Griffith Graduate Attributes

Professional Skills Toolkit

(A) Knowledgeable and Skilled in their Disciplines

1. Comprehensive knowledge and skills relating to their disciplines

2. An interdisciplinary perspective

3. Capacity to find, evaluate and use information

4. Ability to apply discipline/professional skills and knowledge

in the workplace

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Table of contents

Purpose of this toolkit ............................................................................................ 3

Why your students need to have professional skills .............................................. 5

What employers, graduates and students say about professional skills .................................................................................................. 8

Teaching tips—How to develop your students’ professional skills through work-integrated learning ................................................................ 11

Assessing students’ professional skills ............................................................... 18

Principles of effective professional skills ............................................................. 23

Where to go for help ........................................................................................... 25

Additional resources ........................................................................................... 28

Professional Skills Toolkit 2nd Edition

Authorial Attribution:

1st Edition: Crebert, G., Patrick, C.-J., & Cragnolini, V. (2004).

2nd Edition: Crebert, G., Patrick, C.-J., Cragnolini, V., Smith, C., Worsfold, K., & Webb, F. (2011). Professional Skills Toolkit. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 4th April, 2011)

http://www.griffith.edu.au/gihe/resources-support/graduate-attributes

NOTE: The URLs listed in this toolkit were current at the time of retrieval. However, please note these may change with time as websites update.

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Purpose of this toolkit

The Toolkits developed by members of the Griffith Graduate Project are intended primarily for academic staff. They offer an overview of some of the main issues related to developing students’ graduate skills during their degree studies.

They draw heavily on existing literature and current practice in universities around the world and include numerous references and links to useful web resources.

They are not comprehensive ‘guides’ or ‘how to’ booklets. Rather, they incorporate the perspectives of academic staff, students, graduates and employers on the graduate skills adopted by Griffith University in its Griffith Graduate Statement.

Griffith University. (2009). The Griffith Graduate Attributes. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 1st October

2010) http://www.griffith.edu.au/gihe/teaching-learning-curriculum/graduate-attributes

This Toolkit, Professional Skills, focuses on how students can benefit from learning and working in a professional context outside the university, while studying.

This toolkit, together with others in the series (as shown in the following table) can be accessed via the Griffith Institute for Higher Education webpage, the URL of which is listed on the following page.

GRADUATE

ATTRIBUTES

DESCRIPTOR

TOOLKIT

(1) Knowledgeable and Skilled in their Disciplines

Comprehensive knowledge and skills relating to their disciplines n/a

An interdisciplinary perspective Interdisciplinary Skills

Capacity to find, evaluate and use information

Information Literacy

Ability to apply discipline/professional skills and knowledge in the workplace

Professional Skills

(2)

Effective Communicators and Team Members

Capacity to communicate effectively with others orally Oral Communication

Capacity to communicate effectively with others in writing

Written Communication

Capacity to communicate effectively with others using ICTs, multimedia, visual, musical and other forms appropriate to their disciplines

ICT and Other Discipline-Related Communication Skills

Capacity to interact and collaborate with others effectively, including in teams, in the workplace, and in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts.

Teamwork Skills

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GRADUATE

ATTRIBUTES

DESCRIPTOR

TOOLKIT

(3)

Innovative and Creative, with Critical Judgement

Ability to use knowledge and skills to devise solutions to unfamiliar problems

Creativity and Innovation*

Ability to analyse and critically evaluate arguments and evidence appropriate to their disciplines (e.g. collect analyse and interpret data and information, generate and test hypotheses, synthesise and organise information)

Critical Evaluation

Knowledge of research methodologies in their disciplines and capacity to interpret findings

Research Skills

Ability to generate ideas/products/art works/methods/approaches/perspectives as appropriate to the discipline.

Creativity and Innovation*

(4)

Socially Responsible and Engaged in their Communities

Ethical awareness (professional and personal) and academic integrity

Ethical Behaviour and Social Responsibility*

Capacity to apply disciplinary knowledge to solving real life problems in relevant communities

Problem Solving

Understanding of social and civic responsibilities, human rights and sustainability

Ethical Behaviour and Social Responsibility*

Understanding the value of further learning and professional development

Further Learning

(5)

Competent in Culturally Diverse and International Environments

Awareness of and respect for the values and knowledges of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Peoples

To be developed

Respect, awareness, knowledge and skills to interact effectively in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts

Global and International Perspective and Awareness*

A global and international perspective on their disciplines. Global and International Perspective and Awareness*

NB: * Toolkit covers two sub-attributes. ** Toolkit development in progress

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Why your students need to have professional skills

This Toolkit, developing your students’ Professional Skills, focuses on how students can benefit from learning and working in a professional context outside the university, while studying.

