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How to Make the Most of Work Integrated Learning:
A Guide for Students, Lecturers & Supervisors
Published by:
Massey University
Private Bag 11222
Palmerston North 5301
New Zealand
This project was funded by Ako Aotearoa, National Centre for Tertiary
Teaching Excellence
ISBN 978-0-473-14673-3
Apart for the purpose of not for profit education, private study, research
criticism or review, and permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may
acknowledged.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHORS ...................................................................................... 5
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................... 6
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 7
CONCLUSIONS............................................................................. 71
REFERENCES ............................................................................... 72
4
Authors
AUTHORS
5
Acknowledgements
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
6
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
7
Work Integrated Learning
PART ONE
WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING
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Work Place Learning
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Work Place Learning
Students should:
be loyal to the placement agency and active in its work;
recognise their responsibilities to their employer or client, the
public, and fellow employees;
disclose any financial or other interest that they may have
which may impair their professional judgment when dealing
with their employer or client;
maintain high standards of professional behaviour during
placements. This includes meeting the ethical expectations of
the placement agency, especially with regard to confidentiality
and discretion in comments to third parties;
be punctual to the daily routines of the agencies in which they
are placed. Professional practice requires that a framework of
routine be set and maintained;
meet the standard of dress required by the agency - if unsure of
expectations, ask.
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Work Place Learning
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Reflection
2. REFLECTION
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Reflection
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Cooperative Education
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Cooperative Education
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Cooperative Education
Gibbs model incorporates all the core skills of reflection and is similar
to Moon‟s (2000) sequence of reflection stages that participants move
through – „noticing‟, „making sense‟, „making meaning‟, „working with
meaning‟ and in some cases „transformative learning‟. Arguably Gibb‟s
model is focused more on reflection-on-action, but it also can be used to
focus on reflection in, and before, action. With this forward focus it is
consistent with Boud‟s notion of lifelong learning, and its focus on
forward thinking (Boud & Falchikov, 2006; Boud et al, 1985). Whilst it
may be argued that students „don‟t have time to reflect when in the
workplace‟, modern technologies allow practitioners to foster such
reflection via say on-line reflective journals/discussion.
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Cooperative Education
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Cooperative Education
3. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
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Cooperative Education
Purpose
A key purpose of WIL is the notion of providing graduates with a
comprehensive skill-set desired by potential employers (Coll et al.
2008). Work integrated learning experiences within the curriculum have
been shown to support the development of behavioural competencies
(Dressler & Keeling, 2004). This is of key benefit because it has seen to
be problematic for tertiary education providers to provide students with
such skills, especially behavioural skills. It has been frequently reported
that universities do not sufficiently emphasise the development of
behavioural skills to prepare graduates for professional life (Coll &
Zegward, 2006). A report on graduate recruitment in the leisure industry
in Australia highlighted that a strong knowledge base alone does not
guarantee a new graduate employment and that personal attributes and
capabilities of the graduate are considered to have a greater influence on
success in the workplace (Bell, Crebert, Patrick, Bates & Cragnolini,
2003).
Bell et al. (2003) asked to what degree the work placement as part of a
degree program contributed to the development of generic skills and
abilities. Results of this investigation acknowledge that there was strong
support for university work placements as an important contributor to
graduate skills development for employment. Among graduates of the
leisure management program at Griffith University, 82% of respondents
agreed that university work placements provided sufficient opportunity
to develop generic skills and abilities (Bell et al., 2007).
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Cooperative Education
There have been numerous studies across the world to define the most
important non-technical competencies needed by a graduate (Fleming,
Zinn & Ferkins, 2008; Bell et al. 2007). Commonly desirable attributes
include:
The ability and willingness to learn;
The ability to prioritise tasks and organise effectively;
The ability to take responsibility and make decisions;
The ability to solve problems;
The ability to communicate interpersonally;
The ability to work as a team.
Competencies
Coll et al (2008) observe that, while WIL has been deemed as beneficial
in the development of non-technical competencies, little is known about
how it might better be facilitated or supported. This literature review has
identified four key groups of people positioned to help the learner
maximise their WIL experience: (a) program administrators; (b) the
learners themselves; (c) academic supervisors; (d) workplace
supervisors.
a) Program administrator
Martin and Leberman (2005) argue that WIL should be developed as
part of the whole course of study, rather than as a stand-alone
component. This is because students need a certain level of behavioural
competencies prior to starting their cooperative experience and that it
cannot be assumed that the development of such competencies can be
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Cooperative Education
left entirely for the WIL component of a degree (Fleming et al. 2007).
