Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a risky business for universities. WIL is a strategic risk worthy of pursuing by universities in the prevailing higher education environment, which is characterized by competition, changes in funding arrangements and stakeholder demand for WIL. Nevertheless the strategic opportunities that WIL presents cannot be…

If work-integrated learning (WIL) is intended by universities to meet the demand for work-ready graduates, identification of skill requirements for development on placements is a critical part of the learning process. Health services management specific employability skills perceived to be important by managers and recent graduates working in the…

Professionalism is not easily defined for newcomers to the workforce. While much of the work-ready research focuses on desired graduate attributes and skills, the larger issue is the ways in which students conceptualize professionalism from their observations and experiences of others, and how these conceptualizations affect their professional…

Universities are adopting institution-wide projects to increase student work placements and work-related learning across all subject disciplines. However, there are large variations between programs in uptake, with limited evidence explaining why this might be the case. This study uses identity theory (Stryker, 1980) to explore student perceptions…

Work-integrated learning (WIL) has become commonplace in many higher education institutions across Australia. Similarly, there has been rapid integration of digital technologies for supporting teaching, learning and assessment in this domain. In the rush to address associated challenges within the sector--such as massification, limited placements,…

Student supervision is a key factor underpinning the success of work-integrated learning programs. Supervisory responsibilities can be shared across a number of stakeholders including university staff and host/workplace supervisors. While there have been attempts to understand the roles played by each of these stakeholders, little research has…

Engineering graduates without industrial experience may find that employment is difficult to obtain immediately after completing their studies. This study investigates the impact of two arrangements of work experiences; short term (over 12 weeks, STP) and long-term (over 52 weeks, IBL) on academic grades. This study involved 240 undergraduate…

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is vital for preparing health-work students for practice. WIL activities have multiple stakeholders, each with their own set of expectations and requirements, both explicit and implicit. Negotiations to provide these learning experiences for students happen at many levels and those at the coalface are often unaware…

Research into work-integrated learning continues to show through a variety of small-scale and anecdotal studies, various positive impacts on student learning, work-readiness, personal and cognitive development and other outcomes. Seldom are these research findings strongly generalizable because of such factors as small sample sizes,…

Higher education is undergoing generational transformation, as universities adapt to the needs of a 21st century workforce. This study investigated student perspectives of a work-integrated learning (WIL) placement program, firstly in relation to its longer-term worth since they had completed it, and secondly, with respect to its value regarding…

If work-integrated learning (WIL) improves students' work self-efficacy (WSE), are students who do not participate in WIL disadvantaged? This study answers this question by examining differences in WSE between final-year criminal justice students at Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia) who elected to undertake WIL and those who did not.…

International work-integrated learning (WIL) is increasingly common in health-related programs in Australian universities. Paramedicine programs are beginning to explore international WIL in line with the globalization of paramedicine as a profession and the national higher education emphasis on outward bound learning experiences. Using…

Work integrated learning (WIL) educators using reflective practice to facilitate student learning require a set of standards that works within the traditional assessment frame of Higher Education, to ascertain the level at which reflective practice has been demonstrated. However, there is a paucity of tested assessment instruments that provide…

A qualitative study was undertaken that explored the conditions for transformative learning in cooperative education as a form of work-integrated learning (WIL), towards the development of a theoretical model. Four case studies were analyzed based on interviews with WIL students, supervisors and their co-op coordinator. The findings revealed that…

Graduate attributes and course learning outcomes are an integral part of higher education in Australia. Testing the performance of graduates in the workplace with regard to graduate attributes and course learning outcomes is a not a common occurrence. This study has road tested the graduate attributes and course learning outcomes of a bachelor…