This paper explores conceptions of the purpose of fieldwork held by undergraduates and academic staff in the disciplines of geography and geology. Phenomenographic analysis of written data reveals six qualitatively distinct conceptions broadly classified as 'fragmented' and 'cohesive'. While considerable commonality in conceptions exists across subjects and stages of study, variations appear to reflect underlying diversity in the aims and delivery of undergraduate fieldwork, and in the undergraduate populations themselves. In particular, the identification of apparent 'mismatches' between the conceptions held by students and academic staff has important implications for the design and delivery of undergraduate geography and geology fieldwork.

Workplace learning (WPL) is seen as an essential component of clinical veterinary education by the veterinary profession. This study sought to understand this type of learning experience more deeply. This was done utilising observations of students on intramural rotations (IMR) and interviews with students and clinical staff. WPL was seen as an opportunity for students to apply knowledge and develop clinical and professional skills in what is generally regarded as a safe, authentic environment. Clinical staff had clear ideas of what they expected from students in terms of interest, engagement, professionalism, and active participation, where this was appropriate. In contrast, students often did not know what to expect and sometimes felt under-prepared when entering the workplace, particularly in a new species area. With the support of staff acting as mentors, students learned to identify gaps in their knowledge and skills, which could then be addressed during specific IMR work placements. Findings such as these illustrate both the complexities of WPL and the diversity of different workplace settings encountered by the students.

Reflection is an essential component of teacher-development programs, and reliable, valid methods to teach, assess, and evaluate reflection are critical. However, it is important that appropriate methods are created for and evaluated across multiple disciplinary backgrounds, as the participants' backgrounds are a major factor in the development of critical reflection. The patchwork-text approach is a narrative process that is predominantly focused on the personal development of the individual. The current study used the patchwork-text approach for the development of reflection in participants with a science background who had not used a reflective approach for personal development before. Twenty summative essays and 103 formative essays from 21 participants who underwent a 1-year higher-education teacher-development program were analyzed to assess whether the quality and quantity of reflective writing was enhanced through a regular, iterative process of reflective writing with feedback. The analysis of the essays involved the use of a predefined set of criteria for identifying the different reflective levels from 1 to 4 and the calculation of a reflective score to evaluate the overall development. The results show a clear improvement of higher-level critical thinking as the participants progressed through their course. Higher levels of reflection were achieved particularly where a unit focused on a familiar area for the participant as opposed to one in which the participant had less experience. The analysis provides evidence that the patchwork text is a useful method for development and evaluation of reflection in participants with a veterinary/animal-science base.

This study aimed to explore the complex role of the clinical teacher in the workplace, with a view to identifying effective teaching practices. An ethnographic case-study approach was taken, including participant observations and semi-structured interviews with three participants that were selected from two participating veterinary institutions. The clinical teacher has several responsibilities, such as establishing a rapport with learners and maximizing the use of case-based learning opportunities to provide instruction and support to individual learners in a safe but challenging environment. Associated difficulties include balancing the competing demands of students' learning needs and patients' welfare, as well as maximizing the learning opportunities within available case material. Participants in this study demonstrated a reflective approach, adjusting their teaching approach "in action" and "on action" as appropriate.

BackgroundAlthough research underpins clinical work, many students training to be clinicians are not inherently interested in developing research skills.AimTo characterise and understand veterinary student experiences and perceptions of compulsory research projects.MethodsThis was an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study, with a questionnaire survey of an entire cohort informing purposive selection for focus group discussions. Student views were triangulated with staff questionnaire data.ResultsAbout a third of the cohort felt that the project had not been worthwhile or had not fostered useful skills. Focus group data analysis identified fragility of motivation and lack of clear schemata for the research process as key themes. Students were easily demotivated by typical research challenges and lack of schemata contributed to a poor understanding of the rationale for the project, encouraging highly extrinsic forms of motivation. Triangulation with staff questionnaire data indicated that staff understood students’ challenges, but were more likely than students to consider it to be a valuable learning experience.ConclusionsFindings support ongoing curriculum development and emphasise that, to optimise motivation, engagement and learning, students training to be clinicians need a clear rationale for research, based on development of critical inquiry skills as a core clinical competency.