readiness for direct practice - using video as a tool to assess masters social work students
TRANSCRIPT
Middlesex University Annual Learning & Teaching Conference July 2015
‘Readiness for Direct Practice’: using video as a tool to assess Masters social work students
Angus Macdonald & Helen Hingley-Jones.
Outline for session
1.Context: where does the video assessment fit within the social work education journey? PCF.
2.Theory of assessment - use of video & its impact on learning & teaching
3.Logistics - how did we conduct the assessment days?
4.The days themselves - how it all went5.Reflection & evaluation immediately after and
4 months later - ‘what have we all learnt?’
The Professional Capabilities Framework - PCF
The PCF forms the basis of design and delivery of the social work degree, and informs the CPD learning needs throughout a social
workers career.
1.Social Work context for video assessment: ‘Readiness for Direct Practice’
In accordance with guidance from The College of Social Work all students (prior to their first placement) must be assessed in relation to their ‘readiness for direct practice’. Students should:
• demonstrate basic communication skills, • ability to engage with users,• capacity to work as a member of an organisation, • willingness to learn from feedback and supervision, and • demonstrate basic social work values, knowledge and skills in
order to be able to make effective use of the first practice placement.
Assessment of Readiness for Direct Practice
2 elements to the summative assessment. Portfolio of work: i. Videoed role play assessment & contextualising essay ii. Essay on experience of observing a young child
Feedback provided within teaching sessions and in detail following assessment- overall to group and in written comments
Assessment element in interview Strong Pass, Pass or Fail?
Brief Comments & evidence
1.Getting started: How well do they: Introduce themselves and their role and check the identity of the service
user? Attempt to build rapport, clarifying the purpose of the interview? Evidence good attention skills & listening appropriate to the service user’s
needs, age and so on?
2.Getting going: How well do they: Continue to show they are listening, showing appropriate warmth &
ability to tolerate silence if needed Attempt to clarify and assess the nature of the problem? Show they are showing an understanding of the service user’s needs and
issues? Summarise and feedback if appropriate?
3.Moving on: How well do they: Show they have an understanding of what the problem is? Work with the person to clarify a way forward? Acknowledge any differences appropriately and sensitively, including
power differentials between them & the service user. Acknowledge any potential risks/safeguarding issues raised during the
interview with the service user?
Role Play Assessment Rating Scale NB. Assessors please complete ONE copy of this per studentName of student:……………………… Student number: …………………………Date & Time...........Assessor 1: ……………………… Assessor 2: ………………………… Assessor 3:..............................
4.Ending: How well do/have they: Attempted to round the interview off? Clarified what will happen next, without being too certain or
loose? Demonstrated appropriate professional authority? Demonstrated an ethical approach & appropriate social work
values Attempted to contain difficult feelings sensitively? Thank/acknowledge the person for coming and end the
session with appropriate warmth?
Overall Rating (please tick):Strong Pass........................ Pass...................................Fail....................................Strong Pass= Excellent skills demonstrated with few recommendations to be made for improvementPass= Good skills demonstrated- some areas could still be built onFail= Poor skills demonstrated, with much room for improvement
Brief summary of feedback- strengths, weaknesses & areas for improvement:
Pass/ Fail? Please delete as appropriate Signed (staff)...................................
Assessment element in interview Strong Pass, Pass or Fail?
Brief Comments & evidence
2. Theory of assessment- the use of video and its impact on learning for professional SWK practice
Four Types of Video Content in ELearning
Kay (2012). ‘Exploring the Use of Video Podcasts in Education: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.’
• Substitutional (lecture capture)• Supplementary (introductions, advice,
explanations, etc)• Enhanced (screen capture)• Worked Examples (content)
Video and assessment
• Student / group presentations• MOOT (Law)• Feedback to students• Student submissions (Media & Performing
Arts)• Digital storytelling (SWK, Tourism, etc.)
• Cartney (2006) looked at video interviewing on Mdx SWK programmes following the establishment of the SWK degree in 2003.
• “Recording and playing back interviews with students has the potential to generate powerful learning experiences”
• “In a professional context Brown (2003, p. 93) argues that ‘it is essential to use experiential approaches for the testing of skills, otherwise we risk missing the very heart of what it is we are aiming to assess’.” (p.831)
• We are now in a new context - communication skills as one of the threshold skills for entering assessed practice
• Video feedback as ‘the most effective method for improving oral communication skills’ (Cartney 2006: 829).
The link with Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)
• Used in training health professionals since 1970s• Actors play a series of scenarios - students rated on
their performance• Bogo et al (2013) adapted this for SWK- but not
filmed• 15 min interview by student with actor, followed by
15 min ‘reflective dialogue’ between student & staff. Rated on:
1. Conceptualisation of practice2. Intentional use of self/self regulation3. Learning & growth
• OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations)
• OSVE (Objective Structured Video Examinations)
• VIPSCE (Video-Projected Structured Clinical Examinations)
3. Logistics of the day• Preparation skills sessions and ‘desensitising exercise’. • 2 assessment rooms running all day x 2 days• Admin booking-in system for students• Service user, 2 x academic staff & camera person in
each room, GTA to support.• Used 3 professional actors, carefully briefed• 10 minute interview slots for each student• Rating tool used during interview, agreed pass/fail
outcome• Setting up links for students to view videos• Careful moderation process by module leader
4. The day itself- the ups & downs
• Very intense for students and staff• Worked hard to keep student ‘throughput’. • Important to support students outside and inside
the room- staff too!• All went fairly smoothly, only 1 student late• Moderation very important -staff failed 12/45
students initially! • Only 4 students failed on the day, 3 passed at re-
sit• External examiner involvement was important
The day itself – the ups & downs
• Four people assisting me setting up and working the camera equipment
• Setting up the rooms for student & actress, the camera and the assessors
• The locations of the rooms provided• Making sure all cameras were charged and running
smoothly • Making sure all batteries were changed accordingly
(every three hours)• Ensuring we frame and record each role-play
5. Reflection & evaluation- what have we all learnt?
Yr 1 MA Social Work Student Journey
Entry Term 1 RDP Assess- Term 2 RDP teaching ment Initial & learning placement
Data Points A B
Data point A- end November 2014
36 out of 45 students completed the questionnaire.
