Asia Pacific Journal Of Cooperative Education

APJCE aims to provide an international forum for discussion of cooperative education issues for practitioners in the region and is intended to provide a mechanism for the dissemination of research, best practice and innovation in work-based learning.

Practice-based learning—the kind of education that comes from experiencing real work in real situations—has always been a prerequisite to qualification in professions such as medicine. However, there is growing interest in how practice-based models of learning can assist the initial preparation for and further development of skills for a wider range of occupations. Rather than being seen as a tool of first-time training, it is now viewed as a potentially important facet of professional development and life-long learning. This book provides perspectives on practice-based learning from a range of disciplines and fields of work. The collection here draws on a wide spectrum of perspectives to illustrate as well as to critically appraise approaches to practice-based learning. The book’s two sections first explore the conceptual foundations of learning through practice, and then provide detailed examples of its implementation. Long-standing practice-based approaches to learning have been used in many professions and trades. Indeed, admission to the trades and major professions (e.g. medicine, law, accountancy) can only be realised after completing extended periods of practice in authentic practice settings. However, the growing contemporary interest in using practice-based learning in more extensive contexts has arisen from concerns about the direct employability of graduates and the increasing focus on occupation-specific courses in both vocations and higher education. It is an especially urgent issue in an era of critical skill shortages, rapidly transforming work requirements and an aging workforce combined with a looming shortage of new workforce entrants. We must better understand how existing models of practice-based learning are enacted in order to identify how they can be applied to different kinds of employment and workplaces. The contributions to this volume explore ways in which learning through practice can be conceptualised, enacted, and appraised through an analysis of the traditions, purposes, and processes that support this learning—including curriculum models and pedagogic practices.

It has been over a century since "Cooperative System of Education," a work-study programme for higher education, was initiated by Herman Schneider at University of Cincinnati in the United States. Today, it is known as "Cooperative Education" which is commonly included within the umbrella term of "Work-Integrated Learning" and broadly referred to by the World Association of Cooperative Education (WACE) as "Cooperative and Work- Integrated Education (CWIE)". Its development worldwide has been closely related to the socioeconomic background of the region. This book offers the first attempt to focus on the development of CWIE in Asia. To date, the development of CWIE in the Asia region has been slow compared to their counterparts. The analysis follows international comparisons of China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore on their educational history, vocational education, CWIE, and future issues. Although the level of development varies among them, there is no doubt that this region as a whole is experiencing a rapidly growing global demographic and economic prominence. CWIE can, and to some extent already does, play an important, supportive role as part of growth. The book goes on to conclude that in order to enable further successful expansion of CWIE, and improve its best practice, it is imperative to establish national and regional associations for CWIE, as well as establish collaborative research activities across the region with governmental funding support.

This book charts the development of a whole-institution approach to university-community engagement at a modern Australian university, highlighting the pivotal role that curriculum renewal can play in organizational transformation. It describes how Macquarie University’s PACE (Professional and Community Engagement) program developed and fostered a culture of learning that has been at the center of academic renewal, differentiation, and institutional change. It details the development of the PACE pedagogical model, the establishment of the network of stakeholder relationships which underpin it, and the embedding of the model across the whole institution. Authored by those directly involved in the change project, this book tells the story of PACE, its achievements, challenges, success factors and future directions. A series of dovetailing contributions by leading international scholars of university-community engagement set the PACE story in its global context. This book adds to the scholarship of learning through community engagement, provides international perspectives on trends and issues in university-community engagement, contributes to a broader understanding of the practice and pedagogy of community engagement, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of implementing and sustaining change in the higher education sector.

The important debate on the growing graduate skills gaps, the value of universities to their business communities, and their role (or lack of ) in building entrepreneurial attributes among graduates is growing internationally. Using case studies from universities across the globe, this edited book seeks to bring together leading authors with knowledge, and/or experience, of the challenges of embedding enterprise education in university and college programmes. The text identifies and presents the current debates around the future role of universities and colleges in providing ‘fit for workplace’ graduates, as well as offering insights into the challenges and practices involved in delivering innovative enterprise education. The approach collates examples of ‘best practices’ from global institutions enabling educators to develop ‘blueprints’ for implementing in their own institutions. This innovative and comprehensive text is designed to be a ‘seminal resource’ for academic stakeholders on enterprise education collating diverse international contributions from enterprising universities and colleges. Drawing on both theory and best practice, it provides invaluable guidance to researchers, educators and practitioners considering embedding or expanding enterprising activities into their learning strategy.

