Chapter 14 – From physical to virtual: the emergence of an authentic work-related experience

Introduction

The current economic climate dictates that students engage with the world of work to help them to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience they need to prepare them for their future graduate careers (Huddleston & Stanley, 2012); historically, work placements have helped students develop transferable and work-related skills in ‘real’ workplaces (Cornelius et al., 2008) and from a theoretical perspective encourage students to apply theory to practice (Brooks & Youngson, 2016). The constant changes and uncertainty caused by Covid-19 and the resulting restrictions have resulted in changes to the work placement offer, which has required students to adapt to new learning environments. Students have had to learn to be more agile, flexible, adaptable, and independent in preparation for future graduate roles (Bowen, 2020; Thompson & Cook, 2019).

Physical in situ placements

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic final year BSc Nutrition students self-sourced and completed an in situ, four-week, work-related learning placement (WRLP). Our comprehensive placement portfolio offered an excellent range of authentic industry and community placements, many offered by our graduates, with WRLPs being recognised as a strength of our programmes.

Physical, in situ work placements offered many benefits enabling students to work within a professional context in authentic settings and to take responsibility for their own learning. They enabled students to learn experientially, to utilise and evaluate academic studies in highly relevant ways and to develop links between practical experiences and theoretical studies. WRLPs helped students to develop employability skills including teamwork, problem-solving, communication skills, numeracy, and literacy, whilst improving students’ confidence, motivation, and time management, whilst effective networking assisted with their career choices. Engaging in real-world, problem-solving projects helps develop the skills that graduates need to enter the marketplace (Thomas & Busby, 2003).

Although in situ placements offer many benefits, it should also be remembered that securing sufficient in situ placement opportunities to meet student demand can be challenging. Geographical and travel cost implications can limit placement choice and opportunities whilst on placement. In addition, a more rigid, timetabled structure requires full-time attendance, which may not suit all students.

The problem

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions led to a rapid increase in remote working and a greater reliance on digital communication. In addition, the learning environment was constantly changing, with in situ placements temporarily suspended and an online blended learning approach adopted (Volini et al., 2020).  This caused great concern to students who worried they would not gain an authentic learning experience. One student said:

I was a bit gutted to be honest, as I felt like practical work experience was the missing piece of the puzzle I needed to complete my degree.

Students were due to go on placement within weeks of the Covid-19 restrictions coming into force, so timescales for placing students were tight. Everyone was working with new systems and from home with Covid-19 restrictions affecting staff, students, and providers. Students were more anxious and stressed because they were working in unfamiliar environments.

In addition, many of our existing placement opportunities relied on students being actively engaged within the workplace and often necessitated specialist equipment and resources that did not adapt easily to remote working and that limited opportunities.

What we did

An immediate solution was needed to replace the suspended in situ placements. The viability of implementing virtual placements was therefore examined. It was agreed that to successfully replace in situ placements, virtual placements still had to be hosted by authentic employers and it was vital that they were designed to be as ‘authentic’ and as similar to the ‘real world’ as possible (Smith & Worsfold, 2015). They had to mirror the benefits, opportunities, and constraints of an in situ workplace, provide authentic, equitable, experiential learning experiences for each student, and importantly still meet the learning outcomes of the module.

The change to virtual placements needed to be implemented rapidly and to effect this rapid change, communication and rapid action was crucial.

Microsoft (MS) Teams meetings and the chat functions were used to immediately communicate with students to discuss and allay their concerns.

We immediately communicated and negotiated with our existing placement providers to establish if the existing in situ placement offers could be adapted to a virtual placement offering, and to determine if we would have enough placements to meet student need. We contacted our alumni, actively explored potential new opportunities and investigated every available option for virtual placements.

Once we had a list of potential virtual placements, the placement providers then worked extensively with the module team and the placement support unit (PLSU), to develop individual fact files which detailed their placement offer and described the role and requirements. The fact file information was further supported by the delivery of interactive online sessions by the placement providers to add detail and context. This was not without its challenges, as working on MS Teams and Zoom was a new way of working for most.

