Augmenting post-practicum experiences in Australian higher education

Abstract

It has been identified that after students have had practicum experiences they can engage in educational processes to build upon and optimise these experiences. These include processes of sharing, comparing what they have encountered and learnt with those of other students. This circumstance presents an opportunity for engaging students to augment their practicum experiences post-practicum. This is the focus of the study reported here. The educational purposes and outcomes here are potentially strong. Interventions at this point can assist developing insights, practices and values that are robust: they have the capacity to be applied across a range of educational and workplace situations. Engaging students in educational processes that draw upon their experiences and require them to appraise, apply, compare and contrast stands to be an important educational process. The potential outcomes for augmenting students’ learning here can include: • understanding more fully the requirements of the occupation in practice • understanding something of the diversity of circumstances and specific situational outcomes that students will need to practice • making informed judgements about occupational pathways, including specialisms • developing understandings, practices and values that can be applied to other circumstances where occupational knowledge is enacted • generating personal practices of students to be active and focused learners.