E NHANCE EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN WORK PLACEMENTS WITH THE USE OF BLOGS AS A REFLECTIVE PEER - PEER LEARNING TOOL : LESSONS LEARNED Dr. Julie Dunne & Dr. Sinéad Ryan School of Food Science & Environmental Health, Dublin Institute of Technology Ireland School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin Ireland HEA STEM Edinburgh 2014

Diversity in pharmacy work placements

Previous assessment

Where do these experiences go? experiences

So many missed opportunities for learning Sharing experiences ‘Assessment for learning, not of learning’ Ongoing reflection, to turn experiences in learning Community of learning

Pilot study: phase I  Encourage deeper analysis and critical thinking  To support a community of learning and sharing of experiences

VLE Blog Private to class (n=32) Individual Blog:  describe  reflect  Relate Peer Interaction  Comment and respond within blog sub-group (n=4)

Tutor feedback after first post  Encouraging concise description, reflection, and relating experiences to college theory  All students could see and learn from tutor- comments Peer feedback  reading peer blogs  peer interactions

Phase 2: Overall successful pilot BSc Honours Nutraceuticals in Health & Nutrition

Weaknesses Identified: style Poor standard of language ‘text speak’

Weaknesses Identified: content Difficulty in developing critical reflection Practice Theory

Weaknesses Identified: Student Interactions Perception that comments less important than blogs Lack of empathy and reflection in student’s comments to one another

Steps to address weaknesses Ask the students what supports they need  Demonstrate how to use the software  Provide examples of previous blogs  Explain how they would be graded

Reflective writing workshop Reflective Writing & Blog Assessment Handbook Guide to reflective writing Assessment Rubric Reflective Writing Activities Camtasia software video guide

Transparency of assessment and feedback

Perceived usefulness of resources to help reflection

I found reading other students blogs helped me to write a better blog Agree Disagree BSc Nutraceuticals (Level 8) Pharmacy Technician (Level 6)

BSc Nutraceuticals (Level 8)Pharmacy Technician (Level 6) BSc Nutraceuticals (Level 8) Agree Disagree The blog is a useful tool for students to share experiences while on placement Through the blog I felt connected to my class while out on placement

Main benefits of blog assessment Collaborative learning tool Deeper analysis and critical thinking Professional development through reflection Improved written communication Student friendly peer and tutor support and feedback Broadening the curriculum through gaining, sharing and discussing external perspectives on core knowledge gained in lectures

Some Recommendations Provide students with several examples of diverse, high quality blogs.  Positive and negative experiences  Critical and routine experiences Ideally ensure that there is diversity of work placements in each blog group. Consider the frequency of blog and comment cycle. Feel free to contact! 