RAPPORT
Issue 5 (August 2020)
The International Journal for
Recording Achievement,
Planning and Portfolios
Academic advising at a distance; exploring the provision of support
on placement
Charlotte Coleman
Deputy Head of Department: Academic Development
Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Abstract
Like many HEIs, Sheffield Hallam University is supporting rapid growth in placement
provision for undergraduate students to further the development of employability skills.
However, such skills can only emerge from engaging in high-quality placement activity,
for which appropriate and skilled academic support is needed. This paper explores the
experiences of six Academic Advisers (AAs) in providing off-campus placement visit
support and highlights the challenges they have faced in managing student and
employer relationships and facilitating the conditions for students’ developmental
growth. Each of these challenges presents resource demands for HEIs in equipping AAs
with the time and skills necessary to ensure the intended high-quality outcomes.
Introduction
Over the last twenty years UK HEIs have
increasingly recognised the importance of
off-campus work experiences for student
employability. There are a wide range of
models for such experience, (see for
example Purcell et al. 2012:97). In terms
of opportunities linked to programmes of
study, these can range from the wellestablished
placements for clinical
courses (which typically use a work-based
‘clinical tutor’ – see Dean & Levis (2016))
to whole years out of the university in a
work setting. The type of support offered
for such experiences is equally variable.
According to Yale (2017) academic
advisors (or personal tutors) are the
cornerstone of supporting students in UK
higher education (HE), with individual
meetings being important in developing
and maintaining the academic advisorstudent
relationship. A key aspect of
academic advisor (AA) support is to help
identify and provide structure for
improvements to the students’ academic,
personal, and professional skills in all
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