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  5. Rural Education, Curriculum and Communities
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  7. Rural placements for preservice teachers and health practitioners

Rural placements for preservice teachers and health practitioners

Team Members

Assoc Prof Philip Roberts
Ms Natalie Downes

Partners

  • NSW Department of Education
  • UC Placement Office
  • UC Faculty of Health
  • UC Faculty of Education

The staffing of rural, remote, and isolated schools has been a significant concern in Australia since the inception of compulsory schooling. Research suggests that students who have the opportunity to experience rural placements are more likely to take up a rural appointment on graduation.

This project focusses on providing students at the University of Canberra with opportunities to undertake rural placements through a number of initiatives. These include:

  • Partnering with the NSW Department of Education (NSW DoE) to support students in their final year of their undergraduate degree by providing opportunities to undertake rural placements. Through the NSW DoE Rural Placements Program, students receive funding to cover some costs to attend placements in rural locations. Students are also provided with access to shared accommodation with other students undertaking rural placements.
  • Partnering with the UC Placement Office (Careers UC) and nearby rural schools to promote the opportunities of rural placements. This involves hosting webinars with the involvement of rural school principals and students and providing preservice teachers with the opportunity to engage in Q&A sessions with schools.
  • Partnering with the UC Faculty of Health and placement teams to develop opportunities for UC students in the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Health to undertake placements while staying in UC accommodation facilities in rural locations.

These projects involve collaborations with stakeholders such as the Department of Education, the university Placements Office, and rural schools to develop the rural professions. These approaches are informed by research about the rural professions and approaches to supporting students to make informed decisions about rural professional careers.

These projects aim to provide students with opportunities to complete professional experience in rural locations to build the rural professional workforce. They aim to support students to make informed decisions about placement and employment opportunities, provide financial support for placements, and to provide students with opportunities for social support from peers while on placements.

Publications

  • Roberts, P., Cosgrave, C., Gillespie, J., Malatzky, C., Hyde, S., Hu, W. C., ... & Downes, N. (2021). ‘Re‐placing’ professional practice. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 29(2), 301-305.
  • Downes, N., Roberts, P., & Dean, J. (2021). Researching the schoolhouse: Rethinking research on the staffing of rural, remote and isolated schools in Australia (2000-2019). Available from: https://researchprofiles.canberra.edu.au/en/publications/researching-the-schoolhouse-rethinking-research-on-the-staffing-o
  • NSW Department of Education with Societel Consulting. (2021). A Review of rural and remote incentives in NSW public schools’.
  • Downes, N., & Roberts, P. (2018). Revisiting the schoolhouse: A literature review on staffing rural, remote and isolated schools in Australia 2004-2016. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 28(1), 31-54.
  • Roberts, P., & Downes, N. (2020). The Challenges of Staffing Schools in a Cosmopolitan Nation: Rethinking the recruitment and retention of teachers in Australia through a spatial lens. In T. Ovenden-Hope, & R. Passy (Eds.). Exploring Teacher Recruitment and Retention (pp. 221-230). Routledge.
  • Roberts, P. & Downes, N. (2019). The Rural Difference Trope: Leader Perceptions on Rural, Regional and Remote Schooling Difference. Leading & Managing, 25(2), pp. 51-65.
  • Downes, N & Roberts, P. (2018). Revisiting the schoolhouse: A literature review on staffing rural, remote and isolated schools in Australia 2004-2016. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 28(1). pp.31-54.
  • Roberts, P. (2007). Shaping Future Staffing Systems to Support Students in Rural, Remote and Isolated Communities. Australian College of Educators Online. Refereed Article 46.
  • Roberts, P. (2005). Staffing an Empty Schoolhouse: Attracting and retaining teachers in rural, remote and isolated communities. Sydney, NSW. New South Wales Teachers Federation. ISBN 1875699368.

Related Projects

For further information on this project, please contact us.