{"id":7463,"date":"2024-02-19T18:33:24","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T18:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/?p=7463"},"modified":"2024-02-19T18:36:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T18:36:34","slug":"how-should-msc-placements-be-assessed-gathering-the-views-of-students-to-inform-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/2024\/02\/19\/how-should-msc-placements-be-assessed-gathering-the-views-of-students-to-inform-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"How should MSc Placements be assessed?  Gathering the views of students to inform assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/case-studies\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6130 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2019\/08\/Back-Arrow-e1565604225291.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6>By: Paul Jenkins, School of Psychology &amp; Clinical Language Sciences, <a href=\"mailto:p.jenkins@reading.ac.uk\">p.jenkins@reading.ac.uk<\/a><\/h6>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7478\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7478\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-7478\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"two women sitting on stairs having a conversation\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7478\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image credit: Buro Millennial on Pexels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1>Overview<\/h1>\n<p>The School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences (PCLS) offers several postgraduate degree programmes, nearly all of which include a placement element.\u00a0 Getting the assessment right is an important challenge to fairly evaluating students on placement.\u00a0 As part of an ongoing review of programmes with placement components, a piece of work was commissioned to look at how placements should be assessed within PCLS.<\/p>\n<h1>Objectives<\/h1>\n<p>The primary aims of this project were to explore:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What elements of placements MSc students felt were important to assess; and<\/li>\n<li>How MSc students felt these elements should be assessed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1>Context<\/h1>\n<p>As a \u2018taught\u2019 component of the course, any assessment needs to be carefully planned and contribute \u201cdirectly to learning and skill development\u201d (UoR, 2023).\u00a0 Student feedback indicated that the current method of assessing placements, which comprises a written report of what was done and learned on placement, was unsatisfactory.\u00a0 For instance, students felt that it did not reflect the amount of work put in over the course of the placement and that the final grade was too reliant on one piece of written work.<\/p>\n<p>It was felt that gaining insight into current students\u2019 views would be helpful to inform future changes to the way(s) in which MSc placements might be assessed, making this process proportionate and more useful for students.<\/p>\n<h1>Implementation<\/h1>\n<p>In February 2023, a grant from the UoR T&amp;L Initiatives Fund was awarded to address the question of how MSc placements should be assessed.<\/p>\n<p>A focus group discussion was conducted in June 2023, with participants recruited from PCLS MSc students. The focus group lasted around 45 minutes.\u00a0 In addition, a 1:1 interview was held in July 2023 with another individual who wanted to share their views on the subject, and this is included to add detail to the data obtained from the focus group.<\/p>\n<p>To frame the focus group and interview, open-ended questions were developed to explore participants\u2019 experiences, opinions, and thoughts regarding placement and its assessment. The facilitator (a member of staff within PCLS) was present to encourage a relaxed atmosphere and supplement prepared questions with prompts to gather participants\u2019 views and pursue themes relevant to the research questions.\u00a0 The following is a sample of the questions asked during the interview:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are the important elements of an MSc placement to be assessed?<\/li>\n<li>How do you think MSc placements should be assessed?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The focus group was audio-recorded and the facilitator also kept notes to help keep track of themes and provide a more holistic picture of the discussion (Kornbluh, 2023).\u00a0 The students were also given a document on different types of assessment and an exemplar of how a placement might be assessed to act as \u2018stimulus material\u2019 to prompt detailed discussion of their views on assessment.<\/p>\n<h1>Impact<\/h1>\n<p>The findings of the discussions provided insight into how students think placements should be assessed.\u00a0 In terms what students considered important to be assessed, several different themes emerged:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><em>Assessing what was learned<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Students talked about the importance of assessing what was <em>learned<\/em>, as opposed to a more cursory assessment of the time or activities spent in placement; for instance if: \u201ctechnically, you put in the work but you didn\u2019t actually apply it to anything\u201d.\u00a0 They reflected on the different environments and services within which placements took place, such as some being online and others being conducted in-person, and the importance of asking students \u201cto prove\u201d that they have engaged with placement.\u00a0 The importance of certain skills (e.g., teamworking, presentation skills) learned on placement was highlighted, and also how such skills relate to students\u2019 futures.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><em>Reflecting on one\u2019s own development<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Several students commented on how they have developed over the course of placement, and how this could be included in the assessment.\u00a0 For instance, one student suggested that assessments could cover \u201cwhat skills are we learning and how much are we able to apply it\u2026 and how we\u2019re changing\u201d.\u00a0 Another noted discussions they have with their supervisors, whereby they \u201cdon\u2019t just talk about what I do\u2026 [but] also some sort of reflection,\u201d and that this brings in \u201creflection of how you see yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><em>Capturing diversity of experiences<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The discussion also covered the reality that students will have different experiences of placement and how it can be \u201ca very subjective experience,\u201d including different types and levels of supervision.\u00a0 For instance, one student commented that \u201cthe difference between person to person doesn\u2019t always end in [\u2026] what they\u2019re doing but also where they started from, because we also came into the programme with very different experiences\u201d.\u00a0 Students also highlighted differences in effort put in by those on placement, sharing the perception that there were some students \u201cwho are doing everything they possibly can\u201d and others who \u201cslowly move to the back\u2026 waiting for things to be handed to them\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the project, students also discussed how these skills and elements of placement should be assessed and, again, several themes arose:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><em>Continuous assessment<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Students discussed having the opportunity to reflect \u2018as they go\u2019 and potential problems with a unitary, retrospective assessment.