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Research topic: Swedish teacher education programs comprise a coherent practicum period for 12 weeks (30 ects) at local schools. Under supervision of a local experienced teacher, student teachers’ practicum involves to plan, carry through and evaluate teaching and learning with pupils. The role of the local supervisor involves support for teacher educators’ assessment of student teachers’ abilities (e.g. subject didactical skills), which has become a burden due to heavy written analogue documentation. When the documentation fails, student teachers feel the feedback as non-relevant, vague, or as low-quality supervision. The supervisors have for a long time requested a digital version of the analogue assessment document, and in parallel, the teacher education institution has sought ways to develop opportunities for equal and high-quality supervision of student teachers. Taken this background into account, this study aims to explore change regarding opportunities and challenges of digitalising student teachers’ evaluation of practicum.  

Theoretical framework: Cultural Historical Activity Theory is applied to analyse this change and the expansive learning such a change result in (Engeström & Sannino, 2016). Expansive learning is based on a 7-step cyclic process where the first four steps include the collective learning actions of 1) questioning, 2) analysing, 3) modelling a new solution, and 4) examining and testing the new model. In accordance with these four steps, the supervisors questioned the analogue assessment document, teacher education sought ways to develop equal and high-quality supervision, and the municipality asked for quality in student teachers’ practicum (1). The concept and the digital service Teaching Analytics (TA) was seen as mean to digitalising student teachers’ evaluation of practicum (2). Teacher educators held workshops in TA with supervisors and student teachers and presented a time frame (3). In practicum, student teachers and supervisors were asked to use TA (4). These four steps are further scrutinized through the concepts of stimulus, contradictions, and agency. 

Methodology: The study was based on a single case study design of 8 invited student teachers practicum at upper secondary school in a municipality and 8 supervisors. Three types of data were collected: (i) interviews with the supervisors regarding use of TA and with one school leader at municipality level, (ii) a questionnaire to student teachers, and (iii) visualisations of student teachers’ evaluation of practice.  

Expected results: The preliminary findings indicate that the digitalisation of student teachers’ evaluation of practicum provide opportunities and challenges. Municipality stakeholders indicate a vision of good and equal supervision for student teachers due to a standardised language in TA. Student teachers indicate challenges based on contradictions about the threshold for learning Teaching Analytics and limited skills about the approach and vocabulary to analyse lessons. A second challenge concern a teacher education perspective and the perception what could manifest a digital service of the analogue assessment document. Hence, contradictions emerge between the analogue assessment document and TA.  

Relevance to Nordic educational research: Few studies have used software as a service in the evaluation and analysis of student teachers’ practicum.