The Computation of Fieldwork Achievement in Occupational Therapy Degrees: Measuring a Minefield?

Abstract

Fieldwork is a distinct element of undergraduate occupational therapy degrees. Students are seconded from educational institutions to fieldwork educators in practice settings, where their vocational competence is developed and assessed. Fieldwork procedures are devised by individual educational institutions. This paper reports the findings of a survey based on data from fieldwork coordinators, which investigated the incidence of and reasoning behind the computation of fieldwork achievement in England and Ireland. The results showed that every programme had considered computing fieldwork performance at some time and that most were actually doing this. Many programmes that were not computing fieldwork performance expressed the desire to do so, but were uncertain about this action. Highly inconsistent practice was found regarding fieldwork assessment procedures and the weightings given to fieldwork elements; consequently, students' practical fieldwork skills may not be conveyed by their degree classification award. Various factors influenced fieldwork computation, with many inconsistencies and contradictions emerging. The study concluded that computation of students' fieldwork achievement was highly inconsistent. Further development is vital to improve this situation for students, educators, clinicians and employers alike. It is suggested that development be coordinated at a national level.

Does Age at Entry have an Impact on Academic Performance in Occupational Therapy Education?

“…A purer measure of academic ability would have been achieved had the academic average for each graduate been mathematically adjusted for its percentage contribution of practice placement. The failure to adjust the academic averages in this manner has led to a lack of parity in the data across the schools, a problem that has been identified in the education literature and also in the narrow field of occupational therapy education (Woolfe andTurner 1997, Westcott andRugg 2001).…”

“…A review of the literature used electronic or web-based databases, such as Medline 1980to 2001, Occupational Therapy Index 1985to 2001, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature 1982 to 2001 and Education…”

“…442 British Journal of Occupational Therapy October 2004 67 10The questionnaire asked the schools to provide the final academic average for each listed student. It was recognised that each school would differ in how this final average was calculated (Westcott and Rugg 2001). Nevertheless, all the schools used an academic average to determine the final degree classification of the student.…”

Qualifying as an Occupational Therapist: An Educational Journey from Ward-Based to Workplace Learning

“…Degree education also brought debates around the assessment of fieldwork (Alsop 1993, Westcott andRugg 2001). Given that, for one-third of the course, fieldwork provided students with essential opportunities to develop and demonstrate competence to practise in their profession, questions were raised about whether the mark for fieldwork should contribute to the degree classification.…”