Prof. Mary Thorpe (IET) Ingrid Nix, Lecturer Learning and Teaching Technologies (FHSC)

1. Higher Education Academy Seminar Series, Enhancing Employability Skills17 March 2010 Employer Engagement and Development of Skills for Employability Preparing fortechnology-enhanced practice Learner perceptions of skills development within the OU Social work degreePart 3 Prof. Mary Thorpe (IET) Ingrid Nix, Lecturer Learning and Teaching Technologies (FHSC)

2. Part 3: Skills for technology-enhanced practice • What are Level 3 student views of • their learning on the degree • and how it relates to practice?

3. Most useful activities? K315 survey(n = 30 ~ 62)

4. MyStuff - VLE repository to manage and share information • ‘I particularly liked the introduction of My Stuff rather than just the Learning journal. This is a fantastic way to be storing information for us students and to be able to share it with other students.It would have been useful if this had been available for the duration of the4 year degree, as this would have been a perfect place to store research, essays as we were writing them (or completed documents) and other referencing tools, which could then be accessed from any computer.’ • ‘It was a way of saving information that I could then access wherever I was e.g. I could start a piece of work at home and access it at work.’ • ‘I could not relate to the My-Stuff tool. In my opinion, it is just a glorifiedcommunication system. Communication has never been so easy with the aid of e-mails and OU forums. I felt that the My-Stuff tool was just anothersocial network site, which is ok for people who enjoy utilising them.’ • (Three different K315 2009 students) Evaluating ICT for its ease of use and added value

5. Values exchange - Reflecting on ethical dilemmas • ‘[Values Exchange] was most useful to me as it enabled me to look at my own values compared with others. Sometimes in was pleasing to see that others had agreed with my opinions as this gave me a sense of feeling I wason the right track. However there were times people disagreed and this allowed me time to reflect on others’ perspectives. This did not always influence me to change my mind but gave me the opportunity to reflect on why I had chosen the answer I did..’ • ‘The content was interesting and thought provoking.’ • ‘The practical aspect of using the exchange system to discuss case studies that really challenged my own values. I felt that it helped to develop a better understanding of areas of conflicts and some assumptions that I carried about certain areas of practice.’ • ‘It made you think.’ • (K315 2009) Reassurance, reflect on why? Challenge assumptions & reflect on areas of conflict

6. Most useful activities? K315 survey Browse journals for relevant research Set up advanced search in database

7. Role of research: to bridge understanding • ‘This years PLO gave me the experience of working with a service user group that was unfamiliar to me. Also dimensions of cultural diversity. Initially I felt out of my depth through a lack of knowledge around the ethnicity and religion of this group. I used research techniques I had fine tuned on the course to expand my knowledge, gain confidence, and gave a starting point to explore further understanding through talking with the individuals I was working with. • Prior to study I felt the computer on my desk was a disruptive necessity to my role in the organisation, to be avoided where possible. K113, K216 and K315 have made me work on ICT skills while holding my hand so that now I [am] the first to complain if I'm in the office and have only got access to one of the desks that does not have computer access.’ (K315 2008 student, A8) Research to expand knowledge and confidence Changing perception of role of ICT in practice

8. Growing confidence from using research to expand knowledge • ‘I think the empirical research pushed me to cross boundaries I had imposed on myself. By this I mean I did not research information as a matter of course prior to taking k315.. I would read what information I had or speak to a more experienced member of staff. Consequently I now research more information on the internet.. this in turn has increased my knowledge on subjects and has given me confidence as I now feel that when asked by service users on advice etc I feel I have now identified gaps in my knowledge and now feel able to pass this information on. • (K315 2009 student, 20) Challenged to cross boundaries, leading to independent learning

9. Role of research to expand knowledge, grow confidence, & deepen understanding • ‘On placement I had a service user who was undergoing ECT at the local hospital. He was unaware of the process and agreed with the psychiatrist to undertake the treatment because he believed the Dr knew best and he wanted to get better. Through searching for articles on this subject I was able to give the service user a balanced view of the benefits and side effects in order to give the service user the information to make an informed choice ( also to increase his families knowledge as well as my own) • (K315 2009 student, 22) Enabling informed choices and decisions by service users & their families

10. Research to support service users & carers to make decisions • ‘Research to me was one aspect that has helped me during my practice. My practice learning opportunity was in a women’s refuge and I was working with a woman who wanted to return home to her perpetrator with her children. I was able to research how domestic violence affects children and talked through this with her. It resulted in her making the decision to stay at the refuge which I felt was the best option for her and her children due to the high level of violence at home and child protection concerns. • I feel that having the knowledge that research can help practice, and can assist in a difficult situation, helped in this instance. • [It] enabled the woman to reflect on how domestic violence affects children and gave her knowledge and empowered her to makedecision. Without using research this would not have been possible to achieve.’ (K315 2008 Student, 41A) Research provides reassurance & confidence to student Research informs service user

11. How much do you feel you will be able to use the IL/ICT skills that you've developed from studying the degree? Are IL becoming more important than ICT for study? Are IL becoming more important than ICT for study?