Students rated the level of their social work skills & knowledge, by marking on a Likert scale, from 0-10:
• Retrospectively, how did they feel they would rate their SWK skills and knowledge before they commenced the RDP sessions
• At the point of the questionnaire (after the teaching had finished) how would they now rate their skills and knowledge.
Students reported that they rated their skills before the teaching at an average score of 5 out of 10 on the Likert scale and once finished, we saw a 2 point increase to an average of 7 out of 10.
Qualitative Themes from Questionnaires: Data Point A
How effective do you feel the role play assessment interview was in helping the development of your communication skills? Can you suggest any changes to improve it?
On the positive side:• Improved communication‘Good exercise to help improve communication’ (19)• Reflection‘It was extremely useful to watch myself back and to reflect
‘(9)• Preparation for practice‘Helped to prepare for real life situations’. (3)
On the negative side:
• Nerves- I was not at my best‘I have been communicating with service users for
over 8 years. This for me made me very self conscious and forget some of my skills and the active listening due to nerves.’ (17)
• I wanted more practice before the assessment‘Should have been more role play, definitely,
before that assessment.’ (6)
Data Point B- End of March 2015
• 31 out of 45 students completed this questionnaire
• Now that you are nearing the end of your 1st year, can you please reflect back to when you did the ‘Readiness for Direct Practice’ teaching and video assessment in Nov. 2014? Can you say whether you have put into use, on placement, skills & knowledge you gained in that 1st term & if so, please describe? Looking back, what else would have been useful for you to have covered this year? What’s been useful & was anything missing?
Themes at Data at Point B: On the positive side:
i. Pivots, yardsticks, stepping stones and flashbacks‘From my point of view the video assessment was a very useful
resource... Every time I have interventions with young people I remind myself not to move my hands while speaking likewise to speak slowly. All in all, it has been pivotal learning for me.’ (1)
‘...It was important for me to have it in the first year before placement. It made sense at placement. The flashback at some of the intervention I have made at placement related to my skills on this module. The lecturers were very useful.’ (3)
‘Yes, it has become a yardstick to evaluate my skills and knowledge. The video has helped me to be critical about communication with service users on placement. I believe each section has been a stepping stone.’ (5)
Positives continuedii.Gave me confidence‘RDP and video assessment have been v useful for my
practice... It has also enabled me to gain confidence when carrying out interviews and assessments in practice’ (12)
‘Video assessment excellent- I am now less fearful about addressing safeguarding issues; I realise that they are more important than the rapport.’(20)
iii.Improved communication skills on placement‘Being on placement, my Practice Educator has commended
my communication interaction and relationship with clients. I got a lot of that from lecturers X and Y.’ (2)
‘The importance of communication has served me well at placement working with children.’ (23)
The negative side • But...some memories of the assessment process are not
pleasant‘The RDP (skills sessions) was not constructed well...we were left
to stress and panic unnecessarily. This was not supportive enough I found’
‘I felt the skills sessions raised concerns about placement which I hadn’t considered. This made me more nervous about placement.’ (30)
• I’d like more in my ‘toolkit’ including more counselling skills‘...as currently working with older adults in a non-safeguarding
role, many of the extreme scenarios we covered in these sessions are not appropriate and a slightly more balanced view of how the social work environment is would be helpful.’ (21)
Conclusions• Video is a meaningful & highly effective tool for teaching &
assessment of practice skills• The exercise was challenging for students, but realistic
preparation for SW practice• While it wasn’t perfect, there is some evidence of students’
deep learning & that most took what they learnt into practice. Acknowledgement of the benefits.
Plan for next year:Ensure students have ample practice opportunity in front of the
camera next yearBeef-up the specific training on interview skills, including more on
counselling techniquesDevelop and improve the feedback process to studentsNB. No students failed their first practice placement at the end of
the academic year- never happened in my experience before!
ReferencesBogo, M, Katz,E, Regehr,C, Logie, C, Mylopoulos, M and Tufford, L, 2003,
‘Toward understanding meta-competence: An analysis of students’ reflection on their simulated interviews, Social Work Education, 32 (2): 259-273
Brown, S. 2003, ‘Assessing practice’, in Brown, S. and Glasner, A. (eds), Assessment Matters in Higher Education: Choosing and Using Diverse Approaches, Bucks, Open University Press.
Cartney, P, 2006, ‘Using video interviewing in the assessment of social work skills’, British Journal of Social Work, 36, 827-844
The College of Social Work, Professional Capabilities Framework, at: http://www.tcsw.org.uk/pcf.aspx
Kay, R. 2012, ‘Exploring the use of video podcasts in education: A comprehensive review of the literature.’ Computers in Human Behaviour. Volume 28 Issue 3, May.