Work Integrated Learning Policy

University Policy for the Practicum

University policy for the practicum includes benchmarking, quality systems and quality assessment. It is embedded within the Policy and Procedures manual.

Benchmarking - clarify benchmarks for each Faculty.
Quality systems - criteria for quality placements.
Quality assurance of work-based learning and the practicum
Quality assessment. Include competency standards for different professions, a clear list of what will be assessed and how it will be assessed.
Legal and ethical requirements.

Current Flinders University Policy Environment

Rules and Procedures

While many Work Integrated Learning or practicum programs provide detailed topic and course information handbooks and/or procedural guidelines for both students and industry placement providers, there are specific university wide policies and procedures.

Specific University Policies and procedures

Guidelines for Recognition of Prior Work Experience within Postgraduate Coursework Programs

Guidelines for Recognition of Prior Work Experience (RPWE) apply to all postgraduate coursework programs where work experience is formally acknowledged either as a requirement for admission to a course or where work experience can be counted towards completion of the course.
http://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/policySecretariat/recprior.html

Evaluation of Topics

No less than every five years, those AOU/s involved in teaching a topic will conduct an evaluation of it, in accordance with a program established by the faculty. This therefore applies to topics that include WIL. (Note: This is a minimum requirement. It is recognised that for some topics Faculties have adopted a program of more frequent evaluation, and this is encouraged where resources permit.)
Evaluations will normally be conducted within AOU/s by the topic coordinators and academic staff involved in teaching the topic.
http://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/policySecretariat/topiceval.htm

Assessment and Teaching: Policy on Student Placement

Fitness for Placement

The current Flinders University Fitness for Placement policy is described at http://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/student/assessment5.htm (Assessment and Teaching: Policy on Student Placement)

The policy states: Placement providers may establish, in consultation with the University, requirements for students to demonstrate fitness to undertake placements. These requirements may include health or other checks or a self declaration as to their fitness to undertake the placement. Any such checks or declarations must be accepted by the University as reasonable and then must be:

applicable to all students involved in such placements; and
related to the requirements of the duties or functions to be carried out in the placement; and
consistent with University policy and Commonwealth and State Government legislation relating to equal opportunity and discrimination.

A student who cannot demonstrate fitness to undertake the placement or who refuses to undertake a required check or make a self declaration may be refused placement.
Where there is a pre-existing medical or other condition such that the ability to practice may be impaired, the student will discuss the issues with the topic coordinator so that where possible reasonable accommodations, an access plan or a modified placement that will meet the learning outcomes of the topic can be arranged. The student may wish to discuss the issues with the Disability Liaison Officer in the first instance.
Faculties must establish procedures that should be followed in the case of a student who is refused placement, and that must address the following:

identification of the authority to determine that the student should be refused placement;
provisions for advising the student on the consequences for course completion and on any remedial action that can be taken by the student;
provisions for the student to seek a review of the decision to refuse placement, which address the issues of student representation, and the student's, the placement provider's and the faculty's rights and responsibilities; and
the possibility of an alternative placement.

The School of Social Administration and Social Work operates a placement system where students and agencies have choice. The School of Social Administration and Social Work has an interview system where students discuss the practicum with academic staff. In addition, all students are required to complete a video taped interview with an actor prior to the first placement. In this, they have to demonstrate a range of interpersonal skills necessary for social work. This has been used as a way to find students with interpersonal communication difficulties and mental health problems and to then develop remedial programs to support them. By identifying students with disabilities early on, academic staff have been able to provide appropriate placements and prevent the inevitable problems that arise with disabilities that are not disclosed before first placement.

The School of Education requires students to sign a declaration to verify they have read and understood the university’s Fitness for Placement policy when they apply for a practicum placement.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery requires students to sign a comprehensive declaration prior to undertaking a clinical placement as it is a requirement for their work based practices. Students are not asked to declare a disability, but to discuss any aspect of the declaration that the student feels may cause a problem or an issue during their clinical placement in a hospital. The disability officer for the School of Nursing and Midwifery is also called upon to negotiate with students who have an access plan, appropriate strategies to cope with the requirements of the clinical placement.

Students are required to sign a generic Fitness for Placement declaration and any other faculty or school specific declaration, prior to undertaking any WIL program.

