This section of the project website contains a range of resources that are freely available to use by anyone involved in practice education. These resources are externally sourced web materials and have been peer reviewed. The resources are intended to be used by the practitioner and by staff involved in the preparation, updating and supporting of practice educators. The resources are intended to:

• Enhance the role of the Practice Educator.
• Meet the needs of culturally diverse health and social care teams.

The resources may also contain material of use by other disciplines that have students and supervisors involved in practice or work-based placements.

The Making Practice Based Learning Work team scoped current practice in five health care disciplines, which resulted in identification of six key themes. These themes should be central to development of any person involved in supporting learning in practice settings and map across competencies required by:

Health Professions Council
Nursing and Midwifery Council
The Department of Health: Knowledge and Skills Framework

Learning and Teaching in Practice

The practice educator requires an understanding of the principles of learning theory and their application to teaching in the workplace. The ability to use research to both inform teaching methods and content of practice based education is fundamental to good teaching practice. The skills required for effective teaching are identified in the skills resources.

The purpose of this section is to provide information on learning and teaching to underpin practice education. It will facilitate the development of practice educators' role as an educator of students on practice-based placement

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Supporting Learning in Practice

This theme considers key aspects to supporting effective learning and teaching in practice. The practice educator requires an understanding of the principles of how to be an effective educator as well as being able to create and maintain an effective practice based learning support environment. The skills required for providing effective support for learning and teaching are identified in the skills resources.

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Assessment in Practice

This theme considers key aspects of effective assessment in practice. Assessment is integral to the learning process and requires a clear understanding of the principles and practices of assessment in the workplace and how it relates to the development of the professional. It contains a range of evidence-based information and other materials that may be of interest to people involved in the assessment of practice and those seeking to develop further ways of assessing students’ practice.

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Interprofessional Learning in Practice

This theme considers key aspects to promote effective interprofessional learning in practice. Interprofessional Learning is defined by CAIPE as “Occasions when two or more professions learn with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care (2005) Interprofessional learning enables different health and social care workers and agencies to gain a greater appreciation of each others values, knowledge and abilities and facilitates the best use of their skills. Application of principles and practices of interprofessional learning and teaching is integral to the learning process. The practice educator requires an understanding of the principles of interprofessional learning and their application to the workplace.

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Reflection in Practice

The aim of this section of the portal is to guide users towards a series of resources on reflection in health and social care practice. If your job involves trying to help experienced and novice practitioners learn from practice, this section of the portal may prove useful. The team have pulled together a number of freely available web resources that will help to close the loop between learning and acting upon reflective knowledge and so improve professional practice.

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Diversity in Practice

The aim of this section of the portal is to assist people working in health and social care to work across dimensions of difference which impact upon practice and learning. Working with diversity refers to the ability to understand and to respond to difference and inequality.

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Generic Skills

This theme considers key aspects to promote effective use of core skills in practice. Skill is defined by KNAPP (1963) as "...the learned ability to bring about pre-determined results with maximum certainty, often with the minimum outlay of time or energy, or both."

The skills enable different health and social care workers and agencies to gain a greater appreciation of each others values, knowledge and abilities and facilitate the best use of their skills, new and old. Application of principles and practices of these skills is integral to the learning process. The practice educator requires an understanding of the principles of these skills and their application to and in the workplace.

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