All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Gillian Shiel |
|---|---|
| Email: | gillian.shiel@northumbria.ac.uk |
| Institution: | Northumbria University |
Ann, Miller, ann.miller@northumbria.ac.uk
Higher education continues to undergo significant changes to meet the challenges of contemporary society. The role of Higher Education Institutions in effectively meeting the knowledge and skill requirements of the individual, the employer and society through effective teaching and learning strategies is under increasing scrutiny.
Within the School of Health, Community and Education Studies at Northumbria University, work-based learning approaches are becoming increasingly important as a vehicle to enable individuals to gain academic credit and qualifications through developing their personal and professional repertoire of skills and knowledge, and also as a mechanism to improve organisational practice/change. The School has used Work-Based Learning Programmes to work innovatively in learning partnerships with employers. One such example is a Professional Practice Award Programme developed with a local NHS Trust. Through a process of productive critical reflection, the programme promotes awareness of the workplace as a learning environment and this is utilised to extend the learner's capability and individual effectiveness.
Through the presentation of a short case study exploring one cohort of students from the Professional Practice Award programme the authors will share their experiences. A number of key issues have been identified through a process of critical reflection undertaken by the authors. Key themes that have emerged which the authors believe have a wider resonance across the academic community are;