Learning in vivo

Restorative Formative Normative Custodian

In an article titled ‘But I thought you were doing that’ Rowe, Mackaway and Winchester-Seeto (2012) attempt to clarify the role of the host mentor/supervisor in the experience-based learning setting. They present the following model:

The model identifies four key roles: Restorative (supporting the student); Formative (fulfilling an educatinal role); Normative (administrative functions); and Custodian (guardian role within the community of practice). 

The article elaborates on the aspects that make up the four roles.

Rowe, T.; Mackaway, J. & Winchester-Seeto, T. 2012. ‘But I thought you were doing that’ – Clarifying the role of the host supervisor in experience-based learning. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2012(2), 115-134.

Each credit equals 10 notional hours of learning

There is an argument that an average student should not be required to devote more than 10 hours for each credit. A 12 credit work-integrated learning module, it is argued, should therefore take 120 hours, if not:

• The curriculum is wrong
• The assignment is incorrect
• The WIL assignment is too long
• The assignment is not good enough

The argument disregards the time it takes for a student to settle in and to be orientated. The argument does not take into consideration the learning derived from various alternatives in real life. Neither does the argument take into consideration the reality that often a volume of mundane activities are required for an achievement. Few work places would be on the ready awaiting a student’s focussed exposure. In most real life situations work goes on and students learning from being present and making a contribution of some kind.

The advice from the bearer of the news is “make peace with it and move on…”

Patricia Anne Greening remarked on Facebook: "It also ignores such factors as outside distractions, poorly prepared or poorly presented material; and the state of the learner's health, and mental condition (e.g. sleepy, undernourished; stressed)."

Hi Thomas:

I do not agree that one credit equals 10 hours of learning.  Some years ago in Australia, there was an attempt by the government to enforce a similar rule and in the end they gave up for the reasons outlined on your blog.  It does not make sense.  I am not sure what can be learned in a short time in any work place.  The other issue is that if you focus on hours and credits, then you miss the learning bit.  What are the learning outcomes expected in work place learning?  How long does it take to achieve that learning?  What is the evidence for that learning?  And how long does it take to integrate the learning in the workplace with academic learning?

Cheers,

Lesley

______________________________
Lesley Cooper
Acting Principal/Vice-President
Wilfrid Laurier University
Brantford Campus
73 George Street
Brantford, Ontario   N3T 2Y3
CANADA

Hi Lesley, Thomas and others,

One of the issues for work placements papers is that it does not neatly fall into the ‘typical paper template’.  The typical point baring paper template is a one size fits all model – which may work well for academic taught papers but does not for placement papers, but nevertheless that is the default model.  We have the same situation here at Waikato, where our placement papers are 20 points (supposedly 200 hours of learning) whilst students are at least 400 hours in the workplace.  We found it best to avoid drawing direct links to points and hours in the workplace – and most people recognise that placements are different.  

However, if forced in situation of drawing links to hours on placement and credit points, the first question to ask is, ‘is every hour in the workplace a quality learning hour?  We would argue not.  Probably initially it is, and perhaps also at the end of the placement, especially when engaging in placement report writing.  However, there will be fair chunks of time where it probably isn’t – or rather where there will be ‘dilute learning’ or where the learning is ‘spread out’.   So perhaps it is best to craft an argument that links points to hours of quality learning rather than hours in the workplace.  The later will allow for the longer placements needed for a better overall learning experience for the students, whilst the former is too restrictive and assumes that learning always occurs.

kz

Dr Karsten Zegwaard The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand

Work based learners increasingly supported online

Online learning environments are increasingly being used to provide learning materials and tutor support, says Tony Toole, Director of the E-college.ac Ltd, Swansea, UK. Work-based learners may submit evidence portfolios online for the assessment of their skills development. Furthermore, employers and training advisors or academics working in partnership and liaise with each other online. Internet has significantly improved the efficiency of work-based learning support and offers significant cost savings for both employers and institutions. This is especially of value to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) because they can more flexibly engage in work-based learning and can fit learning around work commitments with the added advantage of not involving time and travelling costs.

Web 2.0 technologies is utilised to build online learning environments with functionality similar to established commercial learning management systems, but far less costly. Cloud computing resources further enables reduced costs compared to hosting services online. Various social media, for example, YouTube, Blogs and Wikis further enables the sharing of resources. The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement resulted in fast volumes of educational materials being freely available online. Increasingly educationally relevant online work-based learning materials are being sourced from non-educational sources. The increase in personally owned mobile and wireless technologies further contributes to a win-win situation for all stakeholders in education. Blended and distance learning options are therefore becoming the preferred choice of learning.

