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Enhance employability skills in work placements with the use of blogs as a reflective peer-peer learning tool: lessons learned. Dr. Julie Dunne & Dr. Sinéad Ryan School of Food Science & Environmental Health, Dublin Institute of Technology Ireland
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Enhance employability skills in work placementswith the use of blogs as a reflective peer-peer learning tool: lessons learned Dr. Julie Dunne & Dr.Sinéad Ryan School of Food Science & Environmental Health, Dublin Institute of Technology Ireland School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin Ireland HEA STEM Edinburgh 2014
So many missed opportunities for learning • Sharing experiences ‘Assessment for learning, not of learning’ • Ongoing reflection, to turn experiences in learning • Community of learning
Pilot study: phase I • Encourage deeper analysis and critical thinking • To support a community of learning and sharing of experiences
VLE Blog • Private to class (n=32) • Individual Blog: • describe • reflect • Relate • Peer Interaction • Comment and respond within blog sub-group (n=4)
Tutor feedback after first post • Encouraging concise description, reflection, and relating experiences to college theory • All students could see and learn from tutor-comments • Peer feedback • reading peer blogs • peer interactions
Phase 2: Overall successful pilot BSc Honours Nutraceuticals in Health & Nutrition
Weaknesses Identified: style • Poor standard of language ‘text speak’
Weaknesses Identified: content • Difficulty in developing critical reflection
Weaknesses Identified: Student Interactions • Perception that comments less important than blogs • Lack of empathy and reflection in student’s comments to one another
Steps to address weaknesses Ask the students what supports they need • Demonstrate how to use the software • Provide examples of previous blogs • Explain how they would be graded
I found reading other students blogs helped me to write a better blog BSc Nutraceuticals (Level 8) Pharmacy Technician (Level 6) Agree Disagree
The blog is a useful tool for students to share experiences while on placement BSc Nutraceuticals (Level 8) Pharmacy Technician (Level 6) Agree Disagree Through the blog I felt connected to my class while out on placement BSc Nutraceuticals (Level 8) Pharmacy Technician (Level 6) Agree Disagree
Main benefits of blog assessment • Collaborative learning tool • Deeper analysis and critical thinking • Professional development through reflection • Improved written communication • Student friendly peer and tutor support and feedback • Broadening the curriculum through gaining, sharing and discussing external perspectives on core knowledge gained in lectures
Some Recommendations • Provide students with several examples of diverse, high quality blogs. • Positive and negative experiences • Critical and routine experiences • Ideally ensure that there is diversity of work placements in each blog group. • Consider the frequency of blog and comment cycle. • Feel free to contact! • Julie.Dunne@dit.ie