Focus: Findings from phase one of a study exploring physical activity, sleep patterns and stress in undergraduate nursing students.

Background/context: Exercise and sleep predict nurses’ health, and the nature of the job and stressors generated through shiftwork present unique challenges. Students on clinical placement are learning to navigate these stressors while simultaneously embedding managing behaviours. Stress is a known factor for nursing students (Li & Hasson, 2020), and educators must develop strategies to reduce this (Admi et al, 2018).

Students on placement are particularly vulnerable as they adjust professional behaviours within the context of external and ongoing lifestyle responsibilities such as part-time work. Therefore, strategies supporting students must account for unique individual experiences. This study aimed to measure physical activity, sleep patterns and stress levels of nursing students on clinical placement.

Method(s): Education was provided pre and post placement, to a purposive sample of nursing students, with students completing questionnaires at each timepoint. Six questionnaires (total 49 items) measuring sleep/stress, and four questionnaires (total 39 items) physical activity, were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data.

Evidence: Twenty-one students participated. Results indicate physical activity and self-efficacy of exercise were maintained at satisfactory levels during placement. Students had a good attitude to maintaining PA for health. Energy levels as well as capacity to deal with patient’s relatives and colleagues decreased. Students identified a diminishing feeling of ‘things going in their favour’.

Contribution: This phase informs interventions to support students manage levels of physical activity, stress and sleep during clinical placements, to be used both in preparing students for, and supporting students during, placement.

Engagement: A ‘Trigger Case Study’ will be used to commence the session, based upon an example student (Student A), who has certain responsibilities beyond nursing studies while undertaking a full-time clinical placement.

Success indicators in Work-Integrated Learning: Participation, quality, and impact

Focus
Presentation of research outcomes.

Background/context
Quality WIL is critical for developing future-capable graduates, yet Australia lacks systematic ways to measure the quality of WIL and the impact it has on individuals, higher education institutions, organisations, and the broader economy.

Description
This study introduced WIL measures in Australia’s national Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) to enable the quantification and benchmarking of student participation in WIL and the impact on employability and graduate outcomes. The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN), the national association for WIL in Australia, introduced the survey indicators in 2019 with more than 30 Australian universities including the measures in their GOS.

Method
The five GOS items explore graduates’ perceptions of their engagement in different types of WIL and their value for work and career. Different quantitative techniques have been used to analyse the annual GOS data sets, producing annual summary reports and three-year reviews of WIL in Australia.

Evidence
Findings showed limited growth in WIL that takes place in the workplace (e.g., internships, placements) over the past three years. In contrast, more students are engaging in WIL that is facilitated virtually or on-campus (e.g., projects, competitions, consultancies). Certain student groups participate less in work-based WIL, substantiating concerns for access and inclusion. WIL positively impacts on graduate employment, particularly work-based arrangements and for certain student equity groups.

Contribution
Aligning with recommendations from the University Accord (Australian Government, 2023), the study highlights the importance of embedding WIL across degree levels and disciplines. Findings also emphasise the need to review WIL practices to ensure they are accessible and inclusive for all students.

Engagement
The audience will be asked to consider how we might gauge external partner engagement in WIL nationally, and the impact of WIL on partner organisations and the wider economy.

Focus. The presentation comprises a summary of a study evaluating how non-STEM students engaged with a STEM-based second-year undergraduate unit.
Background. According to the Australian Government DoE (2023), the world of work continues to change rapidly, defined by advancing technology and increased automation. Underpinning the increasing labour market demand for ‘work-ready’ ‘digitally literate’ graduates, is a strong industry narrative that suggests students transitioning to the workplace are not well prepared (Xu et al., 2022). Industry and government stakeholders expect graduates to exhibit high-level proficiency across a wide array of skills (Siivonen et al., 2023). This gap between market demand and graduates’ ability to arrive on the job with the skills needed to perform, has placed pressure on higher education to offer employability focused pedagogies for meeting the immediacy of these changes (Bikse et al., 2022; Paterson, 2017; Suleman, 2017). Adapting to this change requires tertiary students to become more proficient in STEM-skill areas. To address this, Murdoch University drew on funding to develop STEM skills in non-STEM undergraduates.
Description. The findings are drawn from a survey embedded in a data analytics unit, administered across 2022-2023. Respondents were 157 undergraduate students.
Method(s). Surveys yielded qualitative/quantitative data. For qualitative responses; thematic/content analysis methods were employed. For quantitative analysis, we evaluated mean responses, outliers, and changes over time.
Evidence. The confidence of non-STEM students in conducting data analysis was captured in the study. The results demystify the notion that non-STEM students are incapable of expanding their knowledge or skillset outside their discipline.
Contribution. The study contributes to literature pertaining to employability skills development at an undergraduate level, and how students learn in areas outside their discipline.
Engagement. The presenter intends to use data visualisations to engage the audience, as well as questions pertaining to STEM and non-STEM learning in a rapidly changing world.

Focus: To understand how students apply knowledge from online coursework to traineeships.

Background: Learning transfer is the ability to effectively apply learning from coursework to real-life jobs (Perkins & Salomon, 1992). It poses a challenge to online higher education, in the professions, in relation to preparing safe, competent, job-ready graduates.

Description: Enhancing graduate employability through online delivery requires intentional planning (Billing, 2007). Ability to apply learnt knowledge is vital for student success in higher education and workplace (Reece, 2005), yet it is relatively under-researched, especially in an online mode. This is further concerning due to the lack of a tool to capture student perceptions to support students achieve their learning outcomes.

Methods: This study forms a part of a broader project on scale development. Focus here will be on the survey design and results. A pilot online survey was sent to 279 medical sonography students, enrolled in an online postgraduate program and who had a current traineeship. The survey was sent through Microsoft forms and had 23 items including demographic questions, ten Likert items, two MCQs and an open-text response. Descriptive data from the Likert-scale responses were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Open-ended responses were evaluated using NVivo through thematic qualitative analysis using inductive descriptive coding.

Evidence: The response rate was 38% (n=106). Online learning activities that helped knowledge transfer were practice questions followed by lectures and interactive synchronous sessions. Five codes and four themes were derived with qualitative analysis.

Contribution: This presentation will provide valuable insights to online educators on strategies to foster learning transfer in students. Although the context is in medical sonography, the survey tool has potential to be adapted broader in online higher education.

Engagement: Interactive with at least three questions as discussion starters will be posed to the audience and spread across the presentation.