Where's WIL? Including work integrated learning in descriptions of what it is that academics do

Abstract

Australian universities are embracing work-integrated learning (WIL) and as a result, delivering WIL has become a key component of academic work. In light of its increasing popularity, it is surprising that WIL is often missing from accounts of what university lecturers do and tends to be valued less when compared to other academic activities such as research, face-to-face teaching, community engagement and governance. This article examines this oversight. A case is made for recognizing WIL as distinct from and of equal importance to other day-to-day academic tasks, and including WIL in common descriptions of academic work roles