Learning in the workplace, on work experience, in a practicum, doing a work placement, etc., gives students the opportunity to:

Identify the relevance of particular theoretical concepts, skills and ways of proceeding that have been learnt in their course of study, and thus encourages more intentional classroom learning;

Put theory into practice;

Appreciate that academic success is not the only attribute for successful employment and careers;

Develop an awareness of workplace culture and appreciate the rapidly changing nature of the world of work;

Evaluate and develop work-related personal attributes (diplomacy, cooperation, workplace etiquette and leadership);

Develop specific communicative and interactive abilities; and

Establish career plans and strategies.

Orrell, J. (2001). Work-integrated learning in universities: Cottage industry or transformational partnerships? Paper presented at the GIHE/IPON Symposium on Work-Integrated Learning, Griffith University, Australia.

Definitions

The term, professional skills, is used in this Toolkit to refer to the skills necessary for graduates to succeed in professional practice. They include the “generic,” or “transferable” skills listed in Griffith University’s Griffith Graduate Statement, and also include the attributes of self-motivation; self-confidence; self-management; self- promotion; as well as the ability to understand ethical conduct; meet deadlines; be punctual; get on well with others in the organisation and clients; and show initiative.

Professionalism means having the skills and qualities that characterise a practising professional. It develops over time, and in the context of professional practice. Work experience, work placement and other forms of work-integrated learning at university can help students develop those skills in a professional context and make for a smoother transition to the world of employment.

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Work-integrated learning is used in this Toolkit to refer to the numerous forms of workplace learning, such as practicum, field placement, work placement, industry project, sandwich courses, etc., that students undertake while studying.

Research shows that students who experience work-integrated learning appreciate the relevance of their study and are more motivated to complete their degree programs than those who don’t; and that they develop a stronger professional and vocational identity more quickly. As well, they are better placed to consolidate the skills and knowledge learned at university through practice.

The need for professional skills

“New graduates entering today’s workplace face a number of challenges, especially how to learn and function in unfamiliar and unpredictable situations. Multi-skilled, multi- national project teams, requiring collaboration, cooperation, flexibility and inter-cultural awareness, demand high levels of professional and interpersonal skills. Graduates must be able to service their own administrative needs and are routinely required to work longer hours than their predecessors.”

Harvey, L. (1999). New realities: The relationship between higher education and employment. ( Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 17 September, 2001) http://www.uce.ac.uk/crq/publications/cp/eair99.html

Employers and graduates recognise the importance of well-developed professional skills for early and subsequent career advancement. The table below summarises the needs of today’s workplace and is based on the work of Lee Harvey in the United Kingdom (1999).

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Characteristics of today’s workplace

Workplace challenges Understanding that the world of work is unpredictable, and requires a wide range of skills for an individual to function effectively.

Teamwork Group and interpersonal skills are essential when dealing with the collaboration required in multi-skilled, culturally diverse team situations.

Changing nature of work Today’s workplace requires employees to be multi-skilled; perform their own administrative tasks; and be aware of modern technological changes associated with their profession.

Job (in)security Employees no longer expect to stay in one job for an extended time. Careers can be built across a range of diverse employment positions.

Broader expertise The workplace involves the demonstration and application of professional skills, which go beyond the normal university requirements for written assessment and exams.

Transferability of skills The more environments in which students exercise their professional skills, the more able they are to transfer learning from one learning context to another.

Interactive attributes Communication.

Teamwork.

Interpersonal skills.

Personal attributes Intellect.

Disciplinary knowledge.

Willingness and ability to continue learning.

Ability to find things out.

Willingness to take risks and show initiative.

Flexibility and adaptability.

Ability to pre-empt and ultimately lead change.

Self skills Self-motivation.

Self-confidence.

Self-management.

Self-promotion.

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What employers, graduates and students say about professional skills

Employers’ comments

"We find that skills, knowledge and attitude are important for being successful in your work, and at times attitude overrides everything because with the correct attitude people can go out and apply themselves and achieve the knowledge and skills required to be successful."

(Employer of Griffith Graduates, 2001)

"The new graduate would generally work with somebody else, so they get to learn from that other person how to do things. They are also introduced to our organisation, how we work, why we do things in a certain way, and I think that is really valuable for students to get that kind of experience. The other thing we stress is that it is always going to be different from workplace to workplace and you need to understand that. You have to interact with other people and one person might not always have something ready for you on time, when you wanted it, and you might need to negotiate with different people and reassess your deadlines in order to get completed on time."

(Employer of Griffith Graduates, 2002)

“We generally like to see prospective employees perform outside of a formal interviewing process as well, so that we can see them in a work situation - this will tell us as much as the interview itself.”

(Employer of Griffith Graduates, 2002).

