4.1 Setting the expectations
The focus of the next part of your learning is to understand that the skill of giving feedback is central to effective teaching and supervision. Feedback should be provided in order to support the student to progress. It is important that the student understands what went well and what requires further development. Feedback may often be referred to as feedforward.
Before feedback can be given it is really important that both the student and the Practice Supervisor/Practice Assessor know what the aims of the placement/experience are. A key activity is that the student and the Practice Supervisor/Practice Assessor meet preferably on the first day (or even before) the commencement of the placement/experience and most certainly within the first forty-eight hours of placement/experience commencement. This meeting is the opportunity to discuss and agree what learning outcomes/objectives can realistically be achieved in the current work environment and how they match (or not) the students’ expectations and program requirements. From this meeting a learning plan should be developed that details; Specific, Measurable. Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound (SMART) objectives.
S – Be specific that the goal can be achieved in the current setting with the resources available and meets the students’ needs.
M – Is the end point quantifiable?
A – Is the objective achievable in the current environment? There is no point in setting an objective that would be impossible to achieve.
R – Are the proposed objectives realistic given the current setting and the students stage of their program?
T – Deadlines for review. This needs to be approximately halfway through the experience. For longer placements this can be sooner and more frequent. There will inevitable be a date that marks the end of the experience when the objectives will need to be formally reviewed. However, leaving a review of the objectives until this late stage is neither supportive to the student or wise; especially if it subsequently turns out the student is not performing to the required standard.
Taking time to do the above will make the whole assessment and feedback process a whole lot easier as the expectations from the perspective of both parties is set out in a transparent way right from the start. It does not mean that the objectives cannot change (and often they do). Being clear as to what is expected from the outset can do two very important things. It can make the student feel cared for and demonstrates your interest in them and you wanting them to have a successful placement. It gives a very clear message that there is an expectation on the student to play a very active role in their learning if they are to be successful.