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Placement Supervisor Resource
Workbook three: Providing an effective learning experience
When you have completed this section and the activities contained within it, you should be able to:
- Explain the importance of a positive learning environment
- Identify and evaluate the types of action that can help make your workplace an effective learning environment
- Apply the principles and processes that make the learner journey at different stages of placement a positive experience
The learning experience
Effective placement experience relies on workplace staff who are able to recognise learning opportunities and who are willing and able to communicate and share their professional experience. Research shows that student’s learn better in a positive learning environment (Barkley 2010, Dale et al. 2013, Swafford et al. 2014). Simply put, students learn better when they view the learning environment as positive and supportive.
Let’s start by looking at what not to do!
In 1986 Darling coined the phrase “toxic mentor” to identify four types of mentors/supervisors that would certainly not create a positive learning experience and would in fact probably discourage learning.
Avoiders
The elusive placement supervisor who is never available to the learner to set and review their practice and goals or to provide support, challenge and role modelling.
Blockers
The placement supervisor who blocks the learner’s development by preventing them from accessing learning by either over-supervising or withholding knowledge or information.
Destroyers
The placement supervisor who undermines the student’s confidence by being over critical and uses tactics such as humiliation
Dumpers
This type of placement supervisor believes in ‘sink or swim’, and will often deliberately leave the learner in situations where they are out of their depth.
Although Darling’s work was published over 30 years ago the concept of toxic mentors remains relevant. I am sure you read these descriptions in horror, thinking “I remember that well”. You are probably reading this material because you have a genuine desire to support placement learning and help with the development of others so I am sure that you will not fit any of these descriptions.
Now let’s turn to the positive.
A positive learning experience
Activity: Learning environment
What do you think makes an effective learning environment?
What can you do to ensure that your work placement gives the student a good learning experience?
Watch this video to hear some of the ways that one of our placements help to ensure a positive learning environment
You may also find it valuable to listen to what students have told us helps to create a positive learning environment
There is no one framework or theoretical model of placement supervision used across UHI programmes as this varies across programmes and types of placement. What is essential, however, is a systematic approach to student placement to enable the experience to be effective.
The enthusiasm of supervisors and the wider staff team for hosting student placements, supporting students and providing learning experiences helps to generate student engagement and learning. It is important that the student feels comfortable in the setting and feels able to ask questions. The old adage that ‘there is no such thing as a stupid question only learning opportunities’ holds true.
Providing an effective learning experience
This section will be broken down into:
- Pre-placement activities
- The first few days:
- Induction
- Setting ground rules
- Learning contract
- During placement
- The end of placement
Pre-placement
Preparation is a key component to a successful placement. The supervisor should be familiar with the aims of the programme, what stage the student is at and what they have learned in theory and on any previous placements. This will help to give you a realistic idea of what you can expect from the student. You should also be aware of what the university expects the student to achieve while they are on placement as this will allow you to tailor learning opportunities to meet the needs of the student. It is important to ensure that all members of the workplace team have an understanding of the purpose of the student placement and what they can expect of the student. This information should be provided by the university in the form of placement handbooks, placement meetings, placement visits etc.
Planning ahead will allow you to organise dedicated time for supervision and to prepare induction information e.g. a map of the building, list of staff names and roles, details of the organisation, relevant policies and paperwork, health and safety information, etc. All of this will make the student feel expected and welcome.
Activity
Think back to your first day in placement or your first day in a new job. Were you anxious? What did you worry about?
Watch
Watch this short video to hear some students tell us about how they feel before placement.
Many courses will encourage students to arrange a pre-placement visit. This initial contact, made either by telephone or in person, is the opportunity to make introductions and to make the student feel welcome. It also allows you to give the student some basic information such as hours of work, arrangements for break times (do they need to bring a packed lunch, money for the canteen?), dress code etc. In most cases this will help reduce some of their anticipatory anxieties.
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Find out about the student’s programme and their learning objectives for placement |
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If possible, meet with the university placement co-ordinator |
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Inform colleagues about the student, their programme and how they can help during the placement |
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Organise your work schedule to allow time with student and plan for cover if you are not available |
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Have an induction pack ready |
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Prepare any resources needed |
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Identify suitable learning opportunities |
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Plan ways in which you can include the student in team activities |
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Send the student a welcoming e-mail |
The first few days: Induction
A comprehensive induction completed over the first few days is essential to ensure that the student feels engaged and part of the placement setting right from the start. The induction should cover areas specific to the placement and the academic programme and may include things such as:
- Introduction to the team
- Tour of the workplace facility
- Relevant policies and paperwork e.g. absence reporting, data protection, confidentiality etc.
- Health and safety information e.g. fire evacuation, manual handling etc.
Students may have an induction checklist provided by the university or the workplace may have one for students and new members of staff which should be covered and signed when completed.