“Employers do not ask new graduates to mortgage their souls and operate on the principle of blind obedience, but they do ask new recruits to adopt fundamental beliefs and values perceived to be necessary for success. The culture in an organization is vastly different from that on campus and must be thoroughly understood by new graduates or they will be doomed to fail.”

Phillips, J. (1987). Recruiting, Training and Retraining New Employees. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Graduates’ comments

“Work placement helped me to develop confidence in individual work; helped me to understand work relationships and roles.”

(Griffith Graduate, 2001)

“Work placement gave me a specific understanding of industry expectations, as well as confidence.”

(Griffith Graduate, 2001)

“In my first job out of university, I was all excited about putting my skills into place, but, you know, the employer tends to put the stop on you a bit because they don’t feel that you are ready yet, or you need a bit more experience before you go through with it.”

(Griffith Graduate, 2001)

Students’ comments

“Work placement takes your skills off the bench and onto the playing field.”

(Griffith Student, 2003)

“I’m better equipped to move into the professional workforce as a result of work placement.”

(Griffith Student, 2004)

“If you have learnt nothing or found nothing challenging over the last few years of your degree, you will be in for a real treat doing work placement, as it will challenge you mentally and provide you with one of the greatest learning experiences of your life.” (Griffith Student, 2004)

Research shows:

“…while the social and economic world has been transformed in recent years, the demands made of graduates by employers still largely revolve around age-old concerns of the ability to learn new material and to apply it to workplace scenarios.”

Hesketh, A.J. (2000). Recruiting an elite? Employers’ perceptions of graduate education and training. Journal of Education and Work, 13(3), p. 268.

“In essence, employers expect a degree to provide a profound, broad education rather than attempt to train someone for a specific job. In some cases, particular knowledge and understanding of a subject area is a bonus, as are specific technical skills. An understanding of the world of work, some commercial awareness, some appreciation of work culture and the ability to work in teams, communicate well and exhibit confidence (but not arrogance) in interpersonal relations is a considerable enhancement.”

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Harvey, L., Moon, S., & Geall, V. (1997). Graduates’ Work: Organisational Change and Students’ Attributes. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 16 November, 2010) http://www0.bcu.ac.uk/crq/publications/gw/gwov.html

The Business Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry identified a number of elements of learning skills that are valued by employers, namely:

managing own learning;

contributing to the learning community at the workplace;

using a range of mediums to learn – mentoring, peer support, networking, IT, courses;

applying learning to technical issues (e.g., learning about products) and people issues (e.g., interpersonal and cultural aspects of work);

having enthusiasm for ongoing learning;

being willing to learn in any setting – on and off the job;

being open to new ideas and techniques;

being prepared to invest time and effort in learning new skills; and

acknowledging the need to learn in order to accommodate change.

Business Council of Australia and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (2002). Employability Skills for the Future. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 24 June, 2002) http://www.dest.gov.au/ty/publications/employability_skills/final_report.pdf

“The extent to which the [higher education] context and the first or subsequent job contexts are similar is also likely to have a profound effect on whether transfer occurs. The greater the difference in terms of task, people and expectations, the lower the likelihood of transfer.”

Atkins, M.J. (1999). Oven-ready and self-basting: Taking stock of employability skills. Teaching in Higher Education, 4(2), p. 275.

“In contrast to the more academic areas of the educational program, goals for the practicum are more likely to emphasise attitudinal changes than acquisition of knowledge or technical skills.”

Toohey, S., Ryan, G., & Hughes, C. (1996). Assessing the practicum. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 21(3), p. 216.

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Teaching tips—How to develop your students’ professional skills through work-integrated learning

What is work-integrated learning?

Work-integrated learning is the general term given to learning that occurs through undertaking a component of industry/professional practical experience during a degree program. It is usually unpaid, but formal credit is often awarded for assessment.

Work-integrated learning can include work experience, internships, guided industry projects, clinical placements, mentoring and/or a combination of these workplace- oriented activities, as well as “sandwich” courses where students spend an extended period of time working in industry or the professions between periods of study. These activities are usually conducted under guidance from academic staff and a workplace supervisor from the participating organisation. Work-integrated learning activities can either be part of a specific course of study/discipline and graded as part of a student's normal study, or can be an ungraded part of an individual student's efforts to gain workplace experience while still in university.

Currently around 60 - 70% of all undergraduate programs at Griffith include a component of work-integrated learning in one or more courses. These include a variety of student- assisted activities suitable for a diverse range of interests. The Office of Community Partnerships has developed a web portal to manage the interface between the University and employers/community in negotiating work placements.

How does work-integrated learning develop students’ professional skills?