Placement providers were understandably apprehensive about the prospect of virtual placements, with one placement provider commenting:

Initial concerns are that it may be difficult to engage fully with the student virtually, more challenging to immerse them in our business and for them to get a full understanding of what we do.

New online systems were rapidly set up by PLSU to support the virtual placement offers and to guide and instruct students. Temporary changes to assessments were requested which were then agreed by the registry and the external examiners, which allowed the assessments to be modified to a virtual viva and an electronic portfolio.

The careers team arranged immediate additional support for students via Careerzone24/7, which is an online platform of digital careers information and tools that students can access via the university website.

When we had enough virtual placement offers for all students, the fact files were released via the virtual learning environment on a set date and time for equity. Students then chose and applied for up to three virtual placement opportunities which they considered were relevant to them and their future career. Application was by submission of CVs and cover letters via the VLE, within a set time frame, to mirror authentic application processes, and being part of the portfolio assessment. The careers team helped and guided students with applications, CVs, and mock interviews using Careerzone24/7. Placement providers had the option to interview students and interviews were conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Each student then agreed an action plan for their virtual placement in conjunction with their placement provider via MS Teams. This enabled the structure of the placement to be agreed with set timelines, deadlines, communication strategies, and agreed outputs. Each student was allocated a university tutor as a point of contact for support. Placements were then completed virtually.

The taught elements of the module were adapted to on-line sessions, but delivered live via Zoom and recorded to enable all students to access materials off campus.

Adapting existing practice to support the change to virtual placements was a challenging process for placement providers, staff, and students, and required a positive ‘can do’ attitude, flexibility, adaptability, and teamwork from all involved in the process.

Virtual placements

Many challenges were overcome and all students were offered a diverse range of virtual placement opportunities. Students worked virtually within authentic settings with external partners, engaged in projects, and explored future career options. Virtual placements tailored real-life opportunities and highlighted real-world applications of knowledge and skills, added real value and created a modern student experience. Students developed transferable skills including adaptability and digital literacy. A placement provider commented:

Virtual placements enabled students to learn how to work independently and remotely, to develop self-motivation and resilience, gave them freedom to take the initiative, challenged current thinking and changed the outcome of the project for the better.

There were many advantages to virtual placements. Students worked virtually within authentic settings, and were still able to explore future career options and develop a wide range of world-of-work skills which increased motivation and engagement with the module. There was a wider choice of placements across a greater geographical area. Virtual placements were more cost and time effective allowing students to attend virtual events and conferences for free. Virtual placements offered many of the same advantages as physical placements, with the addition of digital literacy.

Working virtually required students to think outside the box, resulting in the production of fantastic digital resources including videos, posters, booklets, on-line recipe books, nutritional analysis, and allergen and labelling information suitable for use in physical or virtual contexts; they also learned to present virtually. Their work was and is used by placement providers and we were able to effectively track their learning progress. A student stated:

My virtual placement was amazing, it gave a great sense of reward as my placement provider actually used our contributions in real life, it wasn’t just hypothetical. I have developed new skills from real-life practice including virtual interpersonal skills, better time management, resilience, digital literacy, and problem solving. I have become much more independent.

What we have learned

There were positives and negatives identified from both students’ and placement providers’ perspectives.

As well as offering authentic experiences, virtual placements proved to be more equitable, as students chose from placements on offer rather than securing their own placements. ‘The process of placement finding is fraught and can evoke more anxiety than the placement itself’ (Doel & Cooner, 2002).

The virtual nature offered more flexibility, with increased placement options and a better ‘fit’ with the timetable.

Remote working is an important skill for the modern workplace. Virtual placements enabled students to interact with external partners in an inventive way, and to develop and learn transferable and work-related skills including e-hire-ability, virtual interviews, digital literacy, and resilience.

A major benefit was that placement providers could accommodate more students virtually than physically at any one time; location was not a limiting factor meaning that placements could be offered and undertaken across a wider geographical area. There were fewer travel and accommodation costs associated with virtual placements and more flexibility with time. Less time travelling resulted in benefits for both the placement provider and the student.

