CIT Teaching & Learning Unit

Project title

Enhancing Work-Placement Assessment & Feedback Practices

Project Lead

Dr Tom O'Mahony (tom.omahony@mtu.ie)

Project Status

• In Progress

Project Lead Home Department

• MTU Cork - Mechanical, Electrical and Process Engineering - Process, Energy and Transport Engineering

Alignment to HEA and NFETLHE SATLE 2023-24 Themes

• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 
• Best Practice in Upholding and Cultivating Academic Integrity

Alignment to MTU Strategy Themes

• Learner Education & Experience
• Leading Regional Development

Project Description

This project aims to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of assessment and feedback in work-placement settings, building on prior research conducted by MTU's Teaching Learning Assessment and Student Engagement (TLASE) Research Laboratory.

Existing research by Boud et al. (2020) and Ajjawi et al. (2021) has identified that assessment within Work Integrated Learning curricula should:

• Support the development of independent learners with the capacity to monitor and judge the quality of their own work and learning.
• Focus on the development of a professional identity.
• Be re-framed as a collaboration between students, academic and industry partners.
• Reflect the nature of the actual learning undertaken by students.

However, the project team's own research on students' experiences of assessment during work-placement (O'Mahony, Murphy & O'Sullivan, 2024) revealed significant gaps between theory and practice. Many participants reported that assessment on work-placement did not support learning, was not focused on the actual learning undertaken, and there was scope to better develop their professional identity.

The aim of this project is to enhance assessment in work-placement settings by identifying assessment and feedback interventions with the potential to address these gaps, and to pilot those interventions within selected work-placement programmes.

The project plan includes the following key components:

Expanded Data Collection and Analysis

• The existing Placement Student Survey (O'Mahony, Murphy & O'Sullivan, 2024) will be used to gather further data, which will be combined with existing data from 2023-24 and 2022-23. An automated process will be developed to extract, analyse and report on this data at the programme level.

Co-Designing Interventions

• Workshops will be held with six work-placement programmes to explore their assessment and feedback processes, with a focus on the impact and potential of Generative AI and the nature and purpose of student reflection.
• These workshops will co-design assessment and feedback interventions with MTU work-placement supervisors to address student feedback, enhance the reflective process and promote academic integrity.

Piloting and Monitoring Interventions

• The co-designed assessment and feedback interventions in these six programmes will be implemented and monitored throughout the process, with ongoing support provided to the academic staff.

Employer Engagement

• Data previously collected from employers will be analysed, and a workshop will be designed and facilitated with employers to explore and enhance their experience of assessment and feedback in work-placement settings.

By adopting this multifaceted approach, the project team aims to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges faced in work-placement assessment and feedback, and to pilot innovative solutions that can be scaled across MTU's entire work-integrated learning portfolio, benefiting both students and industry partners.

What is the anticipated impact of this project?

Initially, this project will have a direct impact on several key stakeholder groups:

MTU Work Placement Supervisors

• The project will directly engage 6-8 MTU work placement supervisors.
• This interaction is expected to have a transformative impact on the supervisors' overall approach to enhancing assessment and feedback practices, as well as promoting academic integrity within the work-placement setting.

MTU Work Placement Students

• Over 500 students who complete work placements within the six targeted discipline areas on an annual basis will benefit from the project's outcomes.
• The enhancements to assessment and feedback practices will contribute to improved student learning and engagement during their work-placement experience.

Industry/Host Organisation Supervisors

• The project will involve 40-50 industry and host organisation supervisors who will participate in the employer workshops.
• This will ensure that the project's findings and best practices are disseminated to and adopted by the broader work-placement community.

Beyond the direct stakeholders, the project is anticipated to have a wider, systemic impact:

Work-Placement Curriculum Enhancement

• It is expected that the work-placement curricula across a range of business and engineering programs at MTU will be enhanced.
• The project's insights and guidelines on assessment and feedback practices will be integrated into these curricula, ensuring that student learning on these programs is further strengthened through improved work-integrated learning experiences.

Publication and Dissemination

• The project will result in the development of six practice guides on assessment and feedback in work-placement settings.
• Additionally, a research article outlining the changes piloted and evaluating their impact will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
• These outputs will contribute to the broader scholarly and practitioner discourse, enabling the wider higher education community to benefit from the project's findings and implement similar enhancements within their own institutions.

HOW Will the outputs of this project be DISSEMINATED?

The dissemination plan for this project will focus on a comprehensive approach to sharing the project outputs and findings with a diverse audience:

National Forum Seminar

• The project team will present the work at a National Forum Seminar, in collaboration with the wider higher education institution (HEI) community.
• This will provide an opportunity to engage with peers from across the Irish higher education sector and facilitate cross-institutional knowledge exchange.

MTU ‘s Work-Placement Learning Community

• The project's insights and best practices will be shared with the MTU work-placement learning community, including representatives from partner organisations and work-placement coordinators.
• This will ensure that the findings are directly relevant to and applicable within the work-placement landscape.

MTU Teaching and Learning Unit (TLU) Seminars

• The project outputs will be showcased through TLU seminars at Munster Technological University (MTU), reaching the institution's teaching and learning community.
• This will help disseminate the project's impact within the home institution and inspire further collaboration and implementation of the findings.

Journal Article

• The project team will prepare a peer-reviewed journal article to be published in a reputable academic journal focused on teaching and learning in higher education.
• This will contribute to the broader scholarly discourse and ensure the research findings are disseminated to an international academic audience.

TLU/TLASE Website

• The project's outputs, including any relevant resources or case studies, will be made available on the TLU and TLASE (Teaching, Learning, Assessment and Student Engagement) website.
• This will provide open access to the project materials and serve as a centralised repository for interested parties to explore and utilise the findings.

By implementing this comprehensive dissemination plan, the project's outputs and findings will be effectively shared with the national higher education community, work-placement partners, teaching and learning specialists, and a wider public audience, maximising the project's impact and facilitating the adoption of its insights and best practices.

Team Members