‘Field education’ is significant to, among many others, social work education because theoretical learning becomes alive and real through supervised professional practice (or workplace experiences) say Leitmann and Palmer (2013: 26). However, it is essential to develop a ‘learning plan’ to structure a students’ learning on ‘placement’ or ‘practicum’, they indicate. A ‘structured framework’ keeps students focused on meeting the learning objectives and to make appropriate selections, say Ward et al (2001: 92), who indicate that “three-way contracts between workplace supervisor, the teaching institution and the student, have been the basis for work experience programmes in fields as diverse as history, engineering, nursing, physiotherapy, business management and information technology”. However, “because of the difficulties arising out of the legalistic context of the expression ‘learning contract’ many educators prefer to substitute ‘plan’ … [or alternatively] ‘study plans’ or ‘performance agreements’ and ‘self-development plans’ are [other] terms used”. The notions ‘learning contract’ or ‘learning agreement’ is defined as “a formal written agreement between a learner [student] and a member of the teaching staff which details what is to be learnt, the resources and strategies available to assist in learning which will be produced as evidence of learning having occurred and how the product will be assessed”. Such a “learning plan links professional activities to be undertaken with learning outcomes to be achieved along with how these are to be assessed within a specific time frame” say Leitmann and Palmer (2013: 26).
Lamiri et al (2022: 2) cite Knowles (1986), who defined a ‘learning contract’ as a tool (or instrument) that enables a student, lecturer (and workplace) “to establish a preestablished plan … it is a bilateral agreement that serves to indicate, in a precise manner, the objectives, the activities or the means adopted to achieve the commitments of each party”. Knowles qualified a ‘learning contract’ as most effective means to promote self-directed learning, “it improves the learners' [student’s] sense of responsibility and allows the establishment of learner-centred learning objectives”, say Lamiri et al (2022: 2). A ‘learning contract’ is a methodological aid “to help develop the project, a source of motivation, a tool for socialisation, and a tool that has psycho-pedagogical value” and is said to have “a positive impact on students' knowledge acquisition ability, learning satisfaction and academic productivity”. Research on ‘learning contracts’ found that “this pedagogical tool has proven to be effective, especially with regard to the factors that influence and enhance learner motivation, namely (a) confidence, (b) recognition of value, (c) responsibility and (d) satisfaction”. ‘Learning contracts’ furthermore improve “students' learning autonomy and motivation, as well as assisting learners in making a personal and relevant choice of assignments that are relevant to their needs”, especially if “a list of options from which learners can choose” is included. The ‘learning contract’, as instrument “in the process of integrating theory and practice” further has been found to help “students to organise their learning more effectively, and encourages them to develop creativity through knowing and using the most appropriate resources and strategies in the learning process”. However, ‘learning contracts’, if done well, requires individualised time and effort to complete and ‘contract’.
Eardley, Bussey and Brooks-Martin (2011: 198) report that although ‘learning agreements’ (LAs) were piloted early in 2005, LAs went live in 2007 and brought about “a change of learning culture for surgical trainees in” 2011. Learning became transparent with explicit formative feedback. Surgical trainees were required to “demonstrate that their learning has met defined standards of conduct and practice” at frequent appraisals, making use of a ‘learning agreements’ (LA), with their assigned educational supervisor (AES). The LA assists the surgical trainees to identify their educational needs, to plan and to manage, together with their AES, their surgical training. An annual review of competence progression (ARCP) is done by the programme director (PD) who is responsible for the training programme. The ARCP replaced the former record of in-training assessment (RITA) of the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (ISCP).
The ‘learning agreement’ (LA) is essentially an appraisal tool which specifies what surgical trainees should learn during their clinical placement, “how they should learn it and what evidence they need to show that they have learned it”. LAs summarise the learning objectives already achieved by surgical trainees and provide feedback about their performance. “The ARCP is a formal deanery process that scrutinises each surgical trainee’s suitability to progress to the next stage of training or programme completion.” The sign-off by the assigned educational supervisor (AES) of the ‘learning agreement’ (LA) and the assessment of the surgical trainee’s progress over the duration of the clinical placement is of significant important.
Anderson and Boud (1996), cited Ward et al (2001: 92), identified eight steps, summarised in Fig. 1 (p. 93), towards developing a learning contract. They observed that different styles of contracting portray differing degrees of learner independence.
- Highly independent students would identify their learning need/s, draft the contract, present it to the supervisor for negotiation and approval.
- With inexperienced students the supervisor may initiate and work through each section of the contract with the student.
Image source: https://twitter.com/jiahui1231234/status/1003258749568643072
Eardley, I.; Bussey, M. & Brooks-Martin, J. (2011). The ISCP Systems Group: Enhancements to the Learning Agreement and ARCP. The Royal College of Surgeons of England (Bulletin), 93:6, 198-199. Electronically accessible from https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/epdf/10.1308/147363511X575480
Lamiri, A., Lhbibani, A., Qaisar, R., Khoaja, D., Abidi, O., Khyati, A., & Bouzoubaa, H. (2022). The Learning Contract and its Impact on Scholarship among Moroccan Nursing Students. The Open Nursing Journal, Volume 16. Electronically accessible from https://doi.org/10.2174/18744346-v16-e2206270
Leitmann, S., & Palmer, M. (2013). (Re)presenting the creative potential of learning plans. The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 12(2), 26-47. Electronically accessible form https://doi.org/10.1921/jpts.v12i2.287
Ward, A., O’Neill, R., Kostrzewski, A., & Dhillon, S. (2001). Using Learning Agreements in a Competency-based Training Programme: Introduction and Evaluation by Preregistration Pharmacists. Pharmacy Education, 1(2), 91-104. Electronically accessible from https://pharmacyeducation.fip.org/pharmacyeducation/article/view/6
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