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Placement Supervisor Resource
Workbook one - The supervisory process
When you have completed this section and the activities contained within it, you should be able to:
- Identify the purpose of student placement and benefits and challenges for all involved
- Describe the role of the placement supervisor
- List the responsibilities of the placement supervisor
The purpose of work placement
Many UHI programmes include work-based learning opportunities as an integral part of the course. Before we can start to engage in facilitating learning within the workplace it is important to understand the purpose and the benefits of student workplace experience.
Activity
Take some time to think of previous student placements at your workplace or to think of a time that you spent on placement as a student. What do you think the purpose of student placement is?
The principal objective of any work placement, regardless of its length, is to consolidate and complement academic knowledge and skills with real life experience (ASET 2013). Waters (2001:577) summarises the purpose of student placement in three statements:
- to allow the acquisition of professional knowledge, skills and attitudes
- to allow the theorising of practice and the practicing of theory
- to allow professional identity formation and enculturation (the process by which students are inducted to and adopt their professional culture)
The benefits of placement
For most students placement is a rich and rewarding part of their course. High quality placements with effective placement supervision can bring many benefits for students. There is strong evidence to suggest that placements and work experience are extremely valuable to students, both in terms of their academic performance and their employability skills (Wilson 2012:37, Brown and Ahmed 2009).
It’s not only the students that can gain from work experience, placements can also be beneficial for the university, the workplace, and for the placement supervisor. Hodgson and Scanlon (2013) highlight the links between the role of placement supervisor and increased job satisfaction and also staff retention. Being realistic, however, there may also be some costs/challenges.
Watch
Watch the following videos to listen different people talking about the benefits for each of these groups:
Benefits to the university
Benefits to the students
Benefits to the placement supervisor
Benefits to the workplace/ organisation
Activity
- What do you think student placements can give to each of the following groups: the student, the university, the placement supervisor, the workplace organisation? Spend a few minutes focusing on each group and jot down your ideas.
- What might be the 'costs/challenges' involved for each?
You may have come up with some of the following benefits and challenges illustrating that student placements can achieve a wide range of positive outcomes for all parties involved:
|
|
Benefits |
Challenges |
|
The student |
allows students to apply their learning making learning more meaningful enables students to practice skills helps to motivate students helps to confirm that this is the correct course/career for the student provides the opportunity to gain increased understanding and awareness of the world of work, gaining “real world” experience gives students the opportunity to reflect on their skills and gain greater self-awareness and confidence gives students the opportunity to work as part of a team and gain skills in working collaboratively helps students gain self-management and problem solving skills gives the opportunity to make contacts /form professional networks enhances CV possible employment - either part-time or full-time |
cost and time to travel to placement some students may find forming new relationships at placement stressful placement hours may not fit around other commitments (family, part-time work etc.)
|
|
The university |
in some programmes student placement may be a compulsory element with the requirement for placement assessment playing a crucial role in the course even if formal assessment is not required placement provides practical experience for students and helps to reinforce and consolidate aspects of the academic course placement experience can help to increase student motivation which impacts positively on retention and success placements can play a role in improving student satisfaction in general can form part of a broader, institution-wide emphasis on business engagement, building stronger partnerships with industry |
finding appropriate placements building and maintaining strong placement networks provision of information re placement for students and staff support for placement supervisors
|
|
The placement supervisor |
helps enable supervisors to reflect and gain insight into their own skills and professional practice gives supervisors the opportunity to develop and consolidate skills related to facilitating learning in the workplace gives supervisor the opportunity to develop leadership skills Enhances job satisfaction – most placement supervisors find the role rewarding and enjoy contributing to the support and development of others
|
demands on time need to be well organised need to be knowledgeable about placement requirements, learning methods etc. |
|
The organisation |
can help raise the profile of the organisation/service can help future recruitment can help bring new ideas to the workplace
|
demand on time and staff resource training for supervisors |
Did you identify any of the challenges noted in the table?
Most, if not all, of these challenges can be overcome though careful planning, good communication and staff training and support. Hopefully you will agree that the benefits far outweigh the challenges.
What’s in a name Supervisor/Mentor?
Throughout this training resource we will use the term Placement Supervisor to refer to the person who is responsible for supporting and facilitating the learning of the student in the workplace.
In some academic programmes/placements this person may be referred to as the Placement Mentor.