\u00a0 Whilst they felt that having a reflective piece is \u201ca nice idea,\u201d one student commented how a lot of experiences gained on placement are difficult to recall at the time of submission.\u00a0 They were also wary of having too much overlap between pieces of assessment, such as a reflective report and report of activities, and one student suggested being \u201cforced to keep track of what you have been doing\u2026 in a detailed manner\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Having been offered a list of potential assessment types to review in the focus group, one student felt that Reflective Diaries could be a better approach, perhaps used alongside an hours log.\u00a0 Another suggested that Learning Logs with \u201ccertain points to learn about\u201d could be helpful, perhaps covering \u201csmall reports on small things\u201d.\u00a0 Another suggested a \u201cspaced out diary\u2026 or some form of input from our supervisor\u201d could be of use, although also stated that they were unsure \u201chow feasible that would be\u201d. \u00a0It was also suggested that a website (or blog) could be used to help students log experiences and remain accountable.\u00a0 Of note, some students chose to do this independently, with one saying: \u201cI keep a log for myself\u201d.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><em>Oral presentations<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Many students mentioned advantages of an oral presentation over written work, including being \u201cbetter able to express what I\u2019m doing when I speak\u201d.\u00a0 Another commented that \u201cwhen you write, you downplay\u201d what was done on placement and that an oral form of assessment can be less constrained by \u201cacademic rules\u201d.\u00a0 Another student agreed, saying that a presentation would \u201clet someone express [their experience] much better\u201d and another concluded: \u201cI think just talking would be better [than a written assignment]\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Students suggested that oral presentations offer a chance to \u201ctalk through your experience\u201d and also to field questions (e.g., \u201cWhat do you think you specifically learned?\u201d), which \u201cmakes you reflect a lot more\u201d.\u00a0 They also commented on the advantages of having other individuals present.\u00a0 A student noted that presenting in a group means that you \u201cget to see what other people have been doing [and] how they\u2019ve developed their skills\u201d which could even \u201cchange your perspective\u201d.\u00a0 It was commented that this approach can be \u201chelpful to your peers as well, not just you\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a similar vein, one student suggested a viva voce (a one-to-one oral examination) whereby students \u201ctalk to our supervisors\u2026 and have that discussion\u201d about their experiences.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><em>Assessing the thoroughness of the experience<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>One student suggested that having written assignments can limit introspection, and get one \u201cwriting it for the sake of having a reflective piece to submit\u201d rather than discussing \u201chow much have I grown\u201d.\u00a0 By contrast, they suggested that, in oral presentations, \u201cflow is better \u2013 easier \u2013 and it really gives you cause to think about how you have developed\u201d.\u00a0 Further reflecting on oral presentations, one student commented that \u201cit\u2019s up to you how you present it and how you convey how much you\u2019ve learned, what you\u2019ve learned, how much you\u2019ve grown\u201d and \u201chow you justify what you\u2019ve done in your placement hours\u201d.<\/p>\n<h1>Reflections<\/h1>\n<p>The insight gained from this work has proved invaluable when formulating assessment for the coming academic year.\u00a0 Students\u2019 views on the possibility of interpersonal assessment has informed the structure of oral presentations where students are given the opportunity to discuss an aspect of placement in front of their peers.\u00a0 The marking criteria have been developed to incorporate some of this feedback, such as inclusion of autonomy, personal development, and showing relevant skills.<\/p>\n<p>Whilst it only represents a small study, some practical suggestions could be proposed.\u00a0 For instance, when evidencing and discussing their placement experiences, students were clear that oral presentation offers several advantages over written methods (a more common approach to work-based assessment; Ferns &amp; Moore, 2012).\u00a0 The importance of assessing skills development over time was highlighted, which could be considered when setting and providing structure for both formal and informal assessment (e.g., Bates et al., 2013). \u00a0Finally, it is perhaps also important for educators to keep in mind that students begin placement with different experiences, variation which has the potential to impact both their learning and achievement.<\/p>\n<h1>Follow up<\/h1>\n<p>The summer of 2024 will be the first-time oral presentations have run for several \u2018placement\u2019 modules.\u00a0 We shall continue to refine the assessment itself (and marking criteria) based on further feedback and look into whether concerns about the written reflective piece remain; if so, an assessment that relies more on continuous engagement could be considered.<\/p>\n<h1>References<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>Bates, J. et al. (2013).\u00a0 Student perceptions of assessment and feedback in longitudinal integrated clerkships.\u00a0 <em>Medical Education, 47<\/em>, 362\u2013374. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/medu.12087\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/medu.12087<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ferns, S., &amp; Moore, K. (2012).\u00a0 Assessing student outcomes in fieldwork placements: An overview of current practice.\u00a0 <em>Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 13<\/em>(4), 207\u2013224.<\/li>\n<li>Kornbluh, M. (2023).\u00a0 Facilitation strategies for conducting focus groups attending to issues of power.\u00a0 <em>Qualitative Research in Psychology<\/em>, <em>20<\/em>, 1\u201320. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/14780887.2022.2066036<\/li>\n<li>University of Reading. (2023, December).\u00a0<em> Assessment and the Curriculum Framework<\/em>.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/curriculum-framework\/assessment\/\">https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/curriculum-framework\/assessment\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reports the findings from interviews with students about how placements at Masters level should be assessed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":235,"featured_media":7478,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[10,2,182,1],"tags":[581,139,27,659],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2024\/02\/pexels-buro-millennial-1438084-2-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7463"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/235"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7463"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7479,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7463\/revisions\/7479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}