Assessment and feedback remain one of the biggest challenges when designing work-integrated learning (WIL) programs. Motivated by the paucity of student-facing research, this study explores the student experiences of assessment and feedback on work-placement modules across a variety of programs within a single university. Two hundred and seventy…

As part of their international higher education experience, international students in some degree programs are required to secure and complete work placements. This is challenging to many, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, there is limited research on how international students navigate challenges to secure placements in…

Students from diverse backgrounds report that time pressures, financial responsibilities, caring commitments, and geographic location are barriers to their uptake of work integrated learning (WIL). Through interviews with 32 students and 15 educators who participated in online WIL, we investigated whether online WIL might be one way of overcoming…

This article explores reflection and reflective thinking, drawing upon qualitative research on international students' perceptions of developing their employability while studying in the UK. It addresses a gap in the literature by making a connection between internationalization and employability, concepts that are mainly framed as separate…

This study investigated the effect of activities to promote awareness of specific prioritised graduate attributes on the quality of reflection displayed in work-placement reflective blog assessments for Pharmacy-technician students. Previous related research showed an increased tendency to frame placement experiences in terms of graduate…

Pre-professional identity is a complex phenomenon spanning awareness of and connection with the skills, qualities, behaviours, values and standards of a student's chosen profession, as well as one's understanding of professional self in relation to the broader general self. It is an important, yet under-explored, aspect of graduate employability…

This paper investigates the impact of entrepreneurship on cooperative job creation in a large North American post-secondary institution. The data-driven analysis is enabled by two unique datasets: a list of companies started by the institution's engineering students and faculty, and a database of the institution's cooperative education (co-op)…

Much of the research into higher education and its role in work-based learning (WBL), and especially in supporting undergraduate students on placements, has focussed on longer term internships and sandwich courses. Research has also focussed on subject areas that have traditionally been associated with the above; for example, Business, Health, and…

This article explores the varied learning experiences among third-year students undertaking a structured work placement module in the furniture and wood manufacturing industries. Using situated learning theory, the article considers the outcomes of in-depth interviews with 10 students and offers an insight into the multifaceted interactions…

Due to recent changes in higher education and the increased demand for highly qualified candidates in the labor market, the employability of U.K. graduates has become a key performance indicator for universities. Institutions of higher education attempt to address employability by delivering a skilled workforce that will ensure the U.K.'s…

A survey of 189 pre- and 106 post-sandwich work-experience students in tourism suggested that potential benefits were not being maximized. Students needed better preparation for the work experience, especially in terms of their expectations. The work experience needed better design, and the role of industry tutors needed clarification. (SK)

The work experience module used in secondary schools in Lothian, Scotland, was evaluated by soliciting the opinions of the teachers and career officers who organize it, the students who participate, and the employers who provide work experience placements. Data were gathered between October 1990 and March 1991 from 699 students in 38 schools, 151…

This study of school-based work experience programs examines the placements, experience, and attitudes of participating pupils from two secondary schools, focusing on the influence of class and gender expectations. All fourth year pupils in Strathclyde Region (Scotland) were offered a week of work experience with an employer. The study examines…

One phase of the curriculum demonstration program sponsored jointly by the Quincy Public Schools and Southern Illinois University is the Service Station Training School described within this report. The Service Station Training School was one of several sheltered work stations which were developed to provide preemployment experiences and training…

An Australian study explored assumptions underlying thinking about work experience and vocational placement programs described in the literature, documented how much they were warranted by available evidence, and examined student and employer benefits. Surveys collected data from the following: students in grades 10-12 who participated in…