Achieving WIL placement and theoretical learning concurrently: An online strategy for Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The Australian Government requires Higher Education Institutions to demonstrate the work-readiness of graduates. Consequently, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) has been adopted to enhance the workplace skills and professional networks of students to improve graduate employability. While WIL can take many forms, experiences located in workplaces (placements, internships) have been popular. The introduction of the Australian Government’s Fair Work Act 2009 required that placements be tightly embedded within curriculum thereby presenting the challenge of how to enable WIL via placements and theoretical learning in already compact study programs. As a response, we present the pragmatic use of online theoretical instruction and online WIL assessment within an undergraduate core Capstone business subject, as an enabler of the WIL placement. We examine learner perspectives on, and grade outcomes from, undertaking online theoretical instruction concurrent with WIL placements to discuss the key WIL and online learning design implications for this cohort of learners. Our findings are increasingly pertinent given the 2017 Australian Government Higher Education Reform package incentivising the expansion of WIL into all degrees.