Consequently, many universities have begun to identify the generic
skills and attributes their graduates should possess on graduation (Bell et
al. 2007).
b) Learners themselves
Before the WIL experience, students need from the outset to take
responsibility when selecting their internship and clearly establishing
their roles and learning outcomes. Martin and Leberman (2005) argue
that the development of the learning contract is an important way to
formalises student and organisation expectations by establishing initial
project objectives.
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Cooperative Education
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Cooperative Education
c) Workplace supervisors
Among graduates of the leisure management program at Griffith
University, respondents prioritized two main activities for developing
generic skills in a work placement context: (a) being given specific work
responsibilities in the placement; and (b) having regular debriefing /
feedback sessions with supervisors (Bell et al. 2007).
d) University supervisors
Student satisfaction with work placement is closely linked to the mutual
support provided by both academic and workplace supervisors (Fleming
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Cooperative Education
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Cooperative Education
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Practice
PART TWO
PRACTICE:
FOR STUDENTS, LECTURERS, & EMPLOYERS
For students to make the most from their work place experience they
need to:
take responsibility for their learning, which will be primarily
self-directed;
work on their own initiative and develop their decision making
and self management skills;
arrange a placement through the university supervisor or
contacts;
complete a learning contract (see assessment item) in
conjunction with the academic and work place supervisor prior
to commencing the placement;
strive to meet the objectives and conditions agreed to in the
learning contract;
maintain a reflective journal of activities throughout the
placement (see assessment item);
follow the policies and duties outlined by the organisation,
fulfilling all scheduled commitments and arrangements agreed
upon with the organisation, in regard to the project;
perform/submit all work assignments/reports to the best of their
abilities, maintaining a high standard of professional
excellence;
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Practice
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Practice
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Practice
Choosing a placement
Each student has differing needs and interests, so each work place
experience is unique. The following criteria provide a guideline for
selecting placements objectives:
Is the workplace supervisor experienced or qualified enough to
offer useful guidance and support?
Does the prospective workplace supervisor appear interested in
your project and learning?
Can the organisation offer a suitable project?
Will you be given responsibility in the proposed project?
Approaching an organisation
Remember:
Professionals are busy people. Don‟t Waste Their Time!
No organisation is under any obligations to provide students
with a placement;
Don‟t expect to be placed!
The student should:
Phone first to find out the name and position of the appropriate
person to approach before they phone, write, or visit a
prospective supervisor;
Research the functions and operations of the organisation to
ascertain its suitability;
Be well prepared before meeting with the staff member;
Be familiar with the learning contract requirements;
Know where their project interests lie;
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Practice
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Benefits
4. BENEFITS
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Benefits
For the University staff, the program should provide the following
opportunity:
improve the educational process and enlarge the scope of the
professional curriculum;
provide a laboratory for application of theoretical knowledge;
provide college contact with professionals in the field;
inform organisations about the University curriculum, new
ideas that are being generated, and the latest research
development in the field.
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Assessment
5. ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
Learning Contract
A learning contract is an agreement between the student, the
organisation, and the university supervisor. Students should describe:
their job description (include a detailed time line or critical
path);
the supervision to be provided;
their overall expectation of the experience;
learning objectives;
tasks to achieve objectives;
evaluation methods to demonstrate achievement of objectives.
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Assessment
Objectives
What knowledge or skills do they intend to gain?
Are the objectives clearly stated and attainable?
Are objectives realistic and feasible?
Are they appropriate and at the level required?
Will it be possible to measure the objectives?
Do the objectives describe what the student proposes to learn?
Are there other objectives the student might consider?
Activities
How will the student achieve objectives?
What tasks, projects, experiences, and/or exercises will be
undertaken?
Is each objective accounted for with satisfactory activities?
Are sufficient resources available to complete the contract?
How will resources be acquired?
Are they current?
Are there other resources to consider?
Method for Evaluation
Why select this method?
What knowledge/skill will it help demonstrate?
How and when will this be evaluated?
What alternative methods have been considered?
Does the method demonstrate variety and creativity?
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Assessment
Example A:
Objective:
Develop my leadership skills.
Activities:
Read appropriate texts/articles to identify and analyse factors
that contribute to effective leadership;
Develop criteria to determine my individual strengths and
weaknesses as a leader;
Identify a personal leadership weakness and develop an action
plan to improve the weakness.
