work experience; only 7% of Slovenian students. SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Student surveys (cont.) • Free text comments on expectations ranged with Slovenian students more detail focused – “I want cataloguing experience”; Australian more general “I am interested in academic libraries’ • After the placement, high levels of satisfaction – Australian students reporting 90% worthwhile + and 80% better than expected. Very positive free text comment. • Slovenian students less so, 83% reporting worthwhile but 54% better than expected. Comment related to the host supervisor being too busy; they could have been better prepared and three weeks not long enough (only 8% of Australians felt this, compared to 43% of the Slovenian cohort) SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Student surveys (cont.) • Overall a high level of similarity between cohorts except on that one measure of expectations and experience. Even evaluation of the assessment task associated with the placement was rated as “about right” by 92% of Australian students and 80% of Slovenians. • In Slovenia, there is no dedicated placements officer role as there is in Australia with the academic responsible for the cohort organising placements. It seems better preparation for Slovenian hosts so that they fully understand what is required of them would be useful. SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Host surveys • Hosts asked to complete a print survey at the end of the placement. This could not by its nature be anonymous. • 20 usable surveys received from Australian hosts (50%; 37 from Slovenian. • Why do you take students – Australia (16/19) “support the profession” Slovenia – less clear cut “students provide an outsider’s perspective”; SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Australia 18 16 14 12 Most important 10 Quite important 8 Important Not very important 6 Not important 4 2 0 Obligation to student to Support the profession Students provide an Good work output from Support the university help their career outsiders view that can them program be useful SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Slovenia 20 18 16 14 12 Most important 10 Quite important 8 Important 6 Not very important 4 Not important 2 0 Obligation to Support the Students provide an Good work output Support the student to help their profession outsiders view that from them university program career can be useful SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Other variables • Preparation time (before student arrives) varied considerably across both cohorts. Though Australian sites reported spending more time with the students during the placement • Asked if there was a time during the placement they wished they’d never agreed to it, 7 (of 20) Australian sites said “yes”; only 1 Slovenian site • Asked if the hosts would make themselves available again, 18/19 Australian sites thought it likely or they would definitely consider; 33/37 Slovenian sites similarly. • Australian (12/19) and Slovenian (33/37) hosts reported it was likely they would consider employment possibilities for their hosted student SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
Conclusions • Similar across the cohorts • Students preparedness was a bit of an issue - some hosts surprised at gaps in student knowledge • Dealings with Uni administration was strongly positive for all Australian hosts; and for all but two of the Slovenian hosts. • The strongly positive outcomes for both cohorts is very encouraging. SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES
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