An assessment scheme for short-term placements

Industry placements have been lauded as providing benefits to students, industry and academia. While semester-long placements that require a break from study are reported as the most effective, not all students want to extend their course. Short-term placements can also have positive outcomes for student employability, industry skilled-worker supply and enhancement of curriculum. Assessment of student performance though is challenging, as their focus during the placement needs to be on completing tasks for a sponsor. This paper is a case study of a successful short-term placement program used to identify the important factors and components of an assessment scheme for a short-term placement.