Definitions of different forms of Work and Learning in Higher Education

There are different types of learning from work such as work placements, mentoring, internships, apprenticeships, etc. that have become an indispensable element in many h.e. study programmes. However, the definitions vary according to the country, the institution and the field of study. ‘Work-Based Learning’ is a term which is often used interchangeably with other terms such as ‘Work Integrated Learning’, ‘Work-Related Learning’ and ‘Work Applied Learning’. The fields of work and learning that are mediated through h.e. are part of an HEIs whole quality assurance agenda. As HEIs take on new and developing areas of the curriculum they incorporate the same structures regarding peer review, current scholarship and appropriate processes and checks within administrative systems. Quality measures in these fields should include how all stakeholders, such as employers, HEIs and students/trainees, fulfil the roles they take, in the continuity and sustainability of these three-party collaborations. Much of this is already a feature of HEIs through partnership programmes. Most universities have external partnerships but what is referred to here is a three-way partnership between the university, the student and an outside organisation that is usually affirmed by a learning contract or agreement. A complex situation has developed regarding nomenclature in this broad field of work and learning and so this section starts with brief definitions that try and strike the essence of differences for comparative purposes. Fuller definitions and discussion then follo

The introduction of work-based learning to higher education in the UK

Work-based Learning in higher education in the UK stems from developing a curriculum model for people in work contexts that has its roots in Independent Studies, experiential learning and the Capability movement in the 1990s. At that time, it was intended for people in work who were studying part time and for placements and other experiential work activities for full time students. The curriculum was designed to engage the work situation itself as a focus of the studies. Most models of WBL in higher education entail a pedagogical approach to both curriculum and research, are embedded in practice, and have been designed by educationalists whose main focus has been learning and teaching in higher education. Since the early 1990s the term WBL has been used in some countries including the UK to mean work experience of any kind including placements etc. but other terms have since been developed. This has led to a conflation of the terms used e.g., Work Integrated learning, Work-Related Learning to mean the same thing. The knowledge and subsequent learning and teaching that takes place in work situations has become a key focus in most countries over the last 30 years and the developments in WBL have been significant in informing a whole range of work-related initiatives in HEIs. Many scholars recognise a TD situation in work environments. There is more scholarly work to do in explaining how subject discipline knowledge coupled with the more TD knowledge of work situations can be wholistically presented in programmes of study. WBL ideas have been incorporated into the employability agenda and the current focus upon graduate skills in relation to Bachelor’s degrees. The more focussed aspect of WBL continues to develop the pedagogy and curriculum content that is appropriate for people learning for and from work

Doctoral learning that leads to organisational and individual change.

There is a great deal of interest from managers in undertaking professional doctorates and many of these doctorates focus on their professional work. This study examines the learning that influenced personal and organisational change brought about by a professional doctorate that does not specialise in one particular subject discipline but is mainly concerned with generic work-based abilities. A research study using a grounded theory approach, suggests that the doctoral programme promotes personal credibility, capability and continuing development as well as specialist expertise. Issues relating to professional and academic approaches to knowledge are discussed particularly the autonomy and self direction that the university can allow to the candidate

Evaluation of the current status and knowledge contributions of professional doctorates

The article examines the status and knowledge contributions of professional doctorates (PDs) undertaken by practising professionals who in most cases are not intending to join the academic community. The purpose of these doctorates is usually to research and develop an original contribution to practice through practitioner-research. Giving greater primacy to practice knowledge has caused new developments in doctoral education. The discussion is based upon a research project and an extensive literature review. Internationally, quality assurance agencies have generally embraced more work-related and practice-oriented criteria in doctoral learning. Doctoral learning that seeks to enhance practice and develop benefit to communities and organisations in professional contexts leads to different pedagogic protocols for higher education, for example a differently ordered approach to ethical issues of research, assessment and peer review. More curriculum development and understanding of the wider knowledge contributions of doctorates is needed across higher education and professional communities

