Developing a Transdisciplinary Work-Based Learning Curriculum

Bravenboer, Darryll; Workman, Barbara

doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-8856-8.ch008

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It provides evidence that academic qualifications and professional competencies cannot only be aligned on a programme by programme basis but that there is also the possibility for an alignment at curriculum framework level. The transdisciplinary Middlesex University Work Based Learning Level Descriptors are specifically designed to enable the recognition of higher level learning that is generated through undertaking work/practice and it is this approach that has opened the door to its alignment with professional standards (see Bravenboer and Workman, 2015;2016). This perhaps supports Barnett's (1994) notion that academic competence that is too narrowly focused on mastery within an identified disciplinary knowledge domain may indeed have significant limits.…”

Section: Management: Aligning Professional Standards and Academic Leamentioning

confidence: 87%

Towards an integrated approach to the recognition of professional competence and academic learning

Bravenboer

Lester²

2016

Education + Training

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to discuss the benefits of reclaiming the idea of professional competence and challenges fragmented approaches to academic qualification and professional recognition. It is argued that academic programmes that are integrated with the requirements for professional recognition can resolve the potentially unhelpful differentiation between "theory" and "practice" and between "knowledge" and "competence". Originality/value -The diversity of the examples provided across three distinct sectors illustrate the potential for wider curriculum development opportunities for higher education practitioners. The need to align professional body recognition with academic qualification for higher and degree apprenticeships may also indicate significant implications for policy in this area. The cases presented provide evidence that academic qualifications can be developed that are at the same time recognised by employers as delivering a professionally competent workforce. This kind of development activity can provide both an incentive for employers to pay for education and training and opening opportunities for career progression for those in work.

show abstract

Section: Management: Aligning Professional Standards and Academic Leamentioning

confidence: 87%

Towards an integrated approach to the recognition of professional competence and academic learning

Bravenboer

Lester²

2016

Education + Training

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Such views have been reframed and expanded to include considerations of higher education programme structures, curricula, student-centric learning and the recognition of experiential learning, among other issues associated with work and learning (Costley and Abukari, 2015; Costley et al , 2010; Raelin, 2008). Moreover, WBL has been integrated into the higher education curricula of many universities throughout the world, for example, in Indonesia (Nurdiyanto, 2018), Spain and Finland (Devins et al , 2015), France (Rouvrais et al , 2018), the UK (Bravenboer and Workman, 2016) and Australia, and summative analyses of qualitative results generated from WBL have been reported (Nevalainen et al , 2018).…”

Section: Work-based Learning and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Work, resilience and sustainable futures

Fergusson

Laan

Shallies

et al. 2020

JWAM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThis paper examines the relationship between work, resilience and sustainable futures for organisations and communities by considering the nature of work-related problems (WRPs) and the work-based research designed to investigate them. The authors explore the axis of work environment > work-related problem > resilience > sustainable futures as it might be impacted by work-based research.Design/methodology/approachThe paper introduces two current real-world examples, one in Australia and one in Asia, of work-based research projects associated with higher education aimed at promoting resilience and sustainability, and discusses the research problems, questions, designs, methods, resilience markers and sustainability markers used by these projects.FindingsWork-based research, when conducted rigorously using mixed methods, may contribute to increased resilience of organisations and communities and thereby seeks to promote more sustainable organisational and social futures.Practical implicationsWork-based research conducted in higher education seeks to investigate, address and solve WRP, even when such problems occur in unstable, changing, complex and messy environments.Social implicationsResilience and sustainable futures are ambiguous and disputed terms, but if work-based research can be brought to bear on them, organisations and communities might better adapt and recover from challenging situations, thus reducing their susceptibility to shock and adversity.Originality/valueWhile resilience and sustainability are commonly referred to in the research literature, their association to work, and specifically problems associated with work, have yet to be examined. This paper goes some of the way to addressing this need.

show abstract

“…However, such oppositional descriptions can be argued to reflect a foundational perspective that ignores the culturally contingent history of universities and the constructed nature of higher education discourse. It can certainly be argued that universities have many roles but also that these change to reflect a dynamic relationship with diverse cultural, social and economic (amongst other) factors (Bravenboer, 2009; Bravenboer and Workman, 2016b). As this case study seeks to illustrate, higher education provision that is specifically designed to respond to the needs of employers need not be described in terms of a failed realisation of a foundational perspective or “core purpose”.…”

Section: The Promotion Of University-business Collaborationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In doing this, professional and work-based learning programmes are also specifically designed to develop transdisciplinary approaches that support innovation and enhancement of work/practice. A broader discussion concerning the theoretical underpinnings of the transdisciplinary Work Based Learning Curriculum Framework can be found in Bravenboer and Workman (2016a, b).…”

Section: Professional and Work-based Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

The unexpected benefits of reflection: a case study in university-business collaboration

Bravenboer

2018

JWAM

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the development process and outcomes from a six-year collaboration between Halifax Bank (part of the Lloyds Banking Group) and Middlesex University between 2010 and 2016 in the UK. The collaboration involved the construction of work-integrated higher education programmes that were, from the outset, predicated on clear return on investment criteria for the Bank. One unexpected outcome from the collaboration was the emergence of critical reflection as a valued business benefit that, it is argued, has the potential for significant cultural change within the organisation. Design/methodology/approach This case study discuses how “productive reflection” can lead to an integrated approach to organisational learning. The study is located in the context of Halifax’s specific organisational objectives established following the banking crash of 2008. Quantitative and qualitative evidence is considered to illustrate the extent to which the “return on investment” criteria established by Halifax have been achieved. Findings The case study indicates that the challenging business context of the financial crash of 2008 provided the impetus for a sustained collaborative development that allowed the potential pitfalls of restricted learning opportunities to be addressed resulting in an integrated approach to organisational learning. In addition to the organisation’s return on investment criteria being met, there is evidence that the work-integrated approach has raised the prospect of productive reflection becoming part of an emerging learning culture. Originality/value The scale and sustained period of the university-business collaboration is unique and provides valuable insight into how an organisation’s learning culture can be affected by a work-integrated approach. In demonstrating the perceived business value of productive reflection, the case presented illustrates how learning can start to become considered as a normal aspect of working life.

show abstract

Developing a Transdisciplinary Work-Based Learning Curriculum

Cited by 13 publications

References 13 publications

Towards an integrated approach to the recognition of professional competence and academic learning

Towards an integrated approach to the recognition of professional competence and academic learning

Work, resilience and sustainable futures

The unexpected benefits of reflection: a case study in university-business collaboration

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About