Developing an online practicum in professional education: a case study from UK teacher education

Moira Hulme*, Anna Olsson-Rost, Rachel O'Sullivan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

A ‘practicum’, ‘clinical experience’ or ‘internship’ is an established component of professional preparation in education, health, social work, law, accountancy and engineering. Across diverse occupational fields, employability and work readiness are gaining prominence in college marketing strategies. The disruption to work placements during the Covid-19 pandemic in programmes linked to licensure rapidly increased the pace and scale of virtualisation and the need for systematic evaluation of curriculum re-design. This chapter presents a case study of the transition to a fully online practicum for UK university students training to be teachers during 2020/21. Drawing on interviews with students, university tutors and school partners, the chapter outlines key learning about partnership formation and innovation. The evaluation suggests that online supervision requires participants to work harder to establish a positive working alliance and sense of belonging across time–space digital media. The study highlights the importance of iterative review to promote reciprocity, transparency and voice.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationApplied Degree Education and the Future of Learning
EditorsChristina Hong, Will W. K. Ma
Place of PublicationSingapore
PublisherSpringer Singapore
Chapter15
Pages253–271
Number of pages19
ISBN (Electronic) 9789811698125
ISBN (Print)9789811698118, 9789811698149
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Jun 2022
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Educational Technology
PublisherSpringer Singapore
ISSN (Print)2196-4963
ISSN (Electronic)2196-4971

Keywords

  • practicum
  • internship
  • online learning
  • online teaching

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