At the Pulse of Informal Learning: An Intensive Longitudinal Approach to Student Engagement in Practical Placements Using Smartphone Data

Learning in many professions is often informal and occurs within the working context. While critical for student competence development, assessing informal learning remains challenging, particularly given student heterogeneity driven by global migration and lifelong learning. Such diversity is especially impactful in the work context, where many unplanned situations can sum up to students’ diverging competence development and professional identity. The experiential nature of informal learning challenges the limitations of traditional assessments.

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) is suited to capturing students’ daily learning experience. It collects data via a smartphone app, enhanced by sensors. Implementation is challenging, particularly given the practical workplace constraints. We use ESM to collect data on context, student engagement, and learning outcomes in a sample of up to 300 first-year student nurses in clinical placements in Germany. The study period encompasses May-September 2023 and is still ongoing. We explore the potential of ESM in understanding informal learning in clinical placements and discuss implications for inclusive study design, recruitment, ethical considerations, data collection, and study protocol based on initial data. The paper can aid in designing ESM studies in the context of informal learning, using technological advances such as sensor data, and contribute to understanding informal learning and student engagement in the workplace.