While the provision of key information is important it is also important not to overwhelm the student with too much new information at one time. Having an induction folder that covers things such as relevant policies, emergency procedures, health and safety information etc. will allow students to dip in and out of this information avoiding overload and helping to consolidate knowledge.
After a comprehensive induction the student should feel more confident in the workplace. They should also feel more comfortable about asking questions and clarifying tasks.
The first few days: Setting ground rules
It is very useful to have an early meeting with the student to break the ice, find out what they hope to get out of placement and to set the ground rules. Try to meet with the student in a quiet area where you are not likely to be interrupted. This is a good opportunity to show that you are interested in the student and to find out a little more about them. The best way to get the information that you require is to ask questions for example:
- What do you hope to get out of this work placement?
- Have you any anxieties about the placement?
- Do you need any additional support requirements / adjustments?
Activity: Expectations
What should the students expect of you?
What should you expect of the student?
You may have come up with some of the following:
What the student should expect of you:
- That you are approachable
- That you treat them with respect
- That you are supportive of their learning
- That you provide learning opportunities
That you offer feedback that is fair and accurate - That you tell you when things need to be changed
- That you offer regular supervision and meetings to discuss progress
You may have come up with some of the following:
What you should expect from the student:
- That they are motivated
- That they have good timekeeping
- If sick, they follow attendance procedures
- That they take responsibility for their own learning
- That they ask questions
- That they ask for help or clarification when needed
The first few days: Learning contract
You should aim to sit down with the student to discuss and complete a learning contract during the first week of placement.
What is a learning contract?
A learning contract is an agreement, negotiated between the learner and the supervisor, of the learning that will occur during placement. Completing a learning contract will help to ensure that certain activities will be undertaken in order to achieve identified learning goals. Whilst the outcomes may not be formally assessed, the agreement forms an important part of the placement experience and is highly valued by students as an aid to their development.
Benefits of a learning contract/agreement
- Everyone is clear about what the learning intentions/ objectives are for the placement
- The agreement can be individualised according to the placement and the needs of the learner
- The process helps encourage learner independence
- The contract can act as a guide for judging if the placement has been successful
During placement
The extent to which learning opportunities are available is important to the student experience, the success of the placement and also the achievement of competencies. Supervisors should match formal and informal learning opportunities to the aims and learning objectives of the placement helping to ensure that the student has the range of experience to successfully complete the placement.
Informal learning often tends to be opportunistic and therefore placement supervision needs to be flexible and responsive. A strong learning ethos across the workplace team which allows all members to be involved in providing learning experiences will add to the richness of the student experience and give them the opportunity to access a range of experiences.
It is likely that the student will arrive at placement feeling nervous and apprehensive. They will probably start slowly and gain confidence over time. As they become settled and more confident then your expectation of them can increase. By the end of the placement you should see signs of reliability and, within boundaries, autonomy and independence. This will vary between individual students and also depend on the length of placement.
Throughout the placement the supervisor should try to work with the student as often as possible. This will allow the supervisor to build a professional relationship with the student and to give ongoing guidance, support and constructive feedback. Giving accurate and timely feedback is critical. Giving feedback will be covered in greater detail in Workbook 5.
Depending on the length and nature of the placement there should be at least three interviews with the student. Booking dates and times for the interviews in advance will help ensure that both the student and the supervisor keep that time free and that they are prepared for the interview.
Interviews
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Beginning of placement: |
Establish learning needs and goals |
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Middle of placement: |
Feedback from supervisor and student. Updating goals |
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End of placement: |
Review and reflection |
(adapted from Craig and Smith 2015:19)
The end of placement
There will probably be an end of placement report to complete provided by the university. This should be completed in consultation with all staff that helped to support the student during the placement. The report should be completed with time for an end of placement meeting with the student where the report is discussed, and the student given time to make comment. The content of the report should not come as a surprise to the student as it should reflect ongoing evaluation and feedback.
The placement setting may also wish to give students a feedback questionnaire about their experience on placement. This can help with evaluation and continuous improvement. This will be covered in more detail in Workbook 6.
References
- Barkley, Elizabeth F. (2010) Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Conway, J, Jolly, B. and Sutton, B. (2012) An overview of clinical placements in aged care. Report to Health Workforce Australia.
- Craig, Kim and Smith, Barbara (2015) The Nurse Mentor’s Companion London Sage
- Dale, B., Leland, A. and Gunner Dale, J. (2013) ‘What Factors Facilitate Good Learning Experiences in Clinical Studies in Nursing: Bachelor Students’ Perceptions’ ISRN Nursing Volume 2013, Article ID 628679, 68-94
- Darling, L.A. (1986) ‘What to do about toxic mentors’, Nurse Education, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 29–30
- Goppee, N. (2015) Mentoring and Supervision in Healthcare 3rd Edn. London Sage
- Swafford, M., Bailey, S. & Beasley, K. (2014) ‘Positive Learning Environment Enhance Student Acheivement’. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers 89 (5), 32-35.