When students undertake work placement or internship, they have to adapt to the culture of the employing organisation. They need to:

Be punctual;

Be reliable;

Be responsible;

Be well-groomed and neatly dressed;

Be able to listen and follow instructions;

Meet deadlines;

Juggle work and study;

Convey information accurately;

Work collaboratively;

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Work independently;

Show initiative;

Be able to manage themselves, priorities, and time; and

Get on with other staff members and clients.

Some models of work-integrated learning

Model Characteristics

Work placement

(This term is sometimes used more broadly to refer to some of the models described below).

A three-way relationship between the student, the university and an organisation, where the organisation places a student in industry during the degree program (paid and/or unpaid) to:

Develop links between theory and practice;

Experience life within an organisation outside the university;

Develop professional competencies;

Undertake a specific task or project;

Contribute specialist or generalist skills to the organisation’s day-to-day operations;

Gain knowledge of workplace practice by shadowing/observing senior staff members within the organisation;

Include a mentor/supervisor.

Learning Outcomes: Usually negotiated by the student with the academic/industry supervisors.

Assessment: The whole work placement or a component may be assessed.

Work experience/Va cation work

Paid or unpaid extra-curricular work;

Usually takes place in industry or profession related to student’s program but may relate to student’s part-time work, which is not related to their program;

Helps student to develop skills which will assist employability;

May be requirement of some professional degrees.

Learning Outcomes: Not generally defined.

Assessment: Usually not formally assessed.

Practicum

Paid or unpaid work placement;

Students learn professional skills and knowledge;

Specific time period.

Learning Outcomes: General expectations of some learning outcomes.

Assessment: Usually assessed in a formal or informal manner.

Clinical placement

Usually unpaid placement in health and veterinary science disciplines;

One-to-one or team supervision by qualified professional;

Based on student using professional skills;

Highly structured program.

Learning Outcomes: Specific learning outcomes required.

Assessment: Usually formally assessed.

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Internship

Paid work placement;

Usually one year in length;

Student is a full employee of the organisation.

Learning Outcomes: Usually not tightly specified.

Assessment: Not usually assessed, but a report may contribute to credit points towards the degree program.

Sandwich course

Paid work placements;

Additional time in industry, which adds to length of degree program;

May be continuous block of work placement, e.g., 12 months;

May be series of shorter placements, i.e., 4 months per year for duration of degree program.

Learning Outcomes: May be no specific learning outcomes defined.

Assessment: May or may not be assessed.

Co-operative education

Usually paid work placements;

Usually more than one placement during student’s degree program;

May be based on specific project or more general work experience.

Learning Outcomes: Usually well defined.

Assessment: Usually assessed, especially if project-based.

Industry project

Usually unpaid;

Usually short-term;

Based on achieving outcomes for a specific project;

May be individual student or student team;

May be done at organisation’s work place, or done at university.

Learning Outcomes: Well defined.

Assessment: Formally assessed.

Cadetship/

Traineeship

Paid placement;

Employing organisation offers cadetship/traineeship on competitive basis to students;

Student given time release to attend lectures.

Learning Outcomes: Not defined.

Assessment: Not assessed by university.

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Things to consider when introducing work-integrated learning

How work-integrated learning (WIL) fits with the degree program

What are the intended graduate outcomes from this degree program?

How does WIL contribute to these outcomes?

Which type of WIL lends itself to this degree program?

How many students will require WIL opportunities? Will it be compulsory for a cohort, or competitive for the best students?

Student outcomes

What guidelines and resources do students need? Are the learning outcomes loosely or tightly defined?

What supervision/mentoring will be provided for students?

What academic supervision will students need in the field?

How will students be assessed? Will the traditional methods be appropriate?

Is the placement to be seen as a “test” of students’ existing knowledge, or are they encouraged to use it as a learning experience for new knowledge and a refresher for previous learning?

Administration of WIL

How can the School/Department resource the management of placements and supervision for students? Who funds student travel?

Who will be responsible for developing relationships and partnerships with industry?

Who will coordinate the WIL placements?

Are students responsible for finding their WIL placement, or will the School/Department assist/find placements?

The best WIL timing

Should students have a “chunk” of WIL in the final year?

Should students have multiple opportunities during the degree program for WIL components?

Should these components be stand-alone, or build incrementally throughout the degree program?

Relationships with industry partners

What guidelines and resources will organisations need?

What resources do you have to build and maintain industry relationships?

How will you build an industry database of possible placement opportunities?

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Ideas to use in work-integrated learning

Provide industry partners with certificates and gifts to recognise their participation.

Establish regular communication between the university and students on placement through regular email newsletters or web portal.

Provide training prior to placement, such as first aid training, conflict negotiation, and discipline-specific workshops.

Ensure students are aware of the ethical dimensions of the profession they will work with.

Provide assistance during the placements to refresh students’ knowledge base on specific topics or to provide specific new knowledge related to the placements.

