FdSC Evaluation The first year of the Foundation Degree in Healthcare Science Dr Antonia Beringer & Dr Katherine Pollard Contact:

Aims develop the evidence-base for the contribution the FdSC can make to the development of the Associate Practitioner role in biomedical sciences evaluate the use of technology enhanced learning (TEL) in this context help to understand the process by which role development can become established and successful

Data sources SourceTypeTiming Students Questionnaire 1October 2013 Focus group and interviews 1December 2013 Questionnaire 2May 2014 Focus group 2May 2014 Mentors Interview 1December 2013 Interview 2May/June 2014 Project Advisory GroupInterviewJune 2014

Questionnaire results

Programme set-up Recruitment and selection “You couldn’t send everyone on this course. They’d have to be quite a specific type of learner.”(Workplace Mentor 1). Preparation “…the only thing I had to go on…was what the UWE website told me, and I was like ‘Scientific Basis of Life, what the hell’s that?’ and The Principles of Healthcare Science, I was like ‘what is that?”(Student Focus group 1) Expectations started high (9/10) and rose (9.83/10)

Programme delivery Modular structure: 4 week study blocks plus fortnightly ‘collaborate’ sessions. Time commitment “When we first initially envisaged the degree we didn’t realise how much time out of the lab was needed” (workplace mentor) IT issues “We had software issues because our network can’t cope… we just haven’t got the bandwidth” (workplace mentor) Content “The bits I’ve seen are good, but it still puzzles me how they can fit so much in.” (workplace mentor)

Work-study balance “I expect none of us thought it was going to be this much work to do it. I mean, I didn’t expect me being sat in every single Friday and Saturday for the last god knows how long.” (Student, Focus Group 2) “I get home from work, I cook tea, bath the kids, seven o’clock they are all in bed and I sit down and study and I am just in a routine of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night. That is what I do.” (Student, Focus Group 2).

Workplace factors Progression “They do want to progress the staff, they do want to give them extra education, they want them to stay in the department and one way of doing that is you know giving them an education.” (Workplace mentor) Funding “You might have put it [funding application] in in January but you won’t get an answer until like April.” (Student focus group 2)

Key messages Timely information about the structure, timings and cost of the programme is important. Smoothly functioning IT and appropriate use of technology enhanced learning (TEL) are vital for the blended learning approach to be successful. Students have felt that their feedback has been listened to and acted on by academic staff. Service colleagues value the programme as it helps to develop knowledge and confidence in staff who are already team members.

A student’s advice “Just embrace it [the course]. Really, just embrace it, because if you don’t want to be here don’t come. Just be grateful for the knowledge that you are getting and what you are going to get at the end of it”. (Student, Focus Group 2)