Virtual placements helped with employability in much the same way as physical placements.

Virtual tours of workplaces across the country and across the world could be offered to aid learning, and students could attend virtual conferences and exhibitions with no associated costs or travel.

Although virtual placements could offer much of the same benefits as physical, in situ placements. there was a missing piece. Students could not gain hands-on practical skills from undertaking a virtual placement, and some students felt quite isolated and experienced technical difficulties working from home. It was therefore decided that virtual placements were not the right option for every student on our programmes.

Moving forwards

The changes made to transform physical in situ placements to virtual placements including the taught element and a carefully structured teaching schedule were successful and mirrored the opportunities and constraints of in situ placements. As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, we recognise that there may still be restrictions and limitations in place. This has been accompanied by a rapid shift in working practices with workplaces adopting a more flexible working pattern and may still have an impact on placement provision and opportunities (Volini et al., 2020).

We recognise that virtual placements are not the right option for all students, therefore building on the success of virtual placements, the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions and the move back to face-to-face teaching, we are moving towards offering a range of placement options which will include, physical, virtual, and student-focused hybrid placements. Hybrid placements will combine the benefits of both in situ and virtual experiences to provide a transformational student experience.

Academic developers will work collaboratively with the module team and play a strategic role in the transition to hybrid placements by facilitating and supporting the development of online and blended learning approaches to continue to engage students in authentic learning contexts with meaningful learning outcomes. Working in collaboration with the module team, educational developers will help us to understand when and how to use technologies. They will help provide advice and guidance relating to the most appropriate digital pedagogies and innovations to use to help improve, develop, support, and scaffold teaching and learning and to enhance future module and placement design. Academics and educational developers will work together to develop a range of interactive resources and online learning environments to support hybrid placements, flexible teaching styles and to enable independent student engagement. Learning from best practice, including the use of flexible and blended provision will help us understand how and when to use different technologies to best support hybrid placements.

To conclude, working together as a team which includes academics, academic developers, placement providers and students and in active partnership locally, nationally and globally, will enable the development of hybrid placements which offer authentic, personalised student experiences outside the classroom. Hybrid placements will allow students to learn actively and to work proactively, to drive innovation, to effect change, enhance students’ academic and intellectual journeys, and support their future aspirations.

References

Bowen, T. (2020). Work-Integrated Learning Placements and Remote Working: Experiential Learning Online. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 21(4), 377-386.

Brooks, R., & Youngson, P. L. (2016). Undergraduate work placements: an analysis of the effects on career progression. Studies in Higher Education, 41(9), 1563-1578. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.988702

Cornelius, S., Medyckyj-Scott, D., Forrest, D., Williams, A., & Mackaness, W. (2008). The virtual placement: an alternative to the traditional work placement in the geographical sciences? Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32(2), 287-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260701514165

Huddleston, P., & Stanley, J. (2013). Work-related teaching and learning: A guide for teachers and practitioners. London: Routledge.

Nielsen, C., & Cappelen, K. (2014). Exploring the mechanisms of knowledge transfer in University‐Industry collaborations: A study of companies, students and researchers. Higher Education Quarterly, 68(4), 375-393. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12035

Smith, C., & Worsfold, K. (2015). Unpacking the learning–work nexus: ‘priming’ as lever for high-quality learning outcomes in work-integrated learning curricula. Studies in Higher Education, 40(1), 22-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.806456

Thomas, S., & Busby, S. (2003). Do industry collaborative projects enhance students’ learning? Education + Training, 45(4), 226-235. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910310478157

Thompson, G., & Cook, I. (2019). The lack of work and the contemporary university. In Peters, M. A., Jandrić, P., & Means, A. M. (Eds.), Education and technological unemployment (pp. 29–44). London: Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-6225-5_3

Volini, E., Schwartz, J., Denney, B., Mallon, D., Van Durme, Y., Hauptmann, M., Yan, R., & Poynton, S. (2020). Returning to work in the future of work. Deloitte Insights, May.