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PITSTOP - Supporting Students on Placement
Welcome to the PITSTOP support page
We will be using this page to post information about the PITSTOP project, including using it as an 'entry portal' to the actual PITSTOP support site on the DMU Blackboard virtual learning environment.
Jason Eyre
22/09/2010
| PITSTOP PORTAL Enter the DMU Blackboard site. You will need to be registered to use PITSTOP to access the site via De Montfort University's virtual learning environment (this automatically includes all second year DMU social work students on placement). Contact jeyre@dmu.ac.uk if you would like to access PITSTOP |
What is PITSTOP?
The PITSTOP project will be an on-line discussion board for DMU social work students on their second year practice placement, and for their practice educators, on site practice assessors and tutors. The discussion board will mediated by Julie Kent (tutor) and Jason Eyre (subject librarian.) The PITSTOP project will run from August 2010 to January 2011. The project is funded by SWAP, the Social Policy and Social Work Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy. We will be writing up the project in the spring and summer of 2011.
What are we hoping to do?
Discussion boards are an effective way of promoting collaborative learning and a sense of community. The PITSTOP project intends to build on this by exploring how the technology can help students improve their evidence –based practice. In particular, we want to focus on the quality of information (knowledge) students use in their work, and the way that this information is applied (practice). Key questions include whether this medium can help students integrate new knowledge and theory into their practice, change their practice, or help them test the feasibility of possible interventions. Will this all be reflected in their practice curriculum? A second focus will be on whether interactive social media can prove useful for the practice education team (tutor, practice educator, on site practice supervisor) in improving the learning environment for students. Will it help the development of robust working relationships? A third focus will be an analysis of issues of data protection, privacy, right of veto and confidentiality in relation to the use of the University’s VLE ‘Blackboard’ platform versus an educational wiki site. Policypit is already set up as an information portal and has the capacity for multiple lines of communication. While it is available to students, at present it has not been heavily promoted to students.
Other benefits
1. There will be e learning tools for students to use to help them build up their evidence-based practice.
2. There will be opportunities for students to share placement experience with their peers; enhanced opportunities to view particular workplace issues from a broader perspective; more immediate formative feedback from peers, tutors, practice educators, on site practice assessors and librarians; and experience of information management in an authentic environment.
3. For practice educators and on site practice supervisors in the project, there will be opportunities for enhanced contact with the University academic research resources through the students and easier contact with academic tutors. There will be opportunities to interact with peers in other workplace settings.
4. For tutors, there will be opportunities to work more closely with practice educators and on site practice supervisors on student issues and development; and the submission of improved practice curriculums by students.
5. For the library, the project will consolidate the existing information literacy teaching provision for social work students, with potential application in other subject areas.
6. For all members of the practice education team, there will be an opportunity to discover how new technologies can make collaboration easier.
Contact Details
Julie Kent jkent@dmu.ac.uk
Jason Eyre jeyre@dmu.ac.uk
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jeyre |
Latest page update: made by jeyre
, Dec 20 2010, 4:06 AM EST
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