The mitigating effect of work-integrated learning on graduate employment in South Africa

Abstract

This article seeks to provide theoretical insight into supply and demand factors within higher education and how these relate to each other and to graduate unemployment within the South African context. Research was undertaken primarily to determine the graduate unemployment rate at a higher education institution in South Africa and secondly to ascertain whether work-integrated learning (WIL) had an effect on graduate unemployment. Statistical analysis revealed that the graduate unemployment rate at a certain higher education institution in 2011 was 46% while WIL reduced graduate unemployment. The unemployment rate for students who had had no WIL was 63%, whereas the unemployment rate for those who had complete WIL in the course of their higher education training decreased to 26%. Findings supporting the mitigating influence of WIL are a potentially valuable contribution to policy and practice in higher education.     

工学结合、校企合作实践性教学模式的创新与实践

当前,我国职业教育正处在发展的机遇期和关键期,各类职业院校异军突起、发展迅速。职业教育已经成为教育体系中必须予以高度关注的中坚力量;而职业教育要想彻底改变以学校和课堂为中心的传统人才培养模式,必须走"工学结合、校企合作"之路,更需要与时俱进地探索工学结合和实践性教学的方法和途径,以适应岗位对人才的需求。     

工学结合人才培养模式改革下的高职教学管理体系建设

高职教学主要是以就业为主要导向,要求专业技能与岗位规范零差距、教学实际内容和资格标准零差异,以及学生毕业和就业实现零过渡。一般来讲,工学结合是培养高职人才的切入口,同时还是实现教学目标非常重要的途径。本文分析了工学结合人才培养模式的新要求,提出了工学结合人才培养模式改革下的高职教学管理体系建设的思路。     

Evaluating the quality of work-integrated learning curricula: a comprehensive framework

There are many different forms that work-integrated learning (WIL) takes and variants go by a range of different names. Based on current literature, key dimensions, shared by the various and disparate forms of WIL curricula, were identified and operationalised in a measurement model. The key dimensions identified were: authenticity, integrated learning supports (both at university and the workplace), alignment (of teaching and learning activities and assessments with integrative learning outcomes), supervisor access and induction/preparation processes. It is suggested that variations in the way that WIL courses or subjects are designed within these dimensions are the basis for different expressions of the quality of such courses. A latent construct measurement model was developed and validated with a sample of Australian and UK students. This paper presents the model and discusses the results of the validation study. It is proposed that the measures validated in this study will be useful for evaluating a wide variety of WIL curricula.     

Developing career management competencies among undergraduates and the role of work-integrated learning

This paper explores undergraduate capabilities in career self-management and the influence of work-integrated learning (WIL). Career management competencies are an important aspect of individual employability and impact on wellbeing, graduate job attainment and long-term career success. Enhanced competencies among graduates can assist Faculty in achieving strong employment outcomes and support industry partners who wish to employ graduates able to self-manage their career pathways effectively amid flatter organisational structures and greater employee mobility. Our findings indicate that business undergraduates at one UK and one Australian university consider themselves reasonably proficient in career self-management yet variations exist across the different dimensions of self-awareness, opportunity awareness, decision-making learning and transition learning. Participation in work placements and study and employment characteristics influenced certain elements of career self-management. Our study highlights the importance of nurturing career management competencies in undergraduates and we discuss strategies, particularly in relation to WIL, which may promote effective career self-management.     

Aligning assessment with the needs of work-integrated learning: the challenges of authentic assessment in a complex context

Abstract

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a feature of university courses, both in professional areas, where it is commonplace, but also across many different disciplines. Assessment of WIL can be complex as it involves parties and settings external to the university, and it can be problematic because of difficulties in aligning learning activities during placements with what is or can be assessed by the university. This paper explores the relationship between students’ placement experiences and accompanying assessments in contexts where activities are tightly coupled with the curriculum, and in those where it is not. It draws on a qualitative analysis of student interviews and drawings by the interviewees of their WIL experiences, supplemented with analysis of unit guides. Our findings highlight that students’ perceptions of authenticity of assessment were undermined by misalignments between the student, university and industry. Assessment authenticity was perceived by students as based on alignment between their current and future selves in the assessment process, involvement of industry supervisors and relevance of placement activities to assessment activities. The paper discusses the complexity of coordination of educational activities with external partners, especially when one party drives assessment. It then suggests a reframing of WIL assessment to promote alignment and authenticity.     