Evaluation:
A criteria based form to assess the relevant activities;
The feedback from the evaluation form will be used to grade
the success of the action plan;
Recommend and implement any further action that may be
required to develop further the leadership weakness.
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Assessment
Reflective Journal
The reflective journal entails more than just listing your experiences.
Students should compose a brief synopsis (diary type format) for each
day, outlining hours worked, duties performed, work behaviour, and
reflections on all activities that take place and links to theory throughout
the work place experience. Use the following questions to reflect upon
and analyse these daily experiences.
What kinds of things were done?
Were they easy? Were they hard?
Were they enjoyable? Were they boring?
What activities were completed?
What activities were started?
What activities are ongoing?
What could have been done differently?
In what activities was the student involved?
What important decisions were made by the student?
In what ways did the student show initiative today?
In what ways has the experience changed the student?
o General office work (planning, researching, etc)
o Observation of events
o Major responsibility of events
Other items that assisted the student‟s learning and
development;
How did this experience link to current or previous workplace
experiences?
Use theory to support this reflection.
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Assessment
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Competencies
6. COMPETENCIES
Key themes
1. Communication Skills
2. Self Confidence
3. Customer Relationship Management
4. Enthusiastic Participation
5. Industry & Business Knowledge
6. Self Sufficiency
7. Personal Organisation
8. Professional Networks
9. Professional Ethics
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Competencies
1. Communication Skills
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Competencies
40
Competencies
41
Competencies
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Competencies
2. Self Confidence
Compared to the academic environment where performance is
quantified by grades, performance in the workplace is often nebulous,
intangible, and based on the perception of others. This requires
newcomers to the workplace to be patient, because it is impossible for
them to know everything about the organisation from the outset. For this
reason, students need to adopt learning styles that quickly build their
confidence. To do this students should observe, listen, be open minded,
ask questions, reflect and request feedback. Supervisors can help this
process by providing support, encouragement, reinforcement, guidance,
positive criticism and feedback.
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Competencies
44
Competencies
45
Competencies
46
Competencies
47
Competencies
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Competencies
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Competencies
4. Enthusiastic Participation
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Competencies
51
Competencies
52
Competencies
53
Competencies
54
Competencies
55
Competencies
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Competencies
6. Self Sufficiency
“Always think what else you can do in a situation, how can you make it
better, or what more can you do when you have 'nothing' to do.”
Before
During
Ask questions and make suggestions - this shows you are trying
to think for yourself;
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Competencies
Before
During
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Competencies
“Ask the student lots of questions, e.g. what they think, how it will work,
why it might not work, and how they are going to go about it. This
encourages them to think for themselves and trains them to start making
suggestions on their own accord.”
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Competencies
Before
During
Clarify when you want the student to review things with you /
seek your approval;
Ask the student what they think they should do first, if the
student comes to you with a question or a problem.
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Competencies
7. Personal Organisation
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Competencies
Work smart, i.e. if you are working long hours ask yourself
how can you work more efficiently;
Ask your Supervisor to recommend personal organisation tools,
e.g. Microsoft Outlook;
Diarise meetings and important deadlines;
Be thorough but don‟t punish yourself with perfectionism.
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Competencies
During
Schedule appointments with students to review their Project
Plan.
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Competencies
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Competencies
8. Professional Networks
“It‟s not what you know, it‟s who you know. Ask the contact to consider
their current networks and how they could extend and develop these.”
Ask existing contacts if they are able to help you extend your
network;
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Competencies
“Give the students good old encouragement to get your name out there
and meet people”
“Ask students what their job prospects are and then expose them to
networks which may help”
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Competencies
Ask the student about their career ambitions and then expose
them to networks which may help.
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Competencies
9. Professional Ethics
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Competencies
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Competencies
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Conclusions
CONCLUSIONS
1. Communication Skills
2. Self Confidence
3. Customer Relationship Management
4. Enthusiastic Participation
5. Industry & Business Knowledge
6. Self Sufficiency
7. Personal Organisation
8. Professional Networks
9. Professional Ethics
This guide provides hints and tips for students, practitioners and
employers to make the most of the WIL experience through developing
the above graduate competencies. Their challenge is to capture the
essence of some of these approaches, to start experimenting, and
discover new possibilities offered by work integrated learning.
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REFERENCES
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Boud, D., & Falchikov, N. (2006). Aligning assessment with long-term
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Braunstein, L. A., & Loken, M. K. (2004). Benefits of cooperative
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