Involving Students in Research Decision-making: Developing a Competency Graduated Descriptors Tool

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Involving Students in Research
Decision-making Developing a Competency
Graduated Descriptors Tool HERDSA 2010
Conference Dr Susanne Owen Prof Ieva
Stupans Assoc Prof Greg Ryan Ms Leigh McKauge Mr
Jim Woulfe
Experiential Placements in Pharmacy Carrick
Institute DBI Standing Committee meeting
presentation31 August 2007 Assoc Prof Ieva
Stupans Dr Susanne Owen
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Australian Health Workforce Context

• Australian Health restructure National
  Boards (July 2010)
• Ageing general population health workforce
  more health students need for more placement
  opportunities
• Health students assessed in relevant competencies
  (skills, knowledge, attitudes), with competencies
  being holistic acknowledging complexity
  situational contexts
• Graduated (incremental) competency levels for
  novice to experienced increasingly acknowledged
  (Benner, 1984 Dreyfus Dreyfus (1996)
• Pharmacy university program followed by one year
  internship after program completion, including
  competency assessment

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Project Background

• 2007 ALTC-funded Australian pharmacy project
  mapped experiential placement programs,
  identifying characteristics issues
• Experiential placements valued but students
  emphasise need for scaffolding feedback on
  progress towards achieving competencies
• 2008-2010 ALTC project focused on improving
  curriculum planning developing graduated
  descriptors, with stakeholder consultations
  conducted across Australian states territories
• Student consultations at each pharmacy school
  at four consecutive annual student leader forums

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Researcher-stakeholder Collaborative Research
Approaches

• Benefits of researchers practitioners working
  together (Pew, 2003 Hemsley-Brown, 2004 Hoppes
  Chesbro, 2003)
• Students involved in satisfaction surveys but
  usually limited opportunity for decision-making
  involvement student views sometimes sidelined
• Knowledge-use dissemination models highlight
  value of stakeholder involvement extended
  workshops, ongoing contact, follow-up action
  (Floyd, 2001 Louis Dentler, 1988)
• Community of learners approach beneficial for
  developing stakeholder-researcher solutions to
  problems ongoing involvement dissemination
  educational change

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Research Aim

• To collaboratively develop and trial competency
  graduated descriptors for early and late stage
  pharmacy placements to include a significant
  role for students within the research process

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Data

• National student leaders workshop preliminary
  feedback
• Final tool exemplar
• State/territory stakeholder consultation data
  including student focus group sessions
• Levels of support required for early late
  placement
• National student leader feedback on final tool

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Student leaders workshop initial feedback

• Student groups at conference workshop provided
  verbal/written feedback regarding identification
  of characteristics for early late placement
  students for eight competency areas
• Favourable student feedback regarding
  involvement
• This was very useful as we did not touch on any
  competencies in our course at uni. This makes me
  think about my own competency levels as a student
  and what is expected of me.
• Good to have students involved with the
  (consultation) sessionit means we can be more
  involved with making an experiential learning
  activity more relevant and effective. Also using
  competency standards means that we as students
  know what is required of us in a professional
  setting.

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Stakeholder consultations

• Six key themes regarding format/value of evolving
  graduated descriptors competency tool
• University-profession competency continuum
• Grid competency developmental aspects
• Self-assessment reflection focus
• Clear expectations feedback
• Preceptor support and training
• University preceptor scaffolded student
  learning

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Levels of Support Expectations

• Student views (n102) re levels of support
  expectations for early late placement students
  across 8 competency areas
• Early placement students need assistance
  (direction, instruction) or minimal assistance
• Late placement students need minimal guidance
  (student views) or guidance (prompting, cues)
  (preceptor/academic views)

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National Student Leader Views on Final Tool
Exemplar

• its not that hard to get your head around
  pages are rather busy and daunting
• too blue
• bigger comments box needed to be more
  reflective
• These views were considered further by the
  project team.
• Very positive student response to being
  involved

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Discussion

• Student and other stakeholder contributions
  informing all research phases inception,
  implementation, evaluation, future decisions
• High student satisfaction at involvement in the
  various research process phases.
• High student attendance numbers attended
  after-hours consultations after completing
  offsite placements.
• Trusting relationship built over four years
  student views highly valued

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Universities have an important role to play
within the professional context, particularly in
terms of students being involved in formulating
materials about their learning, and valuing their
broader involvement within the educational
research and wider professional process.
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• Dr Susanne Owen
• University of South Australia
• Susanne.owen_at_unisa.edu.au