Teaching as a Field Practicum Liason

Deborah Valentine, College of Social Work

In most professional education programs, the field placement or practicum experience is a major vehicle for professional development. In social work and nursing, for example, students spend 40-60% of the academic year in field placement. In education, at least one academic semester is spent in student teaching.

The supervised practicum or internship is intended to helps students translate theory into practice and learn practice techniques in a natural, rather than academic, setting. The type, size, and opportunities available at various settings are extraordinarily diverse, ranging from the small, single-service agency to the large multi-service, multi-purpose school or agency.

The likelihood of providing students with a successful and meaningful practicum experience depends on a variety of factors which include the ability of the practicum setting to provide the kinds and types of practice opportunities necessary for student development; the capabilities of the field instructor, (also called preceptor or master teacher), and the time available for supervision; and the capabilities of the person performing the linkage between the academic setting and the field setting.

In order to facilitate integration of the practicum with the educational institution and to maintain responsibility for standards of practice, faculty members or teaching assistants are assigned to perform the roles and responsibilities of field liaison or field advisor. The liaison role may be described as the connecting link between the college/university and the community agency, school or health setting. Field liaisons build and maintain productive, quality relationships between these two systems by assuming the following roles and functions:

LIAISON ROLES:

    Advisor: Provides assistance to students in planning for practicum; includes identification of learning needs and educational experiences designed to meet those needs.

    Monitor: Carries out ongoing assessment of agency, field instructor, and student's learning experience to ensure the student's learning objectives and school expectations are met.

    Consultant: Assists field instructor in developing supervisory skills, techniques and identification of learning styles; provides course outlines, other materials.

    Teacher: Assists students with integration of course-work and practicum and serves as a role model to the student.

    Mediator: Assists in resolving problems between student and field instructor or other agency personnel.

    Advocate: Provides relevant information to academic review committees when necessary to evaluate the student's field and academic performance and to determine the student's future educational experience.

LIAISON FUNCTIONS:

    Practicum Placement: Selects agencies and field instructors and matches them with students' learning needs; introduces students to agency; finalizes the placement.

    Linkage: Interprets school policies, procedures, expectations to agencies; assesses the fit between school curriculum and educational experiences provided by the agency.

    Evaluation: Evaluates students, field instructor and agency; makes recommendations for continued use of the agency and field instructors.

    Administration: Ensures completion of placement forms, students' evaluations of agencies, field instructor and liaison. (Faria, Brownstein, & Smith, 1988, 135-136).

University requirements and field settings vary; thus, not all functions necessarily are carried out by all liaisons at every practicum site. Regardless of the specific roles and functions, the importance of positive, trusting, productive relationships between all agencies and individuals must be emphasized. These relationships can be maintained and strengthened if the liaison can provide the following:

  1. support and guidance to both the student and the field instructor;

  2. learning contracts prepared early in the semester with the quality and kinds of field assignments clearly articulated;

  3. documentation of all meetings and evaluations;

  4. open communications established for both students and field instructors with free access to the liaison if there are questions, concerns, or accomplishments that need to be discussed;

  5. regularly scheduled and timely meetings conducted and that include the student, the field instructor and the liaison; additional meetings can be scheduled as needed; and

  6. thorough familiarity with the overall academic curriculum as well as the learning objective of the field practicum.

The field liaison performs an important educational function in the educational experience of students in professional schools. Field liaisons are not alone. They can rely on their college or departmental colleagues to assist them in the performance of any of their roles or responsibilities in their efforts to help provide students with the best possible practicum experience.

Reference:

Faria, G., Brownstein, C. and Smith, H.Y. (1988). A survey of field instructors' perceptions of the liaison role. Journal of Social Work Education, 23(2), 135-144.