Letters

Simon Roodhouse

Defining work-based learning

Professor Simon Roodhouse argues the case for placing a value on skills and knowledge acquisition in the workplace through reflective practice

 

Is work-based learning finally coming of age? At least David Willetts, minister for higher education and science, has made clear the commitment of the coalition government. Writing in the Daily Telegraph he says: "That confident celebration of the craftsman as well as the academic is something our nation has lost, and which we need to recapture.

Skills and craftsmanship are essential for rebalancing the economy away from its dependence on financial services. Winston Churchill put it very well as chancellor, saying he wanted a country where "finance was less proud and industry more content". That means more apprenticeships and more work-based learning."

So what do we mean by 'work-based learning'? Professor Carol Costley from Middlesex University, Institute for Work Based Learning explains that the term is part of a cluster of concepts, including 'lifelong learning', 'employability' and 'flexibility'. Professor Lorna Unwin with colleague Alison Fuller elaborate these distinctions by concentrating on workplace as opposed to work-based learning: "The term "workplace learning" is used to embrace all types of learning which are generated or stