Work-Integrated Learning: Good Practice Guide - CHE

of study in partnerships with academics, workplace representatives, and students. WIL curricula require
engagement with:
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• the nature and current state of knowledge in the discipline;
• the nature and current state of professional practice;
• philosophies of education, theories of teaching and learning, and educational research
findings– particular WIL modality;
• the role and forms of assessment and feedback;
• students’ characteristics and learning needs, interests and abilities;
• the practical, ideological and policy context of the academic department, institution, and higher
education system; and
• the practical, ideological and policy context of the profession.
Put differently, a curriculum represents ‘a mix of dimensions and elements embedded in disciplinary
developments, state-sponsored debate, the student market and increasing academic-employer discussions’
(Barnett, Parry & coate, 2001:259). All these considerations should inform a scholarly approach to
curriculum development, which in the case of WIL, requires university teachers to engage with disciplinary
knowledge, educational knowledge, and professional knowledge.
3.3 curriculum planning
As in any curriculum, it is important in WIL curricula to ensure the alignment of course outcomes, WIL
activities and assessment practices. As a first step, it will be necessary to clarify effective, relevant,
meaningful outcomes for the programme or subject. It is particularly important when student learning
includes work placement, that the curriculum development team includes academics, professional or
workplace representatives and senior students (particularly those with workplace experience). once the
stakeholders have agreed on the learning outcomes, the main learning activities and sites of learning,
it will be easier to manage the logistics involved (see Section 6 on Partnerships for WIL and Section
7 on Management of WIL in this regard). case study 3, ‘developing an inter-professional patient care
curriculum’, provides an example of collaborative WIL curriculum design.
case study 3: developing an inter-professional patient care curriculum
Description: the New generation Project, offered by two universities in the south of England, is an
undergraduate health and medical curriculum model developed for an inter-professional education
programme for health and social care professions. the project was intended to offer students experiences
of professional collaboration, teamwork, and ultimately increase the level of care provided to patients.
the curriculum included underpinning learning concepts and models, developed in collaboration
by health and social care professionals. this process assisted in the development of teaching and
assessment processes considered appropriate to the curriculum model and intended outcomes. In
addition, the collaborative approach to curriculum development allowed for the identification of areas
where overlap in course content was evident, and opportunities for students across disciplines to
come together for these areas of study (e.g., professional communication). A vital stage of curriculum
development was the modelling of the inter-professional learning units. this included examination
of the units offered, elements within these that required change, and construction of units that linked
to professional practice experiences, and exposed students to a variety of learning opportunities. the
Work-Integrated Learning: Good Practice Guide