General credit: a recognition of lifewide learning

A pedagogical process that enables people to make a claim for ‘general credit’ has been in place for the last 20 years at the University of Middlesex. General credit means that people can reflect upon their learning drawn from any area of their life experience. This is distinct from where the common form of accrediting prior and experiential learning for specific credit is claimed for specific learning that is contained in particular university modules. Academic advisers support people in making claims for experiential learning that can be at any university level from Foundation to Doctorate. Making the claim is a developmental process and usually results in the achievement of a certificate of credit that can be put towards a university award. General credit has been used to provide access to higher education for people who do not have certificated learning. There are generations of people who have not had the opportunity to attend university but have lifewide learning that may meet HE level criteria. Some claimants already have highly successful careers and seek to develop themselves further whilst some do not realise the abilities they already have. All of them can garner their experience, reflect and formalise their learning in a way that brings new confidence and what some describe as inspiration and enrichment. The process of making the claim has without doubt been an uplifting experience for many people. It acts as a bridge between formal academic curricula and recognition of lifewide learning and achievement

Revisiting search and review for work-based projects

The search and review of literature is a vital process for many higher education studies and often, an essential part of the research process. This paper focuses on the requirements of students based in the workplace who are doing work-based projects. Practitioner Researchers (PRs) use an iterative process that looks at the context and theories in use being explored as well as utilising expertise and professionally-generated materials in their field. This approach, discussed with academic and professional team members, favours a transdisciplinary structuring of knowledge that does not privilege academic sources but also recognises the importance of innovation based in the workplace. The authors argue that as more programmes are developing resources and strategies for PRs, there is a need to accommodate a redefined boundary for the search and review of literature, knowledge and information for higher education work-based research projects

The Community of Workers' University: a pragmatic institution for the future?

The identity of the worker foregrounds the development of higher education rather than the other way around. It is developed in contrast to the lack of higher education innovation in the recent UK Government White Paper on Higher Education and in the educational philosophy of Tawney and the neo-pragmaticism of Rorty. The proposal is that higher learning, after capabilities have been nurtured in compulsory schooling, may be developed through communities of workers acting as agent for improvement of their communities; not in universities at all. This is a radical approach to higher education and employment and one that might bring true diversity to the higher education sector

Transdisciplinary qualities in practice doctorates

Doctoral programmes in which candidates research their own practice can be characterised as having transdisciplinary (TD) qualities. While most of the emphasis in the literature and in policy on TD is on research in teams, we argue for an expansion of the scope in the conception and understanding of TD research to include the way it can be articulated and assessed in practice-led and practice-based doctorates. In this sense, it is worth exploring instances of doctoral programmes that potentially allow doctoral researchers to undertake projects that have TD qualities. In these doctoral projects, researchers draw from a variety of perspectives, for example from their work practices, the theorisation of those practices, experiential learning, multiple disciplinary knowledge and approaches as well as communications and networking with appropriate stakeholders. Drawing from previous scholarship of TD in other fields we analyse and evaluate the TD qualities of a particular doctoral programme. This analysis reveals a set of qualities recognised by the literature as TD and relevant to doctoral researchers: Researching collaboratively with stakeholders; Diversity of disciplinary expertise and assessment criteria; Integration of different methodologies; Situating the research in multiple contexts; Impact on the ‘situation’ through novel procedures or products; Ethics and the importance of trust; Reflection/reflexivity. The paper posits a convergence between practice doctorates and TD research and demonstrates how TD qualities help doctoral candidates to situate their research at the interface between academia and their professional work and develop projects that have creative and beneficial relevance for practice

Work-based learning at higher education level: value, practice and critique

Since the 1980s there has been significant growth in the engagement of higher education with workforce development, with among other things the emergence of a distinct if varied area of provision commonly referred to as work-based learning. Recent examination of practice and literature indicates a growing sophistication in the way that work-based learning is being theorised and facilitated in higher education, with its gradual emergence as a distinct field of practice and study supported by relevant pedagogies and concepts of curriculum. Tensions continue to exist between the demands and opportunities provided by the workplace and the need to develop capable practice, support personal development and maintain academic validity; however, universities are beginning to engage with these issues at a deeper level than that suggested by simple notions of employer engagement and skills development, and the evidence indicates that well-designed work-based programmes are both effective and robust