If students are working in remote, interstate or overseas placements, set up a buddy system so they don’t miss out on information that students closer to the University receive.

Ensure that industry supervisors are aware of their responsibilities to the students and are also aware of the assessment requirements of students.

Invite industry partners to sponsor student awards related to placement performance.

Ask students who have completed their component of work-integrated learning to break into groups and discuss their experiences to identify the skills they learned and the attributes they developed as a result.

Ask them to compare theoretical perspectives on work-integrated learning from selected readings with the reality of their experiences.

Issues in work-integrated learning

Growing numbers of students mean increased numbers of WIL placements need to be found.

WIL placements require dedicated staff, and preferably the involvement of all staff in supervision.

WIL supervision and management are not seen as prestigious, and are difficult to incorporate in many performance appraisals.

Many staff are uncomfortable dealing with industry.

While on placement, students may have difficulties accommodating their normal part-time employment and academic work.

Some industry areas do not have a concept of supporting WIL experiences, though they would like to benefit from the learning outcomes in their graduate employees.

Who will handle the issues that arise while students are on placement?

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Maximising learning outcomes through reflection

Students learn a lot about their own professional skills development when they are required to reflect on what they have learned and how they have learned it.

Coordinators of WIL agree that formal debriefing sessions, where students think deeply about the meaning of their experiences, coupled with assessable reflective documents, greatly enhance students’ awareness of and confidence in their own professional skills, including their confidence in transferring those skills to employment following graduation.

Donald Schön (1983) suggested that the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning was one of the defining characteristics of professional practice. Requiring students to reflect intentionally on their learning experiences is an important starting point in the development of professional practice skills.

“Double loop learning”

This term describes the duplication of stages in the reflective cycle to ensure maximum learning outcomes: e.g., briefing; workplace experience; plan and design briefing; reflect on practice; evaluate outcomes; undertake action planning; briefing; workplace experience; plan and design briefing; reflect on practice; evaluate outcomes; action planning.

Argyris, C. (1990). Overcoming Organizational Defences: Facilitating Organizational Learning. Boston: Alyn & Bacon.

Setting up learning contracts before the work-integrated learning experience

Introduce students to the notion of reflective practice by ensuring they know what they expect to learn during the experience. Have the student negotiate and document their expected learning outcomes prior to their placement. A learning contract should include:

Reference to the professional skills to be developed;

Specific discipline-specific knowledge to be acquired;

An expectation of increased awareness of the tasks carried out by professionals in the placement;

Details of a specific project with defined requirements;

A list of resources the student will need (human and other) to ensure the learning is achieved;

Dates at which student is held accountable for documents or presentations which report on their progress on placement; and

Conflict negotiation processes in the case of breakdowns in interpersonal relationships in the work placement.

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Reflective journals or learning documents

Encourage students to develop a professional portfolio, log book or reflective journal on what, and how they learned in the workplace.

Ask them to submit it as part of their assessment, or write a debrief report based on their journal.

Students’ work experience portfolios fulfil two valuable purposes:

They capture analytical reflections on the meaning of their experiences;

They substantiate their claims of skill development in job applications and interviews.

More importantly, they give students practice in “signposting” their learning by documenting critical incidents, or “Ah, ha!” moments in their learning.

Some questions to help students structure their writing might include:

How does what I am learning in the organisation relate to what I already know from my study program?

What are the main differences and why should there be differences?

What aspects of my learning do I need to change in order to adapt to this new context?

What are the most important things I have learned about being a professional in this discipline area?

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Assessing students’ professional skills

What are you assessing in work-integrated learning?

The key to designing assessment tasks for work-integrated learning is to identify learning outcomes that will meet the expectations of the University, the employer and ultimately the student.

Knowledge or process?

Process or product? The way the student manages the placement requirements, or the outputs expected from the placement such as a report, product, etc.

Theory or practice? How the student applies learned theory to practice, or how practice leads to development of new knowledge.

Skills or knowledge? The application of existing knowledge to new and novel problems, or the output of knowledge in a defined way.

Individual or group contribution, or a mixture of both?

Individual outputs, or shared outputs from a group process. Will assessment include evaluation of the group processes involved in the placement?

Standards

Academic or industry/professional standards, or both?

How can industry standards be incorporated with academic standards for assessment which is valid in both arenas?

Measurement of student’s professional values or ethics?

Is there an expectation that students will recognise and report on the professional values and ethics involved in their placement?

Evaluation of student’s professional behaviour? Should the student’s work ethic (commitment, being on time, meeting deadlines, working collaboratively and independently, etc.) be assessed, and by whom?

Three major issues in assessing work-integrated learning

Is it possible to offer learning opportunities for all students so that outcomes can be compared?

Do the non-standard assessment items appropriate for work-integrated learning fit in a traditional degree program?