12. Skills for technology-enhanced practice • What are graduate views of • their learning on the degree • and how it relates to practice? • What examples do they give of technology-enhanced practice? • Explored through: • PBPL CETL funded Prepared for practice? research project

13. Graduate voices - approach used • 33 final year from OU SW degree (2008) volunteers for follow-up research after qualifying • Stage 1 (March 2009): Online questionnaire (n=19, 58% of sample) • Focus how well prepared for specific roles/tasks they felt in their first 6 months as a qualified worker • Stage 2 (May 2009): Semi-structured follow-on interviews (n=12, 63%) • To explore questionnaire responses and seek individual accounts and stories of practice-based professional development. • Data analysed from: • Audio recordings, transcripts, interviewers’ notes, questionnaire responses

14. How well prepared for practice by their degree studies?How well prepared by the degree for these tasks? Information and Communication Technology (ICT) positive (positive)

15. How well prepared for practice by their degree studies?How well prepared by the degree for these tasks? Information literacy (IL) (positive)

16. Themes from interviews • Value – essential (50-70% of time spent at PC) • Recording & sharing info; Communicating with colleagues & service users • Information gathering to inform decision-making • Improved confidence • Most started with confidence, most also gained confidence during degree • Lower confidence students appreciate clear pathway & support • Importance of relevant skills • Tension between generic vs specific skills to fit study and practice • Perhaps specific systems are best taught within practice settings? • Frustration • At lack of reward/marks (OU students no ECDL certificate as incentive) • In Practice settings: unworkable systems, time away from other tasks

17. Technology-enhanced practice: effective shared practices Motivation: fear & anxiety Risk of mistakes and their consequences • ‘Given everything else that’s going on, Baby P or Victoria Climbie, .. there are things within there that said information is missing, and then here I am looking for something and information is missing. That just unnerves me completely. • I just would love it if [management] would say “you stop using this and you have to use this”..’ • [Participant F, p.5]

18. Challenging practice: improving systems Positive engagement Prepared to challenge • ‘I want to get slicker at the system …I have sat in on a forum session where we were talking about improving the forms .. with the company that’s written the Integrated Children’s System…anything that helps that to improve I would happily spend more time on.’ [Participant F, p.13] • ‘I wouldn’t mind being seconded to be honest to our IT department to work with and to develop things that are more relevant for front-line staff. You know the amount of typing we’ve got to do is ridiculous because information is all on a form format, but it doesn’t copy through from an assessment to a care plan.’ [Participant C, p.25]

19. Technology-enhanced practice: working to bring change Motivation: perceived value, power to affect change • ‘I see the value of it now and there is a degree of power in what you do because unless I produce my documentation and send it up to the top for him to check and say that he’s happy with, it doesn’t happen. And if it doesn’t happen, then it doesn’t affect thechange for those individuals, so you know, you’re part of the system in that respect.’ [Participant I, p.5] Making a difference

20. Enhancing engagement with service users and carers • ‘I’ve been speaking to [our life story workers] about working with particularly young people .. that we maybe do their life story works on a PowerPoint presentation, so that they can choose the wallpapers . pictures .. sounds ..and all the whizzy things that go with it because they’re very IT orientated .. and they actually appreciate that and it can be part of personalising it for them.’[Participant F, p.10-11] Choosing technology to enhance communication and engage service users & carers

21. Enhancing practice with service users and carers – deciding against technology • Re - Using small computers to record assessments while with service users: • ‘I could not see the benefit of that because I thought that was very rude to be there in an assessment with somebody and not be concentrating on them …. I really couldn’t see the benefit of that. I didn’t think it was fair on service users at all..’ [Participant F, p.10] Discerning, selective use

22. Technology-enhanced learning: skills development since the degree? • ‘They’ve had to, they’ve had to, but only as a result of the spring board of the Degree, it has sort of, shot me off, into outer space sort of thing, to try and cope with it all and take on board these skills..’ [Participant I, p.1] Ongoing expectation of technology-enhanced practice

23. Developing technology-enhanced learningfor technology-enhanced practice Summary of examples: • Course websites – electronic course materials (to access information in a variety of ways) → manage workload using tools such as online calendar, spreadsheets, more efficient template documents • Online communication forum and discussion tools → same, also social networking sites e.g. Facebook, Bebo • Library facilities – online journals, databases → using simple and advanced search skills to locate information on behalf of service users & carers • Applications - to locate, capture share and present information → using in-house database systems, producing professional-looking reports to share with others

24. Findings • Most participants confident in basic ICT skills by degree start • Work-based ‘Grow Your Own’ sponsored route may be a factor (clearer ICT and IL needs expressed) • IL & ICT of core importance; tensions between generic ICT skills and service specific applications • Emerging evidence of ‘practice criticality’ and professional values in action including in ICT and IL • Shaping professional identity of social work

25. Further information • See the following book aimed at CPD including: • ‘Technology-enhanced learning for social work education and practice’ in S Matthews, M McCormick, A Morgan, J Seden, (eds.) (2010), Professional Development in Social Work: Complex issues in practice, Routledge, ISBN 9780415553360http://www.routledgeeducation.com/books/Professional-Development-in-Social-Work-isbn9780415553360 • ‘Collaborating to develop an integrated information literacy skills strategy for distance learning students’ in T.P. Mackey and T.E. Jacobson (eds.) (2010), Teaching Information Literacy Online, Neal-Schumann Publishers, ISBN [tbc] • Prepared for Practice project website:http://www.open.ac.uk/pbpl/activities/details/detail.php?itemId=499c305d56f6d

26. Contact • Mary Thorpe (m.s.thorpe@open.ac.uk) • Ingrid Nix (i.nix@open.ac.uk)