Paper 45: Exploring student perceptions of existing learning communities of practice within a Degree Apprenticeship to enable the greater adoption of inclusivity principles for work-integrated studies

Abstract

Degree apprenticeships (DAs) have been introduced in the United Kingdom as a form of employer funded work-integrated learning within specific occupational job roles. This paper focuses on how the applied concepts of learning communities of practice can be developed to support the DA student experience and enhance existing tuition surrounding inclusivity. A small case study of a Business to Business Sales DA reviewed existing programme materials and carried out a mixed methods survey exploring apprentice perceptions of their studies and lived experience regarding inclusive practice. Findings showed that apprentices had an awareness and appreciation of how learning communities operated and raised some valuable insights about the benefits and limitations of learning within a university setting. DA communities of practice have differing dynamics as they include a range of workplace professionals. Apprentices prefer tuition that allows them to participate in social learning with peers, in-person and online, and that accommodate their sales role with shared interests as employee learners. As a result of the research, there is a greater sense of the part that learning communities play in framing inclusive practice within DA provision that could be further aligned to institutional and programme aims