Toole, T. 2011. Social media: key tools for the future of work-based learning. Development and Learning in Organizations, 25 (5), 31-34. Accessed online from Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1477-7282.

Reflective practice for collective learning

Raelin (2000: 101) calls "the process of public reflection" reflective practice; it is a community of inquiry and creates a collective identity. He defines reflection as "the practice of periodically stepping back to ponder the meaning to self and others in one's immediate environment about what has transpired. It illuminates what has been experienced by both self and others, providing a basic for future education", he adds.

Raelin (2000: 101-2) emphasises learning dialogues, as element of reflective practice, taking place in the security of trustworthy peers based on the direct experiences of work. Raelin (p. 103) refers to Plato's statement that 'the unexamined life isn't worth living' meaning that others need to be included in the examination of life experiences. It is more than collective naval gazing; it isintorspection midst of practice and in the presence of others.

"Reflective practitioners 'reinvest' in learning by participating in continuing education" and "engage in problem posing as much as problem solving, continually expand[ing] their solution database rather than select the first solution that works, view inconsistencies as opportunities rather than inconveniences, and enjoy reflecting back on their decision making rather than sealing off debate" (Raelin 2000: 105). Four explicit reflective practices that can be used each on its own or combined are presented by Raelin (2000: 115-145):

1. Learning teams

Work-based learning often involves action learning in teams. Co-workers undertake projects together, discuss dilemmas of work actions, as well as "the application or misapplication of concepts and theories to these actions" (p. 115). The learning device is to pose questions to one another.

2. Journaling

But "the journal is arguably the most endemic technique we have to enhance our self-reflection" admits Raelin (p. 124). Yet, he continues, although it is "often used as an introspective tool for personal growth, it can also serve as an aid to bring together the inner and outer parts of our lives. It offers a lens to view experience—be it before, during, or after the event under scrutiny—and it even allows further reflection on the journal entries themselves." The journal is a potent vehicle to collect private data for public learning dialogues and may include any one or more of the following:

• Logs or reports of specific factual experiences.
• Lists of observations or ideas.
• Portraits or descriptions of people or situations.
• Memoirs of personal experiences.
• Catalogues of feelings/perceptions in situations or about people.
• Intimate accounts including personal sentiments, confessions and notes.
• Dialogues recordings.
• Conceptual understandings.
• Commentary of applications of concepts.
• Social histories (stories) of issues unfolding.
• Maps of consciousness to capture the state of mind.
• Guided imagery, meditated frames of reference and/or dreams.
• Altered points of view in different contexts or timeframes.
• Contradictions or dilemmas experiences or observed.
• Inconsistencies noticed
• Surprises experiences.

3. Developmental planning

Developmental planning often linked to career development. It involves the individual interests, needs and expectations, as well as the organisational objectives and resource requirements. It is often an element of the overall organisational performance management strategy.

4. Developmental relationships

Examples of developmental relationships include coaching and mentoring.

Raelin, J.A. 2000. Work-based learning—the new frontier of management development. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Learning through work facilitated online

Sara Bosley and David Young (2006: 357) remark that "LtW is designed for people who are in work and wish to study part-time for a full HE award or credit towards one". Their paper considers the two-way, one-to-one online dialogue between student and tutor. They mention the following five-category method of content analysis:

1. Participative - this category consider the number of messages and exchange of statements
2. Social - these are unrelated statements to the formal content, but necessary greetings and include expressions of feelings
3. Interactive - these are chained messages with regard to the contributions of other
4. Cognitive - this category comprise those knowledge related online learning processes such as asking questions, drawing inferences and presenting hypotheses
5. Meta-cognitive - these are skills and knowledge pertaining to the learning process itself

Bosley and Young (356) further present four online tutor roles, namely:

• Pedagogical - this roles involves questioning and feedback or advice
• Managerial - such as the coordination of assignments
• Social - spicing with humour, offering empathy and meta-cognition interactions
• Technical - this role entail user assistance

In addition to these online tutor roles Bosley and Young mention the importance of motivation, the facilitating of group interaction and encouraging online participation. They observe that there are five stages through which an online group need to progress in order to achieve a high-level of learning:

1. central are access and motivation of learners
2. socialisation online
3. information
4. knowledge construction
5. development

Fostering of a culture of enquiry is a important aspect of e-teaching. Little and Whitelock (in Bosley & Young) mention technical, administrative, organisational, supportive, encouraging and community-building roles.

Bosley and Young also highlight two key components of LtW, namely individual leaning contracting (ILC) and work-based projects.

Source

Bosley, S. & Young, D. 2006. Online learning dialogues in learning through work. The Journal of Workplace Learning, 18(6), 355-366