Forget about theory - practice is all? - Student teachers' learning in practicum

In 1999, all student teachers at secondary I level at the University of Bern who had to undertake an internship were asked to participate in a study on learning processes during practicum: 150 students and their mentors in three types of practicum participated—introductory practicum (after the first half‐year of studies), intermediate practicum (after two years of studies) and final practicum (after three years of studies). At the end of the practicum, student teachers and mentors completed questionnaires on preparing, teaching and post‐processing lessons. All student teachers, additionally, rated their professional skills and aspects of personality (attitudes towards pupils, self‐assuredness and well‐being) before and after the practicum. Forty‐six student teachers wrote daily semi‐structured diaries about essential learning situations during their practicum. Results indicate that in each practicum students improved significantly in preparing, conducting and post‐processing lessons. The mentors rated these changes as being greater than did the student teachers. From the perspective of the student teachers their general teaching skills also improved, and their attitudes toward pupils became more open. Furthermore, during practicum their self‐esteem and subjective well‐being increased. Diary data confirmed that there are no differences between different levels of practicum in terms of learning outcomes, but give some first insight into different ways of learning during internship.

Lerntagebücher im Praktikum von Lehramtsstudierenden

Im vorgestellten Projekt ging es darum, Lernprozesse und -inhalte im Praktikum anhand von Tagebüchern sichtbar zu machen. Im Rahmen einer größeren Befragung zum Thema "Lernen im Praktikum" führten 46 Studierende ein Lerntagebuch und berichteten insgesamt 620 Lernsituationen, welche mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet wurden. Die Ergebnisse weisen auf eine Schwerpunktsetzung hinsichtlich des Erwerbs didaktischer Kompetenzen hin. Sowohl Praxislehrpersonen als auch Schüler gaben wesentliche Impulse für die Lernprozesse der Studierenden. Zentrale Einzelthemen bezogen sich auf die Einschätzung des Schwierigkeitsgrads, des Anspruchsniveaus von Anforderungen und Aufgaben und auf den Umgang mit Unterrichtsstörungen.

European undergraduate curriculum in geriatric medicine developed using an international modified Delphi technique.

INTRODUCTION the rise in the number of older, frail adults necessitates that future doctors are adequately trained in the skills of geriatric medicine. Few countries have dedicated curricula in geriatric medicine at the undergraduate level. The aim of this project was to develop a consensus among geriatricians on a curriculum with the minimal requirements that a medical student should achieve by the end of medical school. METHODS a modified Delphi process was used. First, educational experts and geriatricians proposed a set of learning objectives based on a literature review. Second, three Delphi rounds involving a panel with 49 experts representing 29 countries affiliated to the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) was used to gain consensus for a final curriculum. RESULTS the number of disagreements following Delphi Rounds 1 and 2 were 81 and 53, respectively. Complete agreement was reached following the third round. The final curriculum consisted of detailed objectives grouped under 10 overarching learning outcomes. DISCUSSION a consensus on the minimum requirements of geriatric learning objectives for medical students has been agreed by European geriatricians. Major efforts will be needed to implement these requirements, given the large variation in the quality of geriatric teaching in medical schools. This curriculum is a first step to help improve teaching of geriatrics in medical schools, and will also serve as a basis for advancing postgraduate training in geriatrics across Europe.

European university-based study programmes in evaluation: characteristics and future challenges

This chapter examines the state of evaluation training programs at European universities in 2012. It summarises the results of a survey that was conducted among representatives of 15 programs located in Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Some basic information about the programs are reported (e.g. organising body, degree offered, admission requirements, duration in months, price), as well as the programs’ core subjects and learning outcomes. The chapter discusses the challenges for university-based study programmes that arise from the current situation of the evaluation profession, and concludes with some thoughts on education and training as requirements for professionalisation in evaluation