WIL and COVID-19 webinar
COVID-19 presents a crisis the globe has never experienced before. ACEN is starting a conversation about WIL in the context of COVID-19.
ACEN national survey and webinar update
A webinar was held on March 24 and prior to the event participants were invited to complete a survey which subsequently formed the basis of the webinar.
Strategies and issues raised in the webinar
This is a summary of the topics raised and strategies being implemented or suggested by participants of the first ACEN COVID-19 Webinar, March 24 2020.
There were 106 participants from 33 Australian institutions and 8 New Zealand institutions also participated. There is overwhelming support for ACEN Webinar coffee chats and a need for discipline-specific discussions.
Currently ACEN is collaborating with Professions Australia to advise the Government about professional course accreditations, internships and individual accreditation issues.
Strategies to accommodate changes / cancellation of placement
- Reviewing what proportion of the placements counts for successful completion eg 8-10 weeks not 12 weeks
- Transitioning to non-located placements, remote working
- Looking at alternate WIL projects
- Convert students to case study approaches
- Changing the length of placements
- Starting placements later
- Extending completion dates
- Transferring to capstone projects
- Converting to Virtual WIL where possible
- Considering Simulations
- Creating subject options to replace internships
- Replacing internships with series of virtual internships
- Getting students involved in data collection and analysis instead of placement
- Continuing on a project to replace a placement from home with the organisation
- Research placements converted to campus based or remote projects
- Assignments around their company or organisations if students need to leave their placement
- Flexibility with a portfolio based approach
- Virtual teams of students working on projects to get scale required
- Introducing service learning with long arm supervision
- Considering using third part providers
Technology
- Platforms that access China needed
- Using Zoom, Skype, Slack, Team, WebEx
- Concern about whether technology will hold up with current demand What is plan B ?
Resources required
- Online, virtual WIL, ideas, examples
- Design thinking and solution seeking for students
Insurance
- Does it cover virtual WIL?
- Universities checking insurance coverage
- Logging hours to ensure insurance is covered
- Will insurance cover students if they continue with placements in the pandemic
Communication with students
- Need for clear communication with students
- Check in, asking them to log hours for virtual WIL
- Trying to reassure students
- Concern about students remaining in their home country and ability to complete placements
Guidance / communication with accreditation/ Peak bodies
- Guidance from AHPRA required, not sure if reduced hours for graduation will be allowed
- Working with peak body to co-host webinars for not for profit organisations
- Need flexibility from the Australian Public relations Institute
- Reviewing accreditation requirements for education to see if they can provide online learning assistance for schools to keep students going
Quality WIL
- Adapt the Quality WIL framework for Virtual / Online WIL
Virtual supervision
- Need a framework
- Need guides for online supervision
- Host orgs must ensure supervisors are contact with supervisors multiple times a day, contact with team members at least twice
- Negotiating communication protocols with host organisations
- Working from home forms being discussed and completed
- Forms that organisations sign that outline supervision, providing feedback , including students in team meetings
ACEN sessions moving forward
- Sessions for VE
- Sessions for Hospitality and Tourism
- Health disciplines
- Focus on Not for profit Organisations