Assessment for learning in engineering internship programmes in Hong Kong: How far are we?

Abstract

Student internship provides great opportunities for students to develop the whole person and the different types of generic skills such as adaptability, self-management, team and communication skills (Crebert, et al., 2004; Little & Harvey, 2006). However, inconsistencies in students’ internship experience make it difficult to identify specific learning outcomes (Hu, Abadeer, & Yusman, 2009), particularly in relation to generic skills competency. The assessment of student internship is also challenging as students are often attached to different companies and teachers cannot closely monitor and assess their performance in the workplace (Ferns & Moore, 2012). Common methods used to assess internship include the student report, daily or weekly log, and the work supervisor report. Although the work supervisor report often complement the final student report, it is often very brief and provides very little detail on students’ achievement of outcomes and even less on their generic skills outcomes (McNamara, 2013). Without a better solution, it is common for students to be certified based on a pass/fail scale. In view of the challenges in the assessment of student learning in internship, this paper provides an overview of assessment practices in engineering internship programmes in Hong Kong and presents some findings from a pilot study conducted on students’ and teachers’ perception of the internship programme in the engineering discipline. The study being reported is part of a PhD research project on student learning through internship experience. Preliminary findings from an internship experience questionnaire revealed that only 50% of the student participants agreed that the marking scheme of the internship assignment(s) was clear and that the assessment was appropriate in assessing what they have learnt in the internship. Pilot interviews with internship coordinators and students revealed discrepancies between the perceived learning outcomes and what is being assessed. The findings will be discussed in relation to how assessment can help improve student learning through internship experience.