OLT presentation Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia 2015

Quality in Australian outbound student mobility programs: Establishing good practice guidelines for international work-integrated learning (#98)

Helen Flavell 1 , Sonia Ferns 1
  1. Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia

The Federal Government's recent announcement of the New Colombo Plan highlights the importance of student outbound mobility in developing graduate work-readiness as well as Australia's engagement in the international arena. International fieldwork, in particular, can provide rich learning experiences that support the achievement of graduate capabilities. However, limited research has been conducted into quality assurance in international fieldwork, where the complexities, risks and resourcing of fieldwork are elevated. Health is the most common field of education where students undertake an international placement but there is an absence of literature on quality management processes to ensure students achieve the desired learning outcomes. Utilising the Delphi method this project, led by Curtin University, will identify the minimum academic standards for student preparation, supervision and assessment in health sciences’ international fieldwork. A major outcome from the project will be the production of a user-friendly guide for international fieldwork in health, for both discipline specific and interprofessional learning.