Guidelines for Withdrawal of Students from Placement

Students in topics that require them to undertake a placement are subject to contractual agreements established between the organisation providing the placement and the University.

A Topic Coordinator may withdraw a student from a placement, either for a specific period of time and subject to specific conditions or for the remainder of the duration of the placement, where:

the student is consistently unable after due instruction and guidance, to perform satisfactorily without an inappropriate or an unattainable degree of supervision from supervisory personnel with respect to skills involving a client's comfort or safety, or the performance of technical procedures already taught, demonstrated and practised in a prior clinical or practical situation;
the student performs in a manner detrimental to the professional experience of other students;
the student breaches the legal, ethical or professional codes of the organisation providing the placement or of the industry concerned;
the student demonstrates gross negligence in the performance of an assigned duty;
the placement provider is unable to maintain an appropriate placement experience for the student.

http://www.flinders.edu.au/ppmanual/student/assessment5.htm

Permission to repeat a teaching practicum

Except with the permission of the Examinations Board, teaching practicum topics may not be attempted more than once and teaching practicum topics require full-time commitment for their duration.

Legal Requirements

Mandatory Notification Training

Under the Children’s Protection Act of 1993, teachers and other groups of people who work with children / young people are obliged by law to notify relevant authorities if they suspect that a young person is abused or neglected.

Flinders University students are required to undertake training in mandatory notification before beginning any school experience, practicum or peer mentoring program in a school or pre-school.

Police Clearance

Flinders University students are required to obtain a clearance from Crimtrac before entering any school or pre-school for school experience, practicum or peer mentoring placement.

Protective Practices

Flinders University students are required to be conversant with the Guidelines for Protective practices for staff in their interactions with students whichprovide clear advice to all adult members of preschool, school and out of school hours care communities for the establishment of positive, caring and respectful relationships with children and young people.

http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/ProtectivePracticesforSta.pdf

Regulatory and Employing Authorities

There is a range of requirements regarding the amount of work integrated learning that is required for various State and Commonwealth registration and accreditation bodies.

Speech Pathology students must complete all four practicum topics in order to achieve competency and to provide access for membership to the Speech Pathology Association of Australia.
Midwifery students (post registration) must successfully complete (according to ANMC Competencies) 130 days practicum to gain registration to practice with the Nurses' Board of SA.
There are no declared industry standards for tourism.
There are no industry requirements for the Bachelor Tech Aquaculture Degree.
The practicum topics (ENGR3402 Engineering Practicum and ENGR3509 Professional Engineering Practice) are included in the Bachelor of Engineering degree programs for accreditation by ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA.
Bachelor of Education undergraduate students must complete 80 days and graduate entry students must complete 60 days of teaching practicum to gain registration with the Teachers' Registration Board of South Australia.
The Bachelor of Environmental Health is accredited by the Australian Institute of Environmental Health. Practising Environmental Health Professionals in SA must hold an accredited qualification. To be accredited, courses must include a minimum level of professional practice experience. This is provided in a 3 week practicum in year 2 and in the final year research project.
The Masters of Audiology students must satisfactorily complete the specified clinical placement hours that are only available through a block placement to be acceptable for membership of the professional association for audiology in Australia, a requirement for employment.
Currently, there are no Government or Professional regulations concerning practicum placements for any of the awards in Disability Studies.
The APS (Australian Psychological Society) states that all clinical postgraduate degrees must include three practicums (each, on average, about 2.5 days per week over 19 weeks).
There are no requirement for Screen Studies
Students enrolled in NURS3400 or NURS3436 are required to attend 38 days of placement and be assessed as meeting the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Competencies before they graduate and apply for Registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nurses Board of South Australia.
No requirements for the Geography Industry Placement.
No requirements are specified for the Mental Health Clinical Case Management placement.
The Flinders Law degree is accredited on the basis that our students must complete 225 hours of work experience placement, although, in South Australia, LPEAC (Legal Practitioners Education and Admissions Council) has adopted the National competencies which state that law students enrolled in a Practical Legal Training program must have a minimum of 90 hours work experience placement.
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students are required to register with the Medical Board of South Australia as a condition of their enrolment in the course.