Can these non-standard assessment items say anything meaningful about the student’s achievement?

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Adapted from: Toohey, S., Ryan, G., & Hughes, C. (1996). Assessing the practicum. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 21(3), 215-227.

Different models for assessing students’ professional skills

Which model will you use? Assessment

The attendance model?

Work placement seen as: an optional extra to traditional curriculum; an opportunity for networking/job prospects.

No formal assessment; or else Pass/Fail grading, where “Satisfactory Completion” = “Satisfactory Attendance” in the workplace.

The work history model?

Emphasis is on documentation and completion of tasks. Students are required to document/reflect on significant tasks undertaken in workplace. There is little structure in the learning process.

Student’s log book or journal is sighted and certified by academic supervisor.

Student’s performance in workplace is observed by academic supervisor.

The broad abilities model?

A more integrated model in which the abilities/generic skills such as critical thinking, teamwork, etc. are specified as learning goals.

Comparative grading of students’ achievements is possible.

Students are required to submit reflective reports relating theory to practice, and analyse and reflect on the meaning of their workplace experiences.

The specific competencies model?

Key roles and tasks expected of practitioners are identified, so students can experience the full range.

Students are required to demonstrate competence on all or some of the tasks/roles.

Graded or non-graded assessment.

Mix of observed performance in workplace and formal paper/oral examination.

The negotiated curriculum model?

Uses learning contracts between student and workplace supervisor; placement is seen as a learning experience.

Criteria and learning outcomes are mutually agreed.

Time consuming for academics; beneficial for students.

Adapted from: Toohey, S., Ryan, G., & Hughes, C. (1996). Assessing the practicum. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 21(3), 215-227.

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Graduate outcomes at the heart of placement assessment

The University of South Australia has developed an instrument for assessing Student Work in Professional Experience (SWIPE). Students doing work placement use it to relate their practical experience to the University’s seven graduate qualities, especially those considered essential to the role of a professional within their discipline.

Placement objectives are written in terms of the graduate qualities so that they become part of the way the student thinks about the work placement.

This ensures that students “stretch” their thinking process by linking their practice experience to the seven qualities.

It incorporates elements that are both analytical and action oriented.

It provides students and supervisors with a framework for assessing their practice.

It gives supervisors the opportunity to provide detailed feedback on theory, problem solving, communication skills, team functioning, cultural awareness, ethical actions and lifelong learning.

Students use a document template to record their learning and skills development in critical events during their placement, and analyse them reflectively in relation to each of the University’s seven graduate qualities;

This document must be validated by the student’s supervisor. It then becomes the basis of the student’s job application or preparation for an interview.

Adapted from: Munn, P., & Hudson, C. (2004). The integration of the graduate qualities in clinical placements.

Ideas for work placement assessment

Academic report: Include description of the organisation and where student’s work fits; discussion of the work achieved or observed by the student; student’s own evaluation of their professional growth on placement. A report may, or may not include a reflective journal/log book.

Professional report: Design an assessment task that requires students to prepare and present professional advice on a particular project (e.g., construction of a bridge), in the context of a public forum. Their advice should address particular aspects of the project (e.g., the kinds of issues likely to arise; the data to be collected and analysed; and the team that would be needed).

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Oral presentation: Students can report on their experience on placement in a variety of styles. The usual

10-minute tutorial presentation style does give students some experience in oral presentations, but consider putting together groups of students who have to plan and execute a small conference on their return from placement, with Powerpoint presentations, chairperson, questions from the floor, etc.

Academic supervisors’ report: Provide academic supervisors with criteria against which to match students’ professional skills development. Make the criteria explicit and consider interim reports as formative assessment, in addition to summative reports, at the end of the placement.

Organisation supervisors’ report: Employers especially appreciate firm criteria against which to measure students’ performance. Consider an interim report so student has a chance to improve performance before the end of placement.

Poster presentation: Students can prepare poster presentations showing the highlights of their placement. These posters can be a source of inspiration to students who have not yet experienced placement.

Log book: Can include summaries of the week’s activities, how the student thinks about the placement in relation to their career goals, the student’s contribution to the placement organisation, and reflection on growth of professional and other skills.

Who should assess students’ professional skills?

The academic supervisor?

The workplace supervisor?

What level of assessment is required from the student’s organisational supervisor and how comfortable are they with assessing the student?

A mix of the two?

Many work-integrated learning programs have found the best way to assess student performance and achievement in the field is to involve both the workplace supervisor and the academic supervisor, sometimes including a component of self- and/or peer-assessment. The academic supervisor can make judgements during regular workplace visits and set specific academic assignments; the workplace supervisor can make judgements on task

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performance and workplace interactions; the student can self-assess in reflective logs or journals; and peers can give critical feedback in group presentations.

