Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design: Bolton’s Institutional Story

The JISC Curriculum Design Programme funded 12 projects over a four-year period with the aim of supporting Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to transform their approaches to curriculum design through the innovative use of technologies. This report explains the work of the Coeducate project including the projects achievements, findings, recommendations and what might be valuable to other Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s). The context in which the project operated is explained including the University technical systems

Innovating the Development of Work Focussed Learning in Higher Education

This thesis presents my practice as an action researcher in higher education (HE) over a ten-year period, developing courses for students who were unable to take advantage of the existing provision in the institutions in which I worked. The knowledge I gained and practices that I developed contributed to a series of cycles of action research and the conclusions I draw at the end of the thesis are used to propose a further cycle. The curricula that I developed and delivered were designed for students who had a strong commitment to their work and wanted to improve it, but at the same time wanted to gain academic qualifications; the central premise behind this work being that, ‘work can form the basis for learning, which can then be accredited by higher education’. Although study was based around the work that a student did, their employer had no formal relationship with the university offering the courses. Students were attracted to a package that offered personalised and flexible learning at a cost that was affordable to them. The contributions to knowledge that I make relate to the organisation of teaching, the nature of the innovative curriculum design and the collaborative curriculum change processes carried out. Using this approach, learners make improvements in their work context to gain academic credit from the scholarly practices they have applied to inform and evaluate their activities. The findings suggest that a curriculum design using a teaching and learning strategy based on action-inquiry, delivered entirely online, can be successful in enabling students to work full-time and gain academic credit at a full time rate. However, the results also revealed that there are significant institutional barriers that need to be overcome to implement such a curriculum design that is radically different in having a non-traditional curriculum and unique ways of working. The key recommendation from this body of work is that radical curriculum innovations in HE are more likely to be successful if a separate business unit is established with control over its own capability development. By having control over processes, staffing, and a technical systems infrastructure, a separate business unit is able to respond to the new and different demands placed on it, developing its own culture and identity that fit with a new business model

Are work-integrated learning (WIL) students better equipped psychologically for work post-graduation than their non-work-integrated learning peers? Some initial findings from a UK university

Work-integrated learning (WIL) provides an opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge, competence, and experience, which increase employability and lead to more satisfying careers. Research indicates that WIL results in improved academic- and occupationally-related outcomes. However, there is a paucity of quantitative research examining the psychological impact of WIL. The study aimed to determine whether students who pursue WIL in the UK, differ significantly in terms of self-concept, self-efficacy, hope, study skills, motivation, and procrastination than students who have not participated in WIL. The methodology used a cross-sectional analysis of a large sample (n=716) of undergraduate students at the University of Huddersfield, UK. Results showed significant differences predominantly centred upon measures which pertain to students’ confidence in setting and attaining goals. The increased hope and confidence in goal attainment suggest that gaining work experience perhaps enhances the ability to set and achieve goals once in the work force. (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2013, 14(2), 117-125) Keywords: Employability; Psychological factors; Work-integrated learning; Placement; Confidence; Self estee

Finding a Work-integrated Learning Strategy that Enhances the Employability of Graduates of South African Universities of Technology: A Research Agenda

Published ArticleA strategy refers to a plan to achieve a major goal. An important goal of South Africa’s Department of Higher Education (DHET) is to ensure that higher education institutions (HEIs) produce a steady flow of ‘ready for employment’ or ‘work-ready’ graduates. Universities of Technology (UoTs) offer a vocation-oriented curriculum. To prepare work-ready graduates, UoTs include a compulsory work-integrated learning (WIL) component in the curriculum. The expectation is that through WIL, learners will acquire the necessary practical experience to become ‘work-ready’ thereby enhancing the likelihood that they will be employed when they graduate. WIL is, therefore, a strategy for enhancing the learners’ employability graduation. WIL can be financially and nonfinancially demanding, therefore, UoTs have been searching for innovative ways to implement curricula in a costeffective manner without compromising quality and effectiveness. In this paper, the researchers outline a research agenda that can be used by South African UoTs to identify a sustainable WIL strategy

Work integrated learning benefits for student career prospects – mixed mode analysis

Abstract: Work integrated learning (WIL) aims to strategically inspire students to embrace prospective future careers, thereby contributing to economic innovation and growth. Higher Education is mandated to integrate WIL into curricula and qualifications in order to promote student career development. This is an invaluable opportunity for academics to not only integrate theory and practice, but to expose graduates-to-be to the world of work and assess their experiential learning. Most academics seem to shy away from WIL implementation due to perceived increase in workload, denying themselves and their students the benefits of WIL, especially for student career prospects. This empirical article reports on a transdisciplinary exploration into the benefits of two discipline-specific WIL projects using a mixed model analysis approach. A comparative, triangulated study of the Marketing qualitative and Human Resource quantitative data reveals that the students enjoy their WIL experience, gain additional knowledge and skills, and are exposed to various career opportunities

A work integrated learning (WIL) partnership model for higher education graduates to gain employment

Abstract: South Africa has embarked on a National Development Plan and Vision for 2030 to promote a triple helix partnership with education, government and industry to reduce the unemployment rate from 27% in 2011 to 6% by 2030. In support of this national imperative the Human Resources Management (HRM) Programme at the University of Johannesburg pioneered a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Partnership Model to promote the employability of graduates. The WIL model allows students to gain workplace knowledge, skills and experience while industry partners observe the newly emerging talent in the form of future-fit leaders entering the world of work. Research was conducted to elicit the responses of key stakeholders on the proposed implementation of the WIL partnership model. Qualitative focus group sessions were facilitated with industry, academic and student groups to highlight common and profound perspectives on participant support, concerns and questions on the implementation process. Major findings reveal that all three groups of participants supported the implementation of the WIL model. Industry welcomed the model as it provided opportunities for recruitment and meeting national skills imperatives. Academics supported the model as it bridged the theory-practice gap while meeting compliance standards. Students supported the model as they gained workplace exposure and put theory into practice. All three participant groups expressed concerns and raised questions on placement, indemnity, confidentiality, work preparedness, time span, tracking processes and practice-theory alignment

Deeper Learning Methods and Modalities in Higher Education: A 20-year Review

Deep Learning or Deeper Learning (DL) theory has gained traction as a helpful framework for designing higher education curricula in face-to-face (F2F), hybrid, and online settings. Although many research studies have been published testing DL methods in higher education, it is difficult to apply the results without an overview. This review applies a scientifically-informed search approach to select a sample of 127 peer-reviewed articles (representing 176 experimental groups) published from 1999 through 2019 on the topic of DL in higher education, classifies and extracts data from them, and presents a descriptive analysis of the findings