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Cross-institutional study on placements in life sciences

This research aims to determine the motivations and perceived benefits of work experience in undergraduates studying life science degrees across three institutions, and to identify any inhibitory factors involved in seeking/gaining a placement. The study includes a survey and focus group, analyzing data from students who have completed various types of placements. Results show the motivations, benefits, and challenges of placements in the life sciences field.

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Cross-institutional study on placements in life sciences

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  1. Cross-institutional study on placements in life sciences Cross-institutional study on placements in life sciences Vanessa Armstrong School of Biomedical Sciences Nigel Page School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy & Chemistry Lucuane V. Mello School of Life Sciences

  2. Aims: • To determine the motivations and perceived benefits behind the uptake of work experience in undergraduates studying life science degrees • Compare the data across three institutions – any common themes or distinct differences • To determine if there are any inhibitory factors involved with seeking/gaining a placement

  3. Current research: • Since 1980s research looking at impact of placement experience on students • Lots of work related to clinical placements not much in life science sector • Mixed reports on effect on academic ability (Driffield et al., 2011- better students, v Brooks and Youngsen 2014) • Importance in skill development- both broad and sector specific • Future employment investigation • Little and Harvey 2006 – 82 students across 7 institutions • But student perspective-motivations and inhibitory factors?

  4. Student opportunities: 'In today’s competitive graduate recruitment market, work experience schemes have become an integral part of recruiting new graduates. Students applying for paid placements during their first or second year at university are selected through a very similar recruitment process to that used to recruit graduates. This means that once a placement has been successfully completed, recruiters are able to offer students a graduate position, often a full year before they are due to leave university and several months ahead of employers who recruit graduates during their final year of study.‘ (High Flyers Research 2019)

  5. Study: • Ethical approval • 18 question survey via Survey Monkey • Ran the survey across 3 institutions (electronically) • April- July 2017 • Focus group July 2017 • Placement- all types, year, exchanges, summer, shadowing etc • In house data analysed (summer research placements, placement year, exchanges).

  6. Results: N=Newcastle L=Liverpool K=Kingston • 292 responded • 71.9% female 17.4% male • 84.6% home UK, 6.8% EU, 8.6% International • 17-21 years most represented group • Stage 1- 75, stage 2- 106, stage 3- 96, stage 4- 14 • Interest in subject area was biggest factor in degree choice • 56.6%,63% and 51.6% NLK knew career post-graduation

  7. Q12:What motivates/motivated you to secure a placement?

  8. Q14: My institution supported me

  9. Q15 If you have completed a placement, what do you feel were the benefits to you?

  10. Residence (approx. 1/3): • Divided into living with family and living with non family (59 LWF, 233 LNF)

  11. Sex (209F, 80M): • Q9: Do you know what career you might wish to follow post-graduation? 60.1% F and 50% M said yes • Q10: Have you or do you plan to carry out a placement?

  12. Q11: If you have not completed a placement and do not plan to was this because?

  13. Nationality (247UK, 20EU, 25Int):

  14. Free text comments: • “There should be autism placements” • “A placement in any sector will provide many transferable skills for your CV and show that you have a strong work ethic no matter what sector you end up working in” • “Really helpful in helping you decided what you want to pursue as a career” • “These days lots of graduates have the same degrees with the same grades so it is vital to make yourself stand out from the rest. Having experience in a preferred field not only gives you an insight and knowledge into that area but it shows that you are proactive and show initiative.” • “Just do it! it is life changing” • “My placement really helped to improve my skills in presenting and improved my confidence. This was very useful for my third year, especially when it came to presenting my CMB3000 project. “

  15. Focus group: • Single session at NU (6 participants stage 2-PhD all SBMS) • Student led • Career concerns- competition • Some suggestions for advertising/promoting opportunities • Full implications of processes not understood • Proactive group! • Task about ideas of placements (5 key words) > wordle

  16. School of Biomedical Sciences: • Collated 1 year placement, summer research placement and exchanges since 2008/2011 • Total of 113 students have completed/undertaking a placement year (3 international, 1 EU, 109 UK) • Increase over past couple of years in 1 year placements- 20 current • Academic performance- 70 graduated, 68.5% mean, 56% 1st, 40% 2i • Summer research placement (summer stage2) – over 80 2019!!

  17. Challenges: • Collaboration challenges- geographical, time • Responses- fair representation? • Different cohorts and degrees • Quite a lot of data generated!!! • Participants understanding of all of the terminology?

  18. Provision changes/focus: • All institutions have introduced new initiatives • SBMS: additional staff • University-wide placement drive • Peer mentoring • Kingston and Liverpool: Employability teams with focus on Life sciences • Raising profile of placements and employability

  19. Summary • Lots of data! • Some interesting findings • Lots of similarities • Interesting demographic data • Good starting place • ->practice changes

  20. Future work • Repeat survey (demographics) – anything changed sicne 2017? • Qualitative research • ---- Act • Consider widening participation group

  21. Acknowledgements • Collaborators: Professor Lu Vieira de Mello (Liverpool University) and Dr Nigel Page (Kingston University) • Student interns- Beth Dibnah and Heather Thompson • Professor Steve McHanwell • Educational and Research Practice Development Group (ERDP) for funding for research • Contact Vanessa.Armstrong@ncl.ac.uk

  22. References: • Little and Harvey (2006) Learning through work placements and beyond. HECSU report • Driffield, Foster and Higson (2011) Placements and degree performance: do placements lead to better marks, or do better students choose placements?. ASET Annual Conference. • High Flyers Research (2019) The graduate market in 2019. https://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/2019/graduate_market/GMReport19.pdf • Brooks and Youngsen (2014) Undergraduate work placements: an analysis of the effects on career progression. Studies in higher education. 41 (9)

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