Spectrum Approach to Mentoring: an evidence-based approach to mentoring for academics working in higher education

Anecdotal and empirical evidence indicates that mentoring can be a successful strategy for supporting professional learning, yet limited literature exists on approaches to mentoring designed specifically for academics working in higher education. The aim of this study was to create an approach to mentoring tailored to the needs of academics and underpinned by evidence from the literature. Participatory action research was chosen as the methodology for the project as this enabled a process of inquiry to be embedded within academic practice. The outcome was the development of the Spectrum Approach to Mentoring (SAM). This three-step approach is goal orientated, and encompasses mentoring relationships that may be ongoing and sustained over time through to those that are short-term and aligned with a particular task or focus. SAM provides a suite of resources that can be used by academics to promote valuable opportunities for professional learning through the initiation of mentoring relationships.     

工学结合“分层递进”式技能实践教学体系

为了适应当前社会对人才的需要,应用型高校必须加强大学生实践和创新技能的培养。介绍了浙江师范大学工学院机械类专业的技能实践教学改革探索,构建了技能实践与理论学习同步"分层递进"的技能实践课程体系。为了保证技能实践教学质量,构建了工学结合的技能实践教学环境及条件。经过实践,新的教学模式的建立对培养学生的实践和创新技能、增强工程意识有良好效果。     

高职院校工学交替教学模式的探索

通过对工学交替相关概念的阐述,以张家口职业技术学院土木工程系实施工学交替教学模式的实践,分析工学交替模式在改革过程中的具体实施步骤和方法,提出构建工学交替教学体系、改革教学方法和创新人才培养手段、加强基于工作过程的专业核心课程建设、健全校企合作和校外实训基地的建设等具体做法,为高等职业院校在采取工学交替模式进行改革时提供可借鉴的经验和依据.     

Serving,learning and mentoring through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program

This study describes the collaborative partnership between a Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, an elementary school and the College of Education at a public university. The partnership utilized a mentoring system consisting of elementary students, college students, elementary teachers and university faculty. Benefits of the various stakeholders are discussed.     

A mentoring programme based on competency development at a Spanish university: an action research study

This article describes an action research (AR) project for designing and implementing a structured mentoring programme in a Spanish university. A student affairs unit, a team of researchers, faculty-mentors and student-protégés worked together on three cycles of AR. The result is a programmatic mentoring programme for the development of non-technical personal and professional competencies for undergraduate students. This paper describes the original situation that sparked the project, the iterative process followed, the tools and guides developed and the final programme designed. In addition to the increase in the level of satisfaction perceived by the entire university, the paper outlines the five critical factors that emerged from the AR project: the competency development process, programme value added, trust between mentors and protégés, the prominence of the student-protégé in the improvement plans and the continuous improvement culture generated.     

Make or break: the role and support needs of academic advisors in work-integrated learning courses

ABSTRACT

The role of academic advisors in work-integrated learning courses is crucial to student success, yet poorly understood. This research aimed to understand the role and support needs of academic advisors by conducting interviews, a survey, and a focus group within a service learning program in Queensland, Australia. Participants identified rewards in observing student transformation and supporting students to contribute to social justice causes. However, the role had high demands in terms of pastoral support. Although academic advisors reported strong support mechanisms, they identified gaps in supporting them to meet the needs of international students and students with mental health issues. Academic advisors need strong mentoring or supervisory support to deal with diverse student issues, clear processes for tracking and managing students, training and resources to deal with special needs students, and opportunities for team building and bonding. Supporting academic advisors could help to better support students to successfully complete internships.     

Academics at work: mentoring in research,teaching, and service

Abstract

This qualitative interview study investigates how mentoring is used to develop knowledge and skills for early career academics across the academic roles of research, teaching, and service. Results indicate similar amounts of mentoring in research for men and women, more mentoring in teaching for women, and a lack of mentoring in service across gender. Methodological, theoretical, and practical implications for institutions of higher education are discussed, particularly those aimed at addressing inequality for women.     

Working together within a system: educative mentoring and novice teacher learning

Using a framework of activity theory, I follow one mentor/student teacher pair through a yearlong student teaching experience, investigating their interactions around the practice of educative co-planning. Evidence from multiple data sources collected over the course of one year is analyzed to understand the role co-planning played in the mentor/student teacher relationship, the experience of being a mentor, and in the development of the student teacher’s practices. Findings reveal the mentor and student teacher used the educative practice of co-planning to productively mediate tensions and navigate their relationship.     

