Catherine McConnell

University of Brighton staff page

I am particularly interested in the learning relationships that students develop whilst on placement, in particular those who secure work experience with micro-businesses in the creative industries.  Small and micro-businesses can provide students with unique insights into freelance and self-employment progression routes, and offer the chance to develop professional and entrepreneurial skills invaluable for final or subsequent years of study.

This SCEPTrE Fellowship will be used to explore the use of activities and resources that prepare students and micro-businesses (designer-makers) alike, with the appropriate tools to secure and carry out a successful placement experience.  The development of these tools will also draw upon particular findings and recommendations from the work of the UK Teaching and Learning Research Programme carried out by Michael Eraut (2009), into Improving the Quality of Placements[2], such as: 

• enhancing situational understanding
• developing perception, emotional intelligence, problem solving

Building upon the outcomes reported by students and designer-makers who participated in the CEPPL funded project Placement Learning in the Creative Industries: Establishing a placement framework format and agreement for use with students and the designer-maker community[1] (Harper, McConnell and Robertson, 2009). (See pages 17-27 of Networks ADM-HEA publication), ongoing findings include:

• the need to prepare students more adequately before placement in a 1:1 setting
• the need to support designer-makers with activities such as induction, health and safety, intellectual property
• pre-placement and post-placement activities, for example about professional conduct, interpersonal communication, managing change, problem-solving
• support for reflection during placement, through creative writing, online journals or diaries
• a peer support mechanism for students about to embark on placement, specifically a placement conference