Guest editorial

Guest editorial for Special Issue: Creativity in Work-Applied Management. The editorial contextualises and introduces each of the articles published in the special issue. It considers the contribution creativity may make in work-applied management in the global situation at the time of publication, when extensive changes to working practices were being experienced due to strategies to control the pandemic caused by the virus COVID-19

Acknowledging lifelong learning principles within work-based studies: a continuing legacy for the degree apprenticeship

There has recently been a renewal of interest in work-based learning pedagogy within higher education due to policy changes in the United Kingdom that have introduced degree level apprenticeships as a way to bridge the gap between learning in the workplace and professional education. While many academic practitioners are aware of the history of lifelong learning and policies associated with widening participation within work-based studies, others might be less aware of the practical implications of this legacy in terms of facilitating learning. To inform practice, exploratory interviews with graduates of a part-time workbased degree programme at a single institution in the south-east of England provide insights into why graduates value a more holistic process of learning as a foundation for academic study. Findings indicated that the broader practice knowledge in the work-based curriculum allows graduates to develop a lasting sense of ownership of their studies. Conclusions suggest that academic practitioners now planning work-based studies and degree apprenticeships could consider a wider framework of practice that incorporates fundamental principles from lifelong and work-based learning as well as disciplinary vocational content to inform curriculum. It is argued that aligning current and future work-based studies within higher education with these concepts could provide academic practitioners with a broader and more resilient pedagogic framework

The pivotal role of student assessment in work-integrated learning

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is proliferating in university courses across many countries. Like many educational practices, students’ experience of it is shaped by the assessment processes adopted. Does assessment support or inhibit what WIL seeks to foster? To explore how students experience assessment in WIL, a small-scale investigation was undertaken across faculties in a UK university. Students who had recently undertaken WIL in contexts where it was either tightly coupled or loosely coupled to their programme of study undertook a drawing-stimulated interview about their placement and the role of assessment within it. A thematic analysis was used to discern key themes in student responses. Key issues identified were the importance of assessment in scaffolding learning, the multiple roles of university and workplace staff in assessment, the extent to which assessment practices promote students seeing themselves as becoming practitioners and the reflexive effects of assessment on learning. The paper discusses the implications of these issues for the design of WIL activities

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