Work-based learning: enhancing learning across the curriculum
Improving Student Learning – Through the Curriculum
Durham 1-3 September 2008
Work-based learning: enhancing learning across the curriculum
Morag Harvey (Open University, UK)
m.e.harvey@open.ac.uk
Abstract
The Centre for Outcomes-Based Education (COBE) at the Open University (OU) has
been developing generic approaches to work-based learning for the last seven years.
New workplace frameworks have been developed with colleagues from across the
curriculum and qualitative evaluation methods such as telephone interviews have
been used to assess the outcomes of each new design. In line with other research
(Bandura, 1977; Rogers & Freiberg, 1994) we have found that successful
practitioners in the workplace rely on their social and cultural understanding of their
local contexts to apply their knowledge in the most effective ways and in so doing
recognise their self-efficacy. The performance of practitioners is therefore enhanced
through their learning in the workplace (Argyris & Schőn, 1974). Our workplace
curriculum developments have sought to exploit the complex interactions between
subject knowledge and behavioural knowledge so that higher education learning
outcomes can be met through the individual's practice.
Introduction
This paper seeks to counter the argument that higher education should focus only on
theoretical, cognitive learning rather than learning from practice. Widening the scope
of the university curriculum to include work experiences has been described as ‘Flatpack degrees’ (Furedi, 2008) thus indicating that initiatives such as accrediting inhouse training is not the proper function of universities. Since the beginning of the
twentieth century learning through experience has been linked with education
(Dewey, 1938) due to political and economic pressures related to the need to up-skill
the UK workforce. Currently in the twenty first century the UK has a higher
education agenda (Garnett, 2001) that is again engaged in workforce development in
addition to the traditional discipline subjects. The UK government has introduced a
range of initiatives focusing on the development of employability skills for
undergraduate students. The emphasis on work-based learning is clearly set out in the
government White Paper ‘The Future of Higher Education’ (2003) and the Leitch
Report ‘Prosperity for all in the global economy: World class skills’ (2006). Higher
education institutions have also been encouraged to form collaborative partnerships
with employers so as to design awards which meet the workforce needs of businesses.
Indeed it has been recognised that the aim of many undergraduate students is to study
to get employment (Barnes, 2008). Whilst recognising the political and economic
influences on higher education developments, this paper explores the rich learning
experiences offered by work-based learning and argues that these can enhance
learning across the curriculum.
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Work-based learning: enhancing learning across the curriculum
Recognising work-based learning
Learners in the workplace seek to find solutions to problems that arise by carrying out
enquiry-based activities (Dewey, 1938). All types of practitioners, ranging from
plumbers to lawyers, are faced with problems that they need to solve in order to carry
out their professional tasks. Knowledge created and applied through this type of
activity is often unique to a particular work situation or context. Thus it can be seen
that such learning is as much to do with tacit knowledge as cognitive knowledge
(Lindley & Wheeler, 2001) and requires an understanding of how things actually
work rather than just relying on knowledge set out in any textbook. Successful
practitioners therefore need to demonstrate a full range of social, cultural and
interpersonal skills in order to find the most effective solution for the problems they
are facing. Furthermore, practice can provide the individual with a variety of
opportunities to engage in improved learning experiences (Schőn, 1987) and so workbased learning can be viewed as more than a way to widen participation in higher
education.
Creating knowledge through practice
The complexities of creating and applying knowledge in order to solve problems in
real situations need to be understood by engaging in practice rather than attending
lectures or reading books. Whilst higher education subject disciplines such as health
and education already include practice as an important element of their learning
pathways, this is not true of all curriculum subjects. Therefore the development of
work-based learning within higher education is often within vocational areas. The
emphasis has been on the relevance of practice to a particular occupation; for
example, nurses need to know about human biology and they also need to apply their
knowledge to be able to care for their patients.
In transferring this approach to other areas of the curriculum it can still be argued that
real situations require more than book-acquired knowledge. It is acknowledged that
those subjects that can be recognised as immediately relevant for a particular vocation
or occupation are perhaps more readily applicable to providing students with practical
experiences, however it is nonetheless conceivable that practice opportunities can be
found for those undertaking subjects such as Literature or Mathematics. Indeed workbased learning has been associated with the type of learning undertaken by academics
who are ‘taught by other academics and supported by their educational employer’
(Adams & Hills, 2007). It is therefore proposed that learning through practice should
be given higher priority across curriculum developments so as to improve the student
learning experience.
