Who cares wins: owning the learning transition

Emerald - 2011
BonnieCord1, ChrisSykes2, MichaelClements3
1PhD Candidate at Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
2Lecturer in Management, School of Management and Marketing, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
3University Professor of Industry Engaged Learning at the Higher Education Office, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia

Tóm tắt

PurposeHigher education is seeking ways to close the perceived gap between employer's expectations of graduates and the current preparation these graduates receive. Experiential learning programs offer students one such opportunity to develop professionally and acquire generic workplace skills. This transition however, from the classroom to the workplace, can be a challenging process for students, and is the focus of this paper.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses the importance of programs and their supervisors integrating “caring” into work placements. Several stages of the transition process are discussed before seven principles of a successful student transition are outlined.FindingsThis paper demonstrates how a beyond duty of care approach can be adopted in experiential learning programs through seven key principles.Practical implicationsIt is anticipated that prioritizing a transition that enlarges the notion of student “care” and adoption of the seven key principles will narrow the perceived gap between employers and higher education's expectations of graduates.Originality/valueWhile experiential learning programs involve three stakeholders, the literature has not yet recognised the importance of each of these roles in the students' progressional development in the workplace. This paper outlines these roles and identifies seven ways the approach can be incorportaed into the pratices of an expereintial learning program.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Cord, B. and Clements, M.D. (2010), “Early organizational involvement (EOI): for successful transition from higher education to the workplace”, Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, Vol. 3 No. 24, pp. 5‐7.

Hernandez‐March, J., Martin del Peso, M. and Leguey, S. (2009), “Graduates' skills and higher education: the employers' perspective”, Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 1‐16.

Le Maistre, C., Boudre, S. and Pare, A. (2006), “Mentor or evaluator? Assisting and assessing newcomers to the professions”, The Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 18 No. 6, pp. 344‐54.

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Emerald

Thông tin tác giả