STUDENT VOICE ON FIELDWORK AT CSU CATHY MAGINNIS Teaching Fellow EFPI Nursing Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery

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

Terminology Student Satisfaction: Student Engagement: -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)

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)

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

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

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

STUDENT SATISFACTION PROJECT This was my initial project as an EFPI Fellow Focussed on the student experience with practice based education at CSU 37 courses with PBE included Reviewed current tools including:

Current Tools CEQ- P&A, annually, 5 scales overall view SEQ-2nd yr students, modelled on CEQ GDS- P&A annually, graduate info re course AUSSE-U/G students 1st yr and 3rd yr of study CEQUERY-Graduate Careers Aust, annually, qual responses OES- end of each session, compulsory section 11 qu and customised area

Focus Groups Hedy Bryant, Manager Culture and Change, Melanie Kelly , research assistant and myself Conducted 15 focus groups on the Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst, Wagga, Thurgoona and Albury students Internal, DE and international students invited to participate

Focus Groups Had a series of 8 questions focussed on eliciting information re: Definition of student satisfaction; The student experience at CSU; Specific learning experiences related to fieldwork and evaluation of it.

Student Feedback on PBE/Fieldwork Positive Negative Enjoy it Want more Learnt a lot Good facilitators Facilities on campus great i.e. theatre Learning experience excellent Want more prac time in class and off campus Lack of notice, expensive, travel Late notice= miss out on grants Want more local placements Child care issues Preferences not noted Lack of feedback and contact with CSU staff Lack of evaluation forms

Student Feedback Negative continued Equity, fairness & quality of prac assessments Some students have to find own placements Unable to do paid employment Need adequate briefing Facilitators/fieldwork educators need to be taught and briefed Some PBE/fieldwork is hidden and not acknowledged but it is expected and impacts on employability

Where to Now Revision of OES AUQA Audit as part of CSU’s review cycle has revealed the need for further activity in a number of areas EFPI fieldwork education taskforce working parties: http://www.csu.edu.au/division/landt/efp/docs/fwed_taskforce_announcement.pdf

Conclusion The student experience and relating it to practice based education is vital. “..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)

References Bradley, D., Noonan, P., Nugent, H., & Scales, B. (2008). Review of Australian Higher Education Final Report. Australian Government. Retrieved March 12th 2009, from http://www.deewr.gov.au/HigherEducation/Review/Documents/PDF/Higher%20Educati on%20Review_one%20document_02.pdf Coates, H. (2005). The value of student engagement for higher education quality assurance, Quality in Higher Education, 11(1), 25-36. 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. Scott, G. (2006). Accessing the Student Voice Final Report, Department of Education, Science and Training, Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 5th March 2009 from http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/B8C7FFCF-DD44- 4983-A6CD- 999F6F1CF893/10606/HEIPCEQueryFinalv21stfeb06.doc The Education For Practice Institute. (2008).Retrieved 4 May 2009 from www.csu.edu.au/division/landt/efp/pages/objectives.html