Learning through practice
There are many types of workplace, including paid and voluntary occupations, and
each workplace will have a number of different practice situations. A wide range of
approaches to work-based learning at higher education level have been developed to
accommodate these different situations and a subject such as Mathematics can be seen
to have relevance to many practices such as statistical analysis and the calculation of
marketing trends. The methodologies are diverse so as to meet the needs of different
occupations and work practices. They can vary from accredited in-house training to
sandwich placements (Bourner & Ellerker, 1998) and include explicitly designed
work-based learning awards. It is also important to recognise that these methodologies
are not mutually exclusive and more than one type of approach may be of benefit
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Work-based learning: enhancing learning across the curriculum
within the same environment. There are also a wide range of stakeholders, including
individual workers, employers and academics. This adds a layer of complexity to the
development process but it also enables a wide range of perspectives to be taken into
account thereby having the potential to enhance the student learning experience.
Learning in the workplace is not just about applying theory to practice. Work-based
learning can involve creating knowledge and researching new ways of carrying out
tasks. Successful practitioners can be viewed as workplace researchers who have a
breadth of knowledge and can seek out new data in order to find solutions to problems
as they arise. As such creating and adapting knowledge to fit in with particular
situations is a complex process which requires higher level learning. This type of
higher level learning may be different to that experienced by traditional methods of
teaching at universities however it can be equated to the levels (COBE, 2005) set for
degrees and other HE awards. Work-based learning that is undertaken by successful
practitioners has a continuous cycle of learning (Bandura, 1977; Schőn, 1987; Lave &
Wenger, 1990) and points to the significance of integrating theory and practice in the
learning process (Eraut, 2004). Such rich and diverse experiences are relevant to both
undergraduate and postgraduate students and can provide complementary learning
experiences to the text-based acquisition of knowledge.
Work-based learning at the Open University
The Open University has a number of different models of work-based learning. Some
of these approaches are focused on the needs of particular professions such as
teachers, whilst others are more generic and can be undertaken by those working in a
range of occupations. The Centre for Outcomes-Based Education (COBE) is a
research and development unit that works with academic and non-academic units. Its
focus is in developing innovative curriculum and staff development work in strategic
areas (http://www.open.ac.uk/cobe/). Our experiences of developing work-based
learning have concentrated mainly on generic frameworks that can be applied across a
range of employment sectors and therefore have the potential to be relevant to a
variety of different academic disciplines. As COBE works closely with colleagues
from across the curriculum we have been able to look for key aspects of learning that
can be applicable to many occupational areas such as evaluating and interpreting
knowledge in a range of contexts. Our focus for these frameworks has therefore been
on learning rather than on the development of competencies. Our research and
development has given us a particular insight into the benefits of learning from
practice and in particular the benefits that could be applicable to many areas of the
curriculum.
Benefits of learning from practice
To be a successful practitioner it is necessary to have a broad range of understanding
and knowledge in order to deal with the different issues that arise in real life.
Learning from practice gives the individual a range of valuable learning experiences
provided that the work role includes sufficient autonomy. We have found that
learning is more likely to take place when the work tasks and activities require
independent action and a level of decision-making. It is therefore recognised that not
all work roles will give the individual the appropriate depth of experience to be able
to equate the learning to higher education level. Therefore expanding the opportunity
for work-based learning across the curriculum will require an understanding of the
types of work-role and practice that are relevant. If this type learning is to become
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Work-based learning: enhancing learning across the curriculum
more established within universities then the related time and financial costs of such
provision will have to be met.
Developing work-based learning at the appropriate level
In developing generic approaches to work-based learning we have sought to broaden
the curriculum and improve student learning by enabling students to include a wide
range of practical experiences in their higher education awards. The guiding
benchmark has been that each type of learning needs to be able to meet the Open
University’s higher education level indicators (COBE, 2005). So essentially we have
been focusing on work-based learning that enables learners to synthesise, critically
evaluate and apply knowledge to a range of problems.
Throughout our developments we have focused on work-based learning tasks and
activities that can help the work-based learner demonstrate their skills and abilities.
