This is a presentation I did as part of a project for the 'Application of Learning Technologies' module on the PGCAP at the University of Salford in November 2012

1. Developing an online meeting forum
for nursing & social work students
who are out on practice placements
Sarah Kennedy November 2012

2. Setting the scene - outlining the
‘problem’ :
• Students on our programme are training for two
sets of qualifications
• They do practice placements in each year,
including a 90 day placement in the 2nd year and
a 100 day final placement in the 3rd year.
• We know that they can experience feelings of
isolation and can feel cut off from peers and
university (see: Maidment 2006, Young et al
2010, University of Salford Joint Programme end
of year evaluations and placement evaluations)

3. Aims of the project:
To provide support I intend to do this
for students out on via an online
placement using session that is
voluntary to Create a
synchronous media
participate in. Community of
(Macdonald 2006)
Practice
(supporting UK PSF: (When? How? Any
A4, K4, K6, V2, V3 restrictions on
and V4) numbers? )

4. How do I know that this is what our
students want?
What do colleagues and practice settings
think?

5. Why I believe this will work:
• Previous students (both our own and in the
literature) have told us they would have/have
benefitted from it
• Current students are open to trying it
• It provides an additional layer of support to
complement the formal structures that are
already in place
• Google Hangout means that the meeting can be
recorded for others to easily see, therefore
assuming participants give permission, those who
cannot attend can still easily access the recording.

6. What obstacles might there be?
• Using and accessing the technology (eg
availability of laptops, having the right
accessories, being registered, firewalls in the
workplace, students lack confidence )
pilot sessions to practice using the tool
• Having the time to attend a session
perhaps provide sessions at different times
to enable participation

7. How will I know if it’s worked?
Informal feedback
from individuals
Questionnaires sent to
everyone in the year –
Whether people
those who
attend the sessions
participated and those
who didn’t
Feedback from Feedback from
practice educators via colleagues at team
questionnaires meetings

8. Next steps…
• To also pilot the online sessions for our 3rd
years who are going out on placement in
March 2013.
• To share the outcomes with the wider School
of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work – possibly
with a view to exploring a way of making this
type of support available to all students on
practice placements
• To write up the results for publication…?!

9. Finally…
“ reinventing the wheel is a wasteful and
dispiriting activity. Now that we have a
language to describe that experience of
practice teaching and learning we have an
opportunity to spend more time creatively: to
extend the metaphor, using the wheels to
build different kinds of vehicles for the
learning”
(Doel, 2000 p 167 in Beverley & Worsley 2007)

10. References:
• Doel M (2000) Practice teaching & Learning in Pierce R & Weinstein J (2000)
Innovative Education & Training for Care Professionals: A Providers Guide.
London; Jessica Kingsly cited by Beverley A & Worsley A (2007) Learning &
Teaching in Social Work Practice. Hampshire; Palgrave Macmillan.
• Macdonald J (2006) Blended Learning & Online Tutoring: A Good Practice Guide.
Hampshire; Gower.
• Maidment J (2006) Using On-line Delivery to Support Students during Practicum
Placements Austrailian Social Work Vol 59, issue 1 p47-55.
• Young P, Moore E, Griffiths G, Raine R, Stewart R, Cownie M, Fruto Perez M (2010)
Help is just a text away: The use of short message service texting to provide an
additional means of support for health care students during practice placements
Nurse Education Today Vol 30, issue 2 p118-123.