Modelling Work-Based Pedagogy for Expansive Learning

Higher Education, 2003

The relationship between higher educationinstitutions and their environment has changedmarkedly during the last two decades.Massification and diversification of the highereducation system, economic globalisation, novelmodes of knowledge production, new professionalrequirements and the establishment of newvocational higher education systems in manycountries have challenged higher educationinstitutions to develop new forms ofcollaboration with working life. The newsituation also challenges higher education todevelop pedagogical and educational thinkingand practices. The purpose of this article isto examine the pedagogical aspects of theincreasing interaction and collaboration thatis taking place between higher education andworking life and to outline what kind ofchallenges it poses for research on highereducation. It is emphasised that from thepedagogical viewpoint integration betweentheory and practice in work-based learning isessential. Our general conclusion is that therelationship between higher education andworking life should be examined at least fromfour different perspectives: (1) from theviewpoint of student learning and thedevelopment of expertise, (2) from the viewpointof educational institutions and staff, (3) fromthe viewpoint of working life organisations andemployers, and (4) from the viewpoint of societyand the system of education.

… Knowledge, The New Vocationalism and Higher …, 2000

This chapter examines work-based learning as an encapsulation of working knowledge. The focus is on university education in the United Kingdom and the challenges that the introduction of work-based learning alongside more traditional forms of study pose to their academic ...

Teaching in Higher Education, 2016

Nottingham, Paula (2016) The use of work-based learning pedagogical perspectives to inform flexible practice within higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 21 (7). pp. 790-806.

Journal of Further and Higher Education, 2012

With work-based learning (WBL) forming an increasingly prevalent dimension of modern higher education practice, conceptual models of the pedagogies underpinning WBL are increasingly emerging. Recognition is broadening that there is a need to capture and represent the values and presuppositions underlying WBL in order to support facilitators and learners engaged in WBL for the first time. Accordingly, the current study proposes a new characterisation of WB higher education which can helpfully inform the design and delivery of WBL curricula, schemes of work, and teaching and learning strategies. Informed by the authors' extensive facilitation of WBL programmes for such diverse fields of professional practice as dance-teaching, event management, security and the military, the model represents WBL as a triadic learning endeavour in which student, work-based facilitator and university tutor are engaged in a mode of learning which is best conceived as 'academy-aligned' rather than 'academy-based' and in which the signature pedagogic principle is one of 'responsive facilitation'. The application of the model in a number of programmes is demonstrated and some recommendations for WB practice outlined.

Studies in Higher Education, 2010

Since the 1980s there has been significant growth in the engagement of higher education with workforce development, with among other things the emergence of a distinct if varied area of provision commonly referred to as work-based learning. Recent examination of practice and literature indicates a growing sophistication in the way that work-based learning is being theorised and facilitated in higher education, with its gradual emergence as a distinct field of practice and study supported by relevant pedagogies and concepts of curriculum. Tensions continue to exist between the demands and opportunities provided by the workplace and the need to develop capable practice, support personal development and maintain academic validity; however, universities are beginning to engage with these issues at a deeper level than that suggested by simple notions of employer engagement and skills development, and the evidence indicates that well-designed work-based programmes are both effective and robust.

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 2017

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine work-based learning (WBL) pedagogy within higher education (HE) related to the use of the “field of study” concept. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews WBL literature to discuss the original context of the concept and relates this to current pedagogic approaches through qualitative interviews and written explanations. Findings WBL pedagogy continues to use the concepts from field of study WBL but the study also indicates that academic practitioners are developing pedagogy to meet the needs of current workplace and educational policy. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited in its scope due to the small number of respondents but there are potential implications about emerging directions for this pedagogic range. Practical implications The paper argues that field of study WBL is still relevant to existing practice but further engagement and research surrounding WBL pedagogy is needed to examine this range of HE...

Journal of Work-Applied Management

PurposeThe association of work and learning has been well established for many years. However, some of the terms used to describe the various pedagogies related to work and learning have been used interchangeably, with many lacking definitional clarity and scope. These include work-related learning (WRL), work-based learning, workplace learning (WPL) and work-integrated learning (WIL). This agglomerating approach to usage has resulted in pedagogical confusion and what some theorists call a “problematization” for the field, resulting in undermining shared understanding and potential benefit. The purpose of this conceptual paper is an attempt to unpack the meaning and application of some of the key pedagogical terms used in the applied field of work + learning theory and practice.Design/methodology/approachConceptual modelling and qualitative descriptions of each pedagogy.FindingsMany of the work + learning pedagogies do overlap and cohere but attempts to create umbrella terms, which ...

2011

The research project team examined the pedagogical practices of tutors working on Work Based Learning (WBL) programmes in HE in England and Wales and carried out a series of interviews and an in depth review of the literature on related pedagogies. The findings specify essential knowledge and abilities a tutor should have who is engaged with WBL in HE and offers a practical and informed response to enhance the successful delivery of WBL by preparing staff to act as WBL advisers. It presents a curriculum guide and its findings contribute to the current debates and issues. Through asking and finding out what WBL pedagogies are and what the rationale underpinning work based learning strategies might be, it takes up the challenge of more traditional knowledge transmission pedagogies in HE and puts forward a reasoned argument for an approach to WBL’s academically sound pedagogies, such as the epistemology of practice, and its increasingly pivotal role in the future direction of HE. This ...

This chapter presents Middlesex University's transdisciplinary work-based learning curriculum framework as a coherent and innovative means to provide flexible and open learning opportunities for those in work. The framework presented is concerned with open learning in three key ways: as a means to open opportunities and widen access to higher education for those in work by credentialing work-based learning; by promoting learning beyond the limitations of traditional academic disciplines to confer university awards in a transdisciplinary field of study designed to enhance professional practice; and lastly, as a vehicle for open learning opportunities through flexible, learner-centred, negotiated approaches supported by online technologies and blended learning strategies. The chapter describes the underpinning theory that constitutes the work-based learning field of study as well as the structure and components of the curriculum framework. Through illustrative case studies the chapter demonstrates how the Middlesex transdisciplinary framework has provided opportunities for a variety of working learners to gain access to higher education qualifications that would otherwise have been closed. Each case study illustrates a different aspect of the framework and how it has operated to create opportunities for open learning and credentialing at the level of the individual, the organisation and lastly within an industry sector. This demonstrates the potential for transferability of some of the principles and approaches to other higher education curricular settings

The Modern Higher Education Review, 2017

The paper reports preliminary findings from an EU funded project on collaboration and partnership between external stakeholders and universities to deliver work-related learning to adults with existing labour market experience in order to increase skills and competences for the knowledge economy as envisaged in Agenda 2020. The paper engages with debates on the professionalization of vocational education and consequently the vocationalisation of university education. It reports relevant data for the six partner countries of the LETAE project and EU averages to provide some context to debates about relative levels of attainment and labour market position. It briefly introduces some data drawn from case studies of work-related learning in higher education delivered in partnership or collaboration with external stakeholders including local authorities, trade unions, and individual enterprises.