The Collins English Dictionary definitions of the term mentor and supervisor are:
“A person's mentor is someone who gives them help and advice over a period of time, especially help and advice related to their job."
“A supervisor is a person who supervises activities or people, especially workers or students.”
The role of the Placement Supervisor
The role of the placement supervisor is multi-dimensional with the primary aim of supporting and facilitating student learning. Bruce and Austin (2000) summarised the role of placement supervisors as falling into the following 4 functions: socialisation, administrative, supportive and educational.
Supervisors should:
- act as role models for safe and effective practice in line with their professional code of conduct
- support learning to enable the student to meet their programme outcomes
- support and supervise students, providing feedback on their progress towards, and achievement of, proficiencies and skills
Put simply placement supervision is about helping the student to reach their full potential.
The role of placement supervisor is extremely important and can play a positive role in both the student experience and their learner journey (Diack et al. 2014). A good supervisor will be remembered for many years.
Activity
Think back to a teacher or a work colleague that inspired you. What impact did they have in your learning or job role?
The responsibilities of the Placement Supervisor
Responsibilities of placement supervisors include:
- having knowledge about the student’s programme and the requirements of placement so that the placement can be put into context
- ensuring that the student, and all placement staff, are clear about the purpose of student placement and what is expected of them
- facilitating a positive learning environment
- providing induction
- developing a learning plan, supervision agreement
- ensuring that the student has access to relevant learning experiences
- facilitating the development of competencies consistent with the student’s programme and stage of learning
- having regular planned meetings re learning, progress, issues etc. relating to the placement student to
- providing opportunities for students to feedback on their experience
- validating learning and good practice
- providing comprehensive, constructive feedback
- challenging practice that is inappropriate, or which does not fit with that agreed and expected in the placement setting
- participating in any agreed monitoring, assessment or reporting mechanisms agreed with the University, including the completion of documentation
- evaluating the placement
Further details
Full details of responsibilities of the university, the student and the placement provider can be found in the UHI Student Placement Policy and Guidance document (pages 6-9).
Role model
One of the key aspects of being a placement supervisor is acting as a positive role model. Student placement relies heavily on role modelling to pass on, not only skills, but also standards, qualities and attributes related to the workplace (Finn et al. 2010). The basis of role modelling is consistent with Bandura’s social learning theory (1997) which advocates that learning occurs as a result of observation.
Everyone in the workplace acts as a role model, either intentionally or unintentionally which can mean that at times unsatisfactory practice can be learned as well as good practice. It is essential that supervisors and the wider workplace team are aware of their impact as role models and the influence that they may have on students. They should therefore act as good role models displaying skills, qualities and professional characteristics that positively shape the student’s professional development.
References
- ASET (2013) Good Practice Guide for Work Based and Placement Learning in Higher Education [online]. Available from <http://www.asetonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ASET-Good-Practice-Guide-2014.pdf> [11 April 2019]
- Bandura, A. (1997) Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. New Jersey: Prentice Hall
- Brown, G.and Ahmed, Y. (2009) ‘The value of work placement.’ Enhancing the Learning Experience in Higher Education Vol 11 No 1
- Bruce, E. and Austin, J. (2001) ‘Social Work Supervision.’ The Clinical Supervisor, 19:2 85-107 [online] Available from <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1300/J001v19n02_05> [7 August 2019]
- Diack, l., Gibson, K., Munro, K. and Strath, A. (2014) ‘Experience of Supervision in Practice Placement’ Education Research International Vol 2014 764519
- Finn G., Garner, J. and Sawdon, M. (2010) You’re judged all the time! Students views and on professionalism: a multicentre study Cited in Gray, M. (2014) Practical skills for mentoring: a guide for busy practitioners. London: Palgrave MacMillan
- Gray, M. (2014) Practical Skills for mentoring in Healthcare : A Guide for Busy Practitioners. London : Palgrave MacMillan
- Hodgson, A.K and Scanlan, J.M. (2013) ‘A concept analysis of mentoring in nursing leadership. ’Open Journal of Nursing 3:389-394
- Waters B (2001) ‘Radical Action for Radical Plans.’ The British Journal of Occupational Therapy 64(ii)577-578
- Wilson,T. (2012) Business-university collaboration: the Wilson review. London: Department of Innovation and Skills
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