The purpose of this paper is to chart developments in a community engagement scheme run by two Universities in the North East, offering students academic credit in return for work within the local community. The particular focus is on how learning has been assessed from this work experience, within the requirements of higher education courses, and the introduction of a new and innovative practice of assessing students by interview.
This paper provides a critical reflection on the practice and the rationale behind changes and developments that have been made to this. It includes some of the theoretical background in relation to the benefits of undertaking work experience, and to assessment methods within higher education.
Using an assessed interview for all students taking work experience modules has compared favourably with other assessment methods used in the past. Although there have been some adjustments to the process in the three years since its introduction, it has been successful in providing greater authenticity of experience for students, without significantly increasing investment of staff time in the assessment process.
This paper will be of value to practitioners involved with, or wishing to set up, community engagement or work experience schemes offering students or pupils academic accreditation in exchange for this experience, as well as those interested in novel practice within higher education assessment.