Building community in academic settings: the importance of flexibility in a structured mentoring program

Academic mentoring is increasingly being used by many universities as a tool to enhance the quality of research‐led teaching, promote cross‐faculty collaboration and encourage a mentoring culture and community. This article reports on a pilot project established to investigate the benefits of building flexibility into a structured academic mentoring program at the University of Sydney. Twenty‐six academics from the Faculty of Business and Economics and the Faculty of Education and Social Work participated in the program. The mentors ranged in position from lecturer to professor and the mentees from associate lecturer to senior lecturer. Flexible arrangements were shown to be important in a variety of ways, from the pairing of mentor with mentee, to focussing on issues of work survival and life balance, research outcomes and career advancement. The project highlighted the lower number of male academics involved in formal mentoring, which merits further exploration. All participants reported positive outcomes, although refinement of the pairing process was recommended. A variety of unanticipated outcomes was reported by mentees.     

Exploring mentoring in the context of team science

Despite increased research into team science and collaboration, little is known about postdoctoral scholars’ pathways to becoming independent researchers, particularly as it relates to the mentoring relationship. The purpose of our study was to explore if and how the team science framework promotes collaboration and the development of independent researchers from mentees’ and mentors’ perspectives. A convenience sample of faculty mentors and postdoctoral mentees, participated in semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed three themes for the mentees: working with others, evaluating mentoring, exploring resources, and five themes for the mentors: elaborating on scholarly productivity, mentoring style, setting team culture, strategies to develop T32 scholars, and evaluating program qualities. The findings showed that scholars were engaged in an atmosphere of collaboration fostered by their mentors and that mentors encouraged scholars’ capacity for scientific thinking. Future studies should acquire the perspectives of all team members to examine how teams function.     

A tripartite framework for extending university-student co-creation to include workplace partners in the work-integrated learning context

ABSTRACT

While at university, students increasingly have opportunities to play roles as consultants, student representatives, co-researchers or curriculum co-designers, and co-creation between university staff and students has received considerable attention in recent literature. While there is some evidence of co-creation with industry and community partners, workplace partners are not conceptualised as stakeholders in the co-creation process. This gap is particularly challenging in the work-integrated learning (WIL) context where students engage in authentic professional experiences, such as placements or projects, as part of their learning. We draw on reflections and the processes for producing resources in two co-creation activities to explore the phenomenon of co-creation between workplace partners and both university staff and students. Based on the analysis, we propose an extended tripartite co-creation framework. The framework outlines workplace partner, student and university staff contributions as planners, contributors, creators and reviewers, acknowledging the value of contributions consistent with each participant’s expertise, perspectives and time availability. Further, the proposed framework simultaneously reflects the ability for participants to engage in co-creation equitably, while acknowledging the university staff role in curating learning resources. In this way, the model acknowledges the potential for redistributing power through co-creation, while recognising university responsibility for learning outcomes and assurance of learning.     

Moving beyond the reflectivity of post-lesson mentoring conferences in teacher education and creating learning/development opportunities for pre-service teachers

This longitudinal case study suggests ways to move beyond the reflective process usually associated with post-lesson mentoring conferences by describing the modalities likely to generate real learning/development opportunities. Based on cultural-historical activity theories (CHAT) and using methodologies from sociodiscursive interactionism, this study shows the joint construction of the meaning of teaching experience and proposes aids for developing the pre-service teacher’s power to act more effectively in the classroom. It provides a source for transforming the traditional mentoring methods, mediations and arrangements in teacher education. Proposals are made to further professionalise co-operating teachers at the new Graduate Schools of Teacher Education in France.     

基于“工学结合”理念的应用型本科院校旅游管理专业人才培养研究

工学结合是体现旅游管理教育特色的技能型人才培养模式。应用型本科院校旅游管理专业工学结合的实践教学模式已成为国际旅游教育公认的实用型人才培养的有效途径。文章讨论了应用型本科院校实施工学结合实践教学模式的背景,总结了重庆某高校旅游管理专业推行工学结合人才培养模式的实践,分析了工学结合实践教学模式下旅游管理专业的人才定位,指出工学交替是实现工学结合的有效办法,以职业能力为核心进行课程建设与改革则是重要保证。     

Exploring the challenges experienced by international students during work-integrated learning in Australia

This study explores the challenges experienced by international students during Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in Australia. Student participation in WIL not only enhances individual student employability but also the attractiveness of Australia as a study destination. WIL, in particular work placements, is in high demand by international students who seek to gain relevant experience in their host country and increase their chances of employment post-study. Data were gathered from employers, academics and students on the challenges faced by international students during the WIL experience and how WIL is currently being managed for the international cohort. Stakeholders identified a number of challenges which impact on student performance and the success of their WIL experience. These include cultural differences, inflated expectations, difficulties managing assessment tasks, relatively weak language skills and an imbalance in the support needed by international students in comparison to what is on offer. Stakeholder strategies to manage these challenges are discussed.