Implementing work experience opportunities in the Bachelor of Arts
Project team: Dr Deanne Gannaway, Associate Professor Julie Duck, Associate Professor Adele Wessell, Dr Giselle Bastin, Dr Royston Gustavson, Ms Karen Sheppard
Australian universities are increasingly offer work-integrated learning programs to address pressures to generate a workforce suited to working in a service-led, knowledge-based economy. In a professions-based program such as engineering or dentistry, the shape and nature of these courses may be obvious. It is less so in generalist programs such as the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science. Further, the BA exists in a tenuous environment that is highly dependent on volatile student enrolment numbers, meaning that whole-scale adoption of untested innovations is particularly risky.
Building on previous projects the WIL-ing the BA project explored WIL practices evident in the Australian Bachelor of Arts (BA) program. The project took a staged approach.
Stage 1: mapped current WIL offerings objectives, activities and structure.
Stage 2: considered optimal and optional models for the BA
Stage 3: consolidated a set of deliverables to share across the sector
The project team worked with key stakeholders to collate, curate, contextualise and promote effective practices of workplace learning opportunities in the BA. The project
Australian universities are increasingly offer work-integrated learning programs to address pressures to generate a workforce suited to working in a service-led, knowledge-based economy. In a professions-based program such as engineering or dentistry, the shape and nature of these courses may be obvious. It is less so in generalist programs such as the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science. Further, the BA exists in a tenuous environment that is highly dependent on volatile student enrolment numbers, meaning that whole-scale adoption of untested innovations is particularly risky.
Building on previous projects the WIL-ing the BA project explored WIL practices evident in the Australian Bachelor of Arts (BA) program. The project took a staged approach.
Stage 1: mapped current WIL offerings objectives, activities and structure.
Stage 2: considered optimal and optional models for the BA
Stage 3: consolidated a set of deliverables to share across the sector
The project team worked with key stakeholders to collate, curate, contextualise and promote effective practices of workplace learning opportunities in the BA. The project
- considered models of workplace learning opportunities that address the unique needs of the BA
- hosted a colloquium for BA academics;
- provided an updated and expanded data set with examples of models of workplace learning opportunities evident in the contemporary Australian BA;
- and raised awareness about what workplace learning opportunities are possible in the BA.
