A Review of Work Based Learning in Higher Education

The idea of work based learning in higher education might sound like a contradiction in terms. Work based learning is surely in the the workplace. The senses in which it might also, under certain conditions, be in higher education are explored in this review. There are increasing arrangements whereby people can obtain academic recognition for learning which has taken place outside of educational institutions. In addition to traditional forms of professional education and sandwich courses, one can add a host of relationships between employers and higher education institutions which involve quite fundamental questioning of the roles and responsibilities of each in the continuing education and training of adults. Such developments can be related to broader themes concerning the organisation of knowledge in society, the changing nature of work and career, the learning society and the implications they hold for individual workers, their employers and educational providers. The Department for Education and Employment sponsored the study to produce a substantial literature review of progress and issues raised in the field of work based learning in higher education. The first part of the book provides a contextual and conceptual backdrop against which more practical aspects of work based learning are then considered in part two. The final part considers strategic issues of implementation for higher education institutions, employers and individuals, before turning to more wide ranging issues of policy

Experiential Learning in the Technology Disciplines February 2020

Learning-by-doing has long been a tradition in the technology disciplines. It is the hands-on work, combined with student reflection, feedback and assessment, that reinforces theory into practice. Over the past 40 years, experiential learning (EL) in higher education has grown beyond in-class assignments to include internships, cooperative education, team-based learning, project-based learning, community engagement, service learning, international and study-away experiences, capstone projects and research opportunities. This paper provides an overview of experiential education theory and practice in the undergraduate technology disciplines, and presents examples of how experiential learning practices have evolved over time at a medium-sized institution in the Northeast USA. In addition, this paper offers instructors theoretical strategies to improve the hands-on work that is likely already present in their courses

Embedding creativity in the university computing curriculum

We explore the need for embedding creativity in the UK Higher Education computing curriculum and some of the challenges associated with this. We identify some of the initiatives and movements in this area and discuss some of the work that has been carried out. We then describe some of the ways we have tried to meet these challenges and reflect on our degree of success with respect to the goal of producing graduates who are fit for the myriad of job opportunities they will come across in a rapidly changing technology landscape. Finally, we make a number of recommendations

A Systematic Approach To Teaching Critical Thinking Skills To Electrical And Computer Engineering Undergraduates

Coursework that instills patterns of rigorous logical thought has long been a hallmark of the engineering curriculum.  However, today’s engineering students are expected to exhibit a wider range of thinking capabilities both to satisfy ABET requirements and to prepare the students to become successful practitioners.  This paper presents the initial results from a systematic effort to incorporate broader critical thinking instruction and assessment into electrical and computer engineering education as part of a university-wide quality enhancement program.  All incoming freshmen are given explicit and implicit instruction in critical thinking in ENGR 100: Introduction to Engineering and other engineering fundamentals courses, using the Paul-Elder framework of critical thinking to define and operationalize critical thinking.  This critical thinking foundation is reinforced later in the disciplinary courses so that students integrate critical thinking with the basic principles and practices of engineering.  In the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) program, at the sophomore level, students use critical thinking skills which were developed during their engineering fundamentals courses, to analyze requirements and constraints which would apply in real-world design projects.  At the junior level, similar use of critical thinking is applied in an introductory computing methods course; and at the senior level, critical thinking skills are again strengthened and assessed in the capstone design course and in the professional issues and current topics seminar.  The latter course emphasizes understanding of professional ethics and current topics in electrical and computer engineering.  Initial data from this pilot implementation indicates statistically significant improvement in critical thinking skills in ECE students who have progressed through this sequence, and as a side benefit, it appears that writing skills also improve

Embedding creativity in the university computing curriculum

We explore the need for embedding creativity in the UK Higher Education computing curriculum and some of the challenges associated with this. We identify some of the initiatives and movements in this area and discuss some of the work that has been carried out. We then describe some of the ways we have tried to meet these challenges and reflect on our degree of success with respect to the goal of producing graduates who are fit for the myriad of job opportunities they will come across in a rapidly changing technology landscape. Finally, we make a number of recommendations

Leveraging Diversity in Software Engineering Education through Community Engaged Learning and a Supportive Network

While a lack of diversity is a longstanding problem in computer science and engineering, universities and organizations continue to look for solutions to this issue. Among the first of its kind, we launched INSPIRE: STEM for Social Impact, a program at the University of Victoria, Canada, aimed to motivate and empower students from underrepresented groups in computer science and engineering to develop digital solutions for society impactful projects by engaging in experiential learning projects with identified community-partners. The twenty-four students in the program came from diverse backgrounds in terms of academic areas of study, genders, ethnicities, and levels of technical and educational experience. Working with six community partners, these students spent four months learning and developing solutions for a societal and/or environmental problem with potential for local and global impacts. Our experiences indicate that working in a diverse team with real clients on solving pressing issues produces a sense of competence, relatedness, and autonomy which are the basis of self-determination theory. Due to the unique structure of this program, the three principles of self-determination theory emerged through different experiences, ultimately motivating the students to build a network of like-minded people. The importance of such a network is profound in empowering students to succeed and, in retrospect, remain in software engineering fields. We address the diversity problem by providing diverse, underrepresented students with a safe and like-minded environment where they can learn and realize their full potential. Hence, in this paper, we describe the program design, experiences, and lessons learned from this approach. We also provide recommendations for universities and organizations that may want to adapt our approach