As a large national and international, distance-learning institution the Open University
has many students who are already in employment. As such many of our students
have gained a range of work experiences and we have found that these experiences
can be used within the curriculum. For example, those students who are engaged in
our work-based learning opportunities have the opportunity to undertake such
activities as finding, analysing and using information appropriately in addition to
planning, monitoring and reviewing their learning progress. Therefore, as well as
meeting higher education learning outcomes students have been able to develop
‘added value skills’ (Falconer & Pettigrew, 2003) that have increased their learning
potential.
Experiences of individual learners
Telephone interviews and focus groups with individual learners are some of the
qualitative methods we have used to evaluate our work-based learning developments.
We have found that the majority of learners who opt for this type of learning are
motivated to continue their studies because they understand the practical relevance of
their knowledge and understanding. The individual learning experience is improved
through the active participation of the learner in their work-based tasks and activities.
Their higher education learning is linked to real life situations and this adds meaning
to their overall experience.
However, it should also be recognised that not all learners find the benefits of this
type of learning rewarding. Whilst the complexity of finding solutions to real life
problems is evidence that work-based learning can be equated to higher education
learning, some learners find that the more traditional tutor-led learning fits in better
with their own particular learning style. Therefore whilst this paper argues for an
expansion of the inclusion of work-based learning across the range of subject
disciplines, curriculum developers need to be aware that not all students will readily
engage with this type of learning. Providing prospective students with appropriate
pre-registration advice can help to give the necessary guidance so that individuals can
make the right choice of course.
Tutor involvement in work-based learning
Whilst work-based learning involves a more student-led approach to learning, the role
of the tutor is crucial and in particularly an understanding of how to encourage the
independence of the learner whilst still offering the appropriate level of support. This
indicates the necessity of putting in place staff development activities for those tutors
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Work-based learning: enhancing learning across the curriculum
who have not had the relevant experience of this type of learning. Assessment will
also be a prime consideration of the tutor and each approach to work-based learning
will have its own assessment strategy. Whilst the assessment of competencies leading
to a licence to practice requires face-to-face assessment, other strategies include
reflective accounts and project reports. It is also important to acknowledge that
‘current higher education assessment practices often fail to relate to the manner in
which most developments happen within the workplace because they tend to rely
heavily on accepted norms of HE assessment; namely, a reflective, written account of
the individual’s experience of learning in the work setting’ (Harvey and Norman,
2007 p. 336). Enhancing learning across the curriculum through work-based learning
will therefore require the development of new forms of assessment that are
appropriate for real work experiences.
Understanding real situations
The benefits of gaining knowledge and understanding through engaging with real
situations have been recognised through a range of schemes and initiatives. Initiatives
such as the Graduate Apprentice Scheme (HEFCE, 2000) have been devised to
develop this type of knowledge after students have gained their higher education
award. However, this approach requires additional time and effort by the individual
learner and fails to capitalise on the potential learning opportunities of amalgamating
work-based learning into the HE curriculum.
Improving student learning involves providing opportunities that are motivating and
give the learner an enriched experience. It is the proposal of this paper that higher
education level learning occurs in a variety of situations not just through teacher-led
activities, and that an understanding of real life situations can deepen the learning
experience as it requires a multi-dimensional range of expertise and knowledge. In
other words, to be a successful practitioner requires social and cultural knowledge as
well as cognitive abilities.
Conclusion
The inclusion of work-based learning within higher education in the UK has often
been on vocational areas rather than broadening the opportunities across the
curriculum. In transferring this approach to other areas of the curriculum it can still
be argued that real situations require more than book-acquired knowledge. Thus,
improving students’ learning can be achieved through recognising the specific
learning benefits of carrying out research and creating knowledge to solve real
problems. As has been noted, academics can also be viewed as ‘working’ within an
educational institution and will therefore have the opportunity to develop knowledge
through undertaking relevant practice. In order to develop work-based learning
opportunities to other disciplines such as Mathematics and Literature it will be
necessary to provide staff development activities for tutors and to understand the
different learning preferences of individual students. Nonetheless, the benefits of
work-based learning to the higher education student range from increased personal
motivation to the gaining of knowledge and understanding about how to undertake
problem-solving activities in real situations. Work-based learning can therefore be
described as ‘value-added learning’ that has the potential to enhance learning across
the curriculum.
.
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Work-based learning: enhancing learning across the curriculum
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