ObjectivesTo establish the rationale for using a lecturer as a visiting tutor, and to identify the activities undertaken during clinical placements to support student learning and assessment in practice. DesignA secure electronic survey was used to incorporate qualitative and quantitative data collection procedures. SettingThirty-three higher education institution (HEI) providers of physiotherapy education in the UK, registered with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. ParticipantsUK HEI physiotherapy placement coordinators. Main outcome measuresA questionnaire was used to examine HEI perceptions. A pilot focus group consultation informed the questionnaire content. Surveys were analysed based on the proportion of responses to closed questions on an adapted Likert scale, with further thematic analysis of open questions. ResultsAll 25 respondents (25/33, 76%) indicated their provision of support for students and clinical edu ato s th oughout thei li i al pla e e ts. Fa e-to-fa e e gage e t du i g the pla e e t visit was viewed as essential to guide the clinical educator to provide a consistent approach to learning and assessment strategies; ensuring cohesion between theoretical and clinical components of the curriculum was viewed as a core objective by visiting academic tutors. However, the emergent themes highlighted ke diffe e es et ee HEIs pe spe ti es of hat this suppo t fo li i al placement learning should entail. ConclusionsThe majority of HEIs endorse the use of a lecturer as a visiting tutor to inform and maintain the standard of learning and assessment within the clinical placement. However, the value of this interaction requires confirmation via other stakeholders, and exploration of other forms of non-faceto-face support processes warrant further investigation.

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Writers of textbooks published since the beginning of 1978 are invited to submit loo0 word articles discusing the principles underQing their work and accompanied by two pages from the book in question. The articles should be problem-based, not advertisements, and the extracts should be in a form for reproduction without redrawing. Writers will be responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions. ~~ THE LEARNER CENTRED APPROACH: HOW CAN THE TEXTBOOK HELP? MICHAEL DEANLearner-centred topics Let us take a traditional topic: Giving Directions. About five years ago the topic was often approached like this:Points arising from Model 1 Model 1Context: A lesson teaching and/or practising the imperative. Plus lexis such as 'left', 'right' and 'straight ahead'. Input from textbook: A map o f a fictional town inBritain, with street names and landmarks (the pub, the church and so on).Activity: Teacher gives directions from one landmark to another. Learners in open class do the same. Then a drill on the imperative. Then written gap fillers on the imperative.1. The oral/aural activity is entirely teacher-centred. Not all learners in an average sized class would speak and what they say would be repetitious. 2. The map imposes unrealistically detailed and precise directions. So what the learners say is unrealistic. 3. The drill would repeat the directions and the gap-filler would repeat the drill. By the end of the lesson, activity is mechanical and probably boring.

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