Governments around the world are committed to enhancing students’ “graduateness”. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is one of the many programmes which Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can develop to promote this facet of student life. The incorporation of work-integrated learning in curriculum design and development can produce reciprocal benefits for students, workplaces, professions and communities. Any curriculum design and development endeavour relating to WIL requires appropriate resources to support curriculum development. This book serves to explore WIL programmes and experiences for the student, WIL coordinator and supervisor. It further integrates practical, relevant and reflective industry experience within the higher education curriculum to enhance student development. WIL has no uniformly or specific framework or approaches since it is an emerging field and is generally influenced by contextual factors. In view of the diversity in theory and practice and different purposes, whether pragmatic or practical, driving the adoption of one approach over another, this book highlight sthe diverse approaches that encapsulate WIL in South Africa.

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a key strategy for enhancing student employability outcomes and lifelong learning capabilities. This timely publication critically reflects on existing scholarship and practice in WIL, discusses contemporary insights, provides a synopsis of resonating themes, and recommends areas for future research and practice. The book aims to position WIL as a strategic imperative for enabling a sustainable workforce through strengthening graduate capacity both in Australia and globally.The collection of edited scholarly chapters were compiled by 59 researchers, practitioners, and experts in WIL, and supported by the peak national professional body for WIL in Australia, the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN). The chapters cover a range of pertinent topics such as teaching and learning, stakeholder engagement, maximizing learning outcomes, diverse forms of WIL practice, support and infrastructure, and future directions. Specific areas of interest include governance and leadership, student equity and wellbeing, quality and evaluation and interdisciplinary WIL. This book is essential reading for researchers, practitioners, workplace and community partners, university leaders, and policy makers, as the practice of WIL continues to expand in the higher education sector.

Many students across the globe seek further education for future employment opportunities. Vocational schools offer direct training to develop the skills needed for employment. New emphasis has been placed on reskilling the workforce as technology has infiltrated all aspects of business. Teachers must be prepared to teach these new skill requirements to allow students to directly enter the workforce with the necessary competences intact. As the labor market and industry are changing, it is essential to stay current with the best teaching practices within vocational education courses to provide the future workforce with the proper tools and knowledge. The Research Anthology on Vocational Education and Preparing Future Workers discusses the development, opportunities, and challenges of vocational education courses and how to best prepare students for future employment. It presents the best practices in curriculum development for vocational education courses and analyzes student outcomes. Covering topics such as industry-academia collaboration, student satisfaction, and competency-based education, this major reference work is an essential resource for academic administration, pre-service teachers, educators of vocational education, libraries, employers, government officials, researchers, and academicians.

This book explores new questions about the state of work and work readiness for new university and college graduates in the context of work-integrated learning in the 21st century and the role of higher education in preparing students for the challenges of global economic shifts in the labour market.

This book addresses issues confronting universities’ attempts to integrate practice-based learning in higher education curriculum, yet which reveals the jostling of cultures which exist within and amongst the academy, industry, government and professional bodies and other educational providers. The book engages theory in practices, and draws upon research highlighting the issues and transactions that emerge with implementation of work integrated learning arrangements as uses these resources to discuss and develop further both theoretical premises and procedural contributions. The illustrative cases derive utilise metaphors of culture in their exploration of the epistemologies, structures, politics, histories and rituals which constrain program opportunity and success in making these advances. The volume comprises two main sections, the first laying out focal issues in the integration of learning and work in higher education. This section presents the issues at multiple levels of analysis and in theoretical terms. This section provides a foundation for the second section of the book which introduces a number of research studies illustrative of the issues theorised in the first. The cases highlight the practice of workplace and higher education pedagogy. They provide thick descriptions of experiences of integration and are explicitly focused on the implementation of work integrated programs in higher education. The volume commences with an introductory chapter which sets out the range of issues addressed both theoretically and through illustration in the book and a final chapter critically reviews the contributions and acts to provide a cohesive picture of the learning practices of work and higher education and the possibilities of their integration.