University placement supervisors and placement officers
Our university supervisors support our school/hosts site coordinators, supervising teachers and pre-service teachers during a professional experience placement. Successful placements depend on an effective partnership between university staff, school-based teacher educators (supervising teachers and site coordinators) and pre-service teachers.
Our placement officers ensure that the whole system runs smoothly, getting students ready for placement, making sure everyone knows what is happening, where and when.
Placement Officers are the staff members responsible for liaising between the university and professional experience settings to:
- Secure and organise placements for eligible pre-service teachers in all of CQUniversity’s initial teacher education courses; and,
- Provide ongoing administrative support for all participants in professional experience placements.
To do list for placement officers
Placement Officers perform a complex and important role in establishing partnerships with schools/educational settings and providing accurate information to all participants involved in the placement process, including site coordinators, supervising teachers, university academic staff and pre-service teachers. Placement officers take responsibility for:
- Contacting students who are potentially eligible for a professional experience to confirm requirements for placements
- Distributing and coordinating information and resources for obtaining / updating “Working with Children Checks” for all pre-service teachers prior to placement at a school / learning site
- Sourcing placements for pre-service teachers that provide professional experiences in contexts that are as diverse as practicable
- Communicating with site coordinators and pre-service teachers to respond to queries about the structure and requirements of particular placements
- Distributing electronic copies of Information and Guidelines booklets and reporting materials to supervising teachers and site coordinators in a timely manner
- Maintaining up-to-date records of all placement details including stakeholder contact information, preservice teacher reports and evidence of support and moderation processes conducted by university academic staff
- Organising and processing claims for the prompt payment of site coordinators and supervising teachers involved in professional experience.
The table below summarises the typical communication processes that occur between site coordinators in schools and placement officers to organise pre-service teacher placements.
| Communication details | Approximate timing of communication |
| Email contact with attachments that include a brief overview of the requested placement and its timing and duration on a calendar of placement dates for the school year. | At the time of the initial request for a pre-service teacher placement (Requests may be sent up to one school term prior to the expected commencement of the scheduled placement) |
| Email or phone contact to clarify requirements or provide further information about placement requests | On request for further information from site coordinators prior to the offer of a placement |
| Email from the Professional Experience Office to confirm the offer of a pre-service teacher placement at the site | Following an offer from the site coordinator to support a pre-service teacher placement |
Email to confirm: name (and teaching areas where applicable) of pre-service teachers placed at the site name and contact details of the academic staff member (University Supervisor) who will be the main point of contact between site coordinators, supervising teachers and the university throughout the placement. | Approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the placement (or earlier if possible) |
Email to site coordinators with the following attachments for distribution to supervising teachers: Information and Guidelines Booklets for the specific placement Electronic reporting forms Forms for claiming payment for site coordinators and supervising teachers | Approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the placement (or earlier if possible) |
| Reminder email to supervising teachers for the return of registration and pay claim forms | On receipt of contact details for the supervising teacher from the site coordinator or pre-service teacher and prior to the commencement of the block component of the placement |
All communication between placement officers and site coordinators or between placement officers and pre-service teachers related to the organisation of professional experience placements occurs through the mailbox for the Professional Experience Office at WIL-EduArts@cqu.edu.au.
Our University Supervisors are the university’s representative in professional experience partnerships with schools or other learning sites where pre-service teachers complete placements.
The University Supervisor for a placement is an academic staff member who is also a registered teacher. He/She may be based on any of our regional campuses and there will be many staff undertaking this role for each placement to ensure all pre-service teachers and supervising teachers are supported effectively.
The role of the University Supervisor
University Supervisors perform a vital role in establishing high quality school-university partnerships that share responsibility for the professional learning and development of pre-service teachers. These partnerships support the process of “learning teaching” so that graduates are classroom ready and well-equipped with the knowledge, attitudes and practical skills they need to have a positive impact on student learning outcomes in diverse settings.
To do list for university supervisors
The University Supervisor’s main responsibilities are to:
- Develop knowledge and understanding of the expectations and assessment requirements for specific professional experience placements
- Collaborate with supervising teachers to build a shared understanding of the expectations and the assessment criteria for a placement at a standard appropriate for a pre-service teacher’s stage of development (e.g. first year pre-service teacher, second year pre-service teacher, etc)
- Monitor pre-service teachers’ progress through contact with supervising teachers and by viewing evidence samples in the Working Portfolio
- Moderate assessment judgements and provide feedback on a pre-service teacher’s achievement using the Guide to Making Judgements for a professional experience placement
- Provide targeted support for pre-service teachers and supervising teachers in the event that a pre-service teacher is identified as being “at risk”.
- The role of the University Coordinator (supervisor) – describes the role of the university supervisor in building partnerships with supervising teachers and supporting pre-service teachers during professional experience
The University Supervisor supports site coordinators, supervising teachers and pre-service teachers during a professional experience placement. Successful placements depend on an effective partnership between university staff, school-based teacher educators (supervising teachers and site coordinators) and pre-service teachers.
Important processes for enacting a successful partnership are shown in the flowchart below. These processes ensure:
- Support for all pre-service teachers regardless of their mode of enrolment in a course or geographic location for a professional experience placement
- Clarity for all participants about the valued tasks and activities and the expectations of a pre-service teacher for a given placement
- Timely provision of feedback for pre-service teachers in relation to their strengths and areas in need of improvement
- Consistency of judgements about the quality of a pre-service teacher’s progress towards, or demonstration of, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level) at a stage appropriate for a specific professional experience placement.