Up Close and Personal: Some Issues in the Assessment of Placement Learning Scholarship of Engagement Conference Warwick, 11 th June 2008

Introduction MA International Service – placements in Mexico/Jamaica (first semester) and London (second semester) Students take a compulsory second semester module, Reflection on Service-Learning Assessment of module comprises (i) a reflective weekly journal (ii) a concluding essay of 2,500 words which links their experience of both placements DW second marker

The Issue The grades of the 12 students fell within the range 64 – 67%. Why such a small range of marks? Reflection, as widely understood, by staff and students leads to an excessive and unnecessary personalisation. These personalised accounts present problems for assessment and grading.

Example I Living in England has been a different type of experience for me. While Jamaica was about being confronted with sights and sounds that were new and different, this semester has been about many internal struggles. This was after all, the semester in which I turned 30. This is the semester in which I began to really confront some of the ways in which negative feelings can ‘sabotage’ me. I suppose, in many ways, this was the semester I grew up. To say that I was worried about turning 30 is a bit of an understatement. To say that I was obsessing about it may also be a bit of an understatement. Why was I so worried? I just think that with 30 comes expectations, both on the part of others and the part of me and that is how I felt on the eve of my birthday. And, for the most part I still feel that way.

Example II I was beginning a new phase in my life; leaving my lover of seven years, repairing my relationship with my family, and preparing to continue with my education on my own terms as an autonomous entity with my own goals and agenda. Although I had an idea of what I hoped to gain from this experience – increased knowledge of my professional field, personal confidence, and an expanded world view – I was not prepared for what I received…I was challenged academically, personally, spiritually and socially and I am grateful for that. This experience was an exercise in becoming more fully what I already am, and the academic, service and personal components of the programme all contribute to that outcome.

Example III Not only was I learning a lot academically but I was also learning a lot about myself. I realised the conflicting issues that I had inside and how I had spent many years during my studies for my bachelor’s degree holding myself back from pursing anything volunteer-related because of the way that I felt my family would react to my decision to pursue such a career. It turned out that I was partially right about how my family reacted upon hearing of my decision to pursue a master’s degree for a career in the third sector. The initial reaction of each person I talked to was always, ‘you know they do not get paid much, right?’ After a while I began to ask myself about what kind of person my family members must think I am …

Perceptions of Placement Learning A challenge to the academic values of: –Education not training/practice –Intramural not extramural –Objective not subjective Placement learning as transformational learning −An immersive experience −Testimony and confession −Personal change

Assessment of Placement Learning Not the quality of student work but the quality of their learning. Why? Donald Schön – reflective practice and the dialogue between action and reflection The judgement of action has been replaced by the judgement of reflection. Reflection is treated as an index of action. Widespread use of diaries and journals as part of the incitement to personal disclosure. Assessment of personal narratives

Some Questions Teaching practice School Experience? Self-disclosure resonates with wider cultural forms of public exposure and confession? Are we interested in the practice or the experience of it? Could we imagine a very proficient personal reflection on a piece of useless practice? What do we assess in our grading of personal reflection?

Some Answers Reflection is an essential feature of improvements in practice. Reflection operates through the person but does not stop there. Reflection should be analytical and critical. Reflection should attend to the conditions in which the placement takes place: –Work and organisation –Management and politics –Organisational rhetorics –Organisational histories –Employee biographies etc. There is more to practice than reflection.