Students themselves? and/or

Their peers?

Are students required to provide a reflective assessment on themselves or their peers? What guidelines are they given to help them do this effectively?

Research carried out in the Griffith Graduate Project (Stages 4 and 5), found that employers of Griffith students on work placement felt it was not their role to give marks or grades for students’ performance or achievements while in their organisations. They were concerned about reliability and consistency between supervisors, and about the standards they should use when assessing.

On the other hand, they were very committed to providing formative feedback during the placement, and, if necessary, to having the student complete a second placement if they were considered unsatisfactory.

Employers speak about assessment

“…I don’t feel that it is my job to fail someone academically. If he or she turned up and did the work, the University needs to make the decision whether or not that person passes or fails. I think it would be very difficult if you got industry to mark students. Students are terribly concerned whether they get a GPA of 6.73 or 6.4 and if I get in there and go ’You get zero for me, therefore you get a 5.9,’ I just don’t think it is right…”

(Employer of Griffith Graduates and work placement students, 2002.)

“Sometimes you have got to be able to do that thing which is so hard to do…I certainly found it harder to do the first time…and that is to actually fail someone. It is not easy to do. Suddenly you find yourself turning pages looking for something, anything, to add to the mark.”

(Employer of Griffith Graduates and work placement students, 2002.)

“We had a student who was clearly incompetent and we recognised that fairly early on, and we tried to help them grow, which took a fair amount of time, but we were committed to trying to make the placement work. When we had to complete the assessment, we sat down with this person, saying ‘You really need to develop these things.’ They didn’t feel that they needed to, and so we then had to take that to the lecturer and say, ‘Look, this person hasn’t taken on board our comments and we don’t feel comfortable saying that they’re good to work with in the industry.’ They needed to develop some more skills and we felt that was the fair thing to do. But I don’t want to pass or fail these people.”

(Employer of Griffith Graduates and work placement students, 2002.)

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Principles of effective professional skills

Students’ professional skills

Develop over time;

Relate to student’s attitude to and engagement with the world of work;

Include more than generic, or graduate skills – they include:

o Developing an awareness of workplace culture;

o Punctuality;

o Responsibility;

o Getting on with other staff members and clients; and

o Flexibility and adaptability.

Work-integrated learning (WIL) can play a major role in the development of professional skills by:

Allowing the student to develop skills in a professional, rather than university context;

Developing awareness of workplace culture;

Enabling students to see the relevance of theoretical concepts in practice.

WIL models include:

Work experience/vacation work;

Practicum;

Clinical placement;

Internship;

Sandwich course;

Co-operative education;

Industry project;

Cadetship/Traineeship.

What do WIL coordinators need to consider?

How WIL fits with the degree program;

The best timing for WIL experiences;

How WIL is to be administered and supported in the school/department;

Relationships with industry partners/employers;

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Student outcomes.

Assessment of professional skills through WIL

What is being assessed? Theory or practice? Academic or industry standards?

Who is involved in the assessment? Academics, employers, students?

Will normal academic assessment be used or will assessment be tailored to the professional context?

Are explicit criteria for assessment provided to students, the employer and the university so they know what is expected in terms of professional skills develop- ment?

Professional Skills Toolkit Page 25

Where to go for help

Contact:

The Griffith Institute for Higher Education.

Griffith University, (n.d.). Griffith Institute for Higher Education. Retrieved from the World Wide Web 22 November 2010) http://www.griffith.edu.au/gihe

Information Services, Learning and Teaching.

Griffith University. (n.d.). Staff Support. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 25th October, 2010) http://www.griffith.edu.au/learning-teaching/whos-who/staff- support

The Office of Community Partnerships

The University is committed to substantially enhancing work-integrated learning as an integral priority of the Academic Plan. The highly successful workplace learning programs of the University have been achieved by elements with dedicated staff on the ground, working directly with the industries, academic staff and students. It is expected that Griffith will build on this model through expert staff based in elements, linked with the workplaces concerned and with the staff. The Office of Community Partnerships has already formed an alliance with the major work-integrated learning practitioners in the University and has begun supporting preliminary work on best practice.

Professional Capabilities Program (PCP)

Drs Alf Lizzio and Keithia Wilson of the School of Psychology – Health, Griffith University, have developed the Professional Capabilities Program, a series of exercises which link students with their future profession.

This program develops professional capabilities in students appropriate to their year of study and their eventual role as professional psychologists.

“In its design, PCP models the kinds of collaborative approaches to learning which it inculcates in participants. Partnerships between the School, central support services and external agencies through which PCP is delivered mirror the kinds of partnerships graduates will need to develop and maintain to deliver services in their own working lives. Furthermore, exposure to professionals employed by these areas further extends the vision of how students’ own specialist interests might be applied in their future careers. The peer mentoring aspect of PCP offers avenues for learning about both what it means to seek guidance from experienced practitioners (in this case successful students), and to share experience with others coming through the ranks – again evoking the ethos of practising psychology professionals.”

Extract from Submission to Australian Awards for University Teaching, 2003: Professional Capability Program. Dr K. Wilson & Dr A. Lizzio, School of Applied Psychology – Health, Griffith University.

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Griffith Career Services

The Griffith Careers and Employment Service offers a wide range of job search and career development services and resources for students and graduates. They can assist with the following issues:

Find career direction with careers appointments, Career Options With My Degree guides, and the self-directed career decision-making resources.

Prepare for your jobsearch with job search seminars, careers appointments, resume checks and more...

Find job vacancies and work experience with Careerboard jobs database and links to Australian and international job vacancy websites.

Build your career with Industry Mentoring Program, Workplace Contact List and online career-building resources.

For more information visit:

https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/community-welfare-recreation/careers- employment

Additional information about some of these services are provided below.

CareerBoard

Student work experience opportunities, graduate programs (final year students) and graduate vacancies are listed on Griffith’s CareerBoard. This web facility also hosts employment information including links to key national and international career resources.

To access CareerBoard, students and staff must register first. After registering, you can access CareerBoard without delay and at any time. Find CareerBoard at:

https://www115.secure.griffith.edu.au/careerboard/Login.chpx?ReturnUrl=%2fcar eerboard%2fDefault.chpx (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010).

Workplace Contact List

People in the workplace in a wide range of professional fields have agreed to be available as contacts for Griffith students. Students and graduates may use people on the list administered by the Careers and Employment Service for career, employment and organisational information, work experience or as contacts for referrals elsewhere.

Information on contacts is listed at:

https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/community-welfare-recreation/careers- employment/build-your-career (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010).

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Job Search and Career Development Seminars

Staff of the Careers and Employment Service present seminars on a wide range of job search and career development topics. See the Careers and Employment website for more details.

https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/community-welfare-recreation/careers- employment/assistance-with-job-search/job-search-seminars (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010).

Seminars are conducted centrally and as part of academic programs. Some schools incorporate seminars into preparation for or debriefing after work-integrated learning.

https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/community-welfare-recreation/careers- employment/services-for-academics (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010).

Griffith University Mentoring Program

The Griffith University Mentoring Program, coordinated by staff of the Careers and Employment Service, is conducted in Semester 2 each year at the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. This program links undergraduate students who have completed 80 credit points and postgraduate students in any year level with experienced professionals from similar career fields. At the start of the Program, participants draw up a Mentoring Agreement, listing the activities they plan to undertake during the following three-months. Mentoring activities may include some or all of the following:

Discussion of workplace/employment-related issues with their mentor

Attendance at workplace or professional association meetings

Professional networking

Obtaining assistance with the development of an appropriate resume and effective interview skills

Students observe and monitor the quality of their learning throughout the Program by maintaining a reflective 'Mentoring Logbook' of their experiences. Post-Program evaluations provide feedback that is used to develop and improve later Programs. Separate Programs currently operate in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.

The Program is also important in expanding University contacts with government and business and the breakfast launch at a city venue provides an opportunity for academic staff to meet with people in their professional field.

https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/community-welfare-recreation/careers- employment/build-your-career/industry-mentoring-program (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010).

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Additional resources

Print resources

Bennett, N., Dunne, E., & Carré, C. (2000). Skills Development in Higher Education and Employment. Buckingham: SRHE & Open University Press.

Billett, S. (2001). Learning in the Workplace: Strategies for Effective Practice. Crow’s Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Blackwell, A., Bowes, L., Harvey, L., Hesketh, A.J., & Knight, P.T. (2001). Transforming work experience in higher education. British Educational Research Journal, 27, 269-285.

Schön, D.A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books.

Schön, D.A. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Web resources

Flinders University. (2010). Work Integrated Learning. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010) http://www.flinders.edu.au/teaching/wil/

RMIT University. (n.d.). Work Integrated Learning (WIL): Integrating Work and Learning. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010) http://www.rmit.edu.au/bus/wil

Swinburne University. (2010). Industry and Education: A Working Partnership. Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010) http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ibl/employers/index.html

The University of Queensland. (2001). Value Added Career Start. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010) http://www.vacs.uq.edu.au/index.html

The University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Co-operative Education and Career Services. (Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010) http://www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/

Johnson, E., Herd, S., Tisdall, J. (2002). Encouraging generic skills in science courses. Electronic Journal of Biotechnology. Retrieved from the World Wide Web 16 November 2010) http://www.ejbiotechnology.info/content/vol5/issue2/teaching/02/