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Monday, 3 September 2018

The Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Summit held on 8 June aimed to guide and refine UWA’s approach to WIL by engaging staff from across the University. The Summit focused on the academic application of WIL and sought ideas and feedback from participants on how to incorporate WIL experiences into courses, majors and units to ensure all students experience WIL during their study at UWA.

The Summit participants were presented with a draft definition of WIL at UWA, and engaged in debate and conversation to work towards a definition that captures the diverse range of experiences and outcomes that constitute Work Integrated Learning.  Feedback from participants was captured and incorporated into a working definition, which will be further developed by a newly created WIL Strategy Group:

Work Integrated Learning is the intentional inclusion of career relevance throughout the student experience with the aim of bringing together research-informed knowledge and transferable skills to produce career-ready graduates. As part of a broader learning framework and embedded within UWA’s curriculum, WIL provides progressive development of students’ discipline and broad-based skills. WIL activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Undertaking authentic projects
  • Engaging in real-world problems
  • Participating in work simulations and student placements into industry, public, private, not-for-profit, government and community work environments

One outcome of the Summit will be the establishment of the WIL Strategy Group.  This group will undertake key action items that emerged from the Summit, and work towards a University-wide Strategy and Implementation Plan:

  • Develop the University definition of WIL; and the formalise UWA’s WIL taxonomy, helping to guide decisions about which activities constitute WIL
  • Establish a working party to explore for credit/not for credit WIL models
  • Consider the role of industry, business and students in championing and leading WIL
  • Define a clear map of support networks and services for the delivery of WIL
  • Review policy and procedure relating to WIL, and provide advice as appropriate where areas for clarification or refinement are identified
  • Define the operational model for organising, coordinating and managing WIL across the institution
  • Establish a WIL taskforce and WIL Community of Practice
  • Define digital infrastructure needs for WIL at UWA

Any staff members wishing to participate in the WIL Strategy Group should nominate themselves to their faculty Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching). The group will be formed in the coming weeks as a result of the nominations.

Professor Peter J. Dean, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Associate Professor Sally Male will be the chair and co-chair respectively of the group.

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