Work-integrated learning (WIL) is relied upon to meet important shared employability-related goals of institutions of higher education, students and employers. However, research indicates that not all students have access to and experience WIL activities. A clearer understanding of how WIL may be designed for inclusion of a diverse student…

Presented here is a novel engineering degree initiative established at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Australia. This program embodies emerging trends and prospects in engineering education, aspiring to nurture adept engineers well-prepared for practical application. Furthermore, this paper delves into the application of this program for training…

Feedback is the key ingredient from which we grow. This paper contributes to the literature on student feedback in higher education, specifically within work-based learning. It provides an overview of the usability, utility and impact of a freely available feedback tool, the 5 min feedback form (5MFF). The 5MFF was constructed for use within…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate short-term, unpaid placements offered to students reading for a degree in public policy. They provide added value to their tertiary education experience. Elective placements were offered in 2012 and became a mandatory requirement for students reading for a three-year bachelor of commerce degree in…

This report explores best practice in the design and delivery of pre-apprenticeship programmes across Europe. For the purposes of this project, pre-apprenticeship programmes are defined as programmes targeted at young people aged 16-24, where at least one of the stated aims is progression to an apprenticeship. Across Europe, some programmes are…

Results of a study of over 1,000 experience-based career education students suggest six ways experiential education staff can improve the learning potential of community experiences. These involve giving the students challenge, responsibility, freedom to explore, hands-on learning, a good relationship with individuals at the work site, and…

Summarizes recent studies on Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) and discusses their implications for program developers and EBCE personnel. Stresses the positive results of EBCE and outlines the success of this approach for special populations (gifted, migrant, and disadvantaged youth). (Author/GC)

Described in an experimental ethics course, taught at the University of Kentucky, in which the student combines the experience of a public agency internship with reflection afforded by readings and discussion of ethical issues in a seminar format. An evaluation of the program's effectiveness is reported. (JMD)

Periodic assessment of cooperative education programs is shown to provide a sound information basis for future program directions. A comorehensive evaluation model is described that focuses on what is done, how it is done, and why it is important. Specific goals are outlined. (Author/LBH)

Reviews reasons for incorporating work-based learning (WBL) into higher education degrees and the barriers to achieving this. Notes five key dimensions of WBL. Describes and evaluates environmental audits undertaken in a graduate geography course at Lancaster University (England). Makes recommendations for maximizing the benefits of WBL in…

This paper describes how undergraduate student interns were utilized in a one-person institutional research office on a small college campus to improve productivity and provide real-life experiences for upper-class students. The pitfalls and benefits of such use of students are discussed from both the students' and institutional researcher's…

A study identified young people's perceptions of types of activities and other factors at employer sites that lead to excellent and relatively poor learning experiences. Participants in the study were 1103 secondary students in 18 experience-based career education programs in 16 states. The questionnaire administered to the students included…

This study was conducted to review evaluation studies of high school experiential learning programs to determine the nature of their findings and the essential elements that produce effective learning experiences in the community, and to assess the approaches used in these evaluations. Literature reviewed for the study centered on (1) work…

This guide describes the types of instruments to be used in the evaluation of Iowa's experience-based career education (EBCE-MD) project for mildly mentally disabled secondary students. Part 1 provides an overview of the formative evaluation data required for project operation. Copies of various instruments are included (instructor questionnaire,…

Effective participatory education programs are planned efforts designed to effect cognitive, social, and affective change. Although research does not yet permit unequivocal generalizations about effects, existing research is promising, especially when compared with research on effects of work experience per se. Positive effects include student,…