Practice supervisors’ and assessors’ experiences in the Covid-19 pandemic
- Stainer, Lucy
- Humphries, Belinda
- Uren, Claire
- Watson, Amanda
- Johns, Catherine
This article has been double-blind peer reviewed
In this article…
How students are being encouraged to take greater responsibility for their learning
The Covid-19 pandemic placed extra pressures on those providing supervision and assessment
Why several changes to practice should be extended beyond the pandemic
Key points
The roles of a practice assessor and supervisor have shifted from a traditional mentor approach towards a coaching model
New standards promote active participation from the student in the learning process
The Covid-19 pandemic brought additional issues around wellbeing for both students and practice supervisors and assessors
Practice assessment and the learning environment were identified as areas that presented challenges
Individual experiences varied but some adaptations to practice should be retained
Abstract
The roles of practice supervisor and practice assessor were introduced in 2018, with a greater focus on students taking responsibility for their learning. Staff in these roles have had to support learners during a time of additional challenges because of the Covid-19 pandemic. To capture these experiences at Bournemouth University, we conducted a survey and collected anecdotal evidence. We identified some challenges to the role, alongside positive outcomes for learners. These findings will be instrumental in planning future training and support for practice supervisors and assessors.