Enrollment of Higher Education Students in Professional Knowledge and Practices

Abstract

In this symposium, we discuss students becoming "enrolled" and appropriate the knowledge and practices of their prospective profession. This discussion and the related research are anchored in the acknowledgement that education programs should provide opportunities for learning and development of competencies required for knowledge-based work. We present empirical studies that examine learning in higher education courses in three different countries. These studies focus on student engagement, participation, and experiences in learning activities emphasizing knowledge practices that resemble professional work, and analyze how enrollment takes place and is facilitated by curriculum design and instruction. The findings show the nature and complexity of the knowledge practices embedded in the curriculum and how students become involved in these activities. The symposium delineates challenges for designing learning scenarios that support such enrollment. Ultimately, the symposium contributes to the ongoing discussion on how enrollment and curriculum design can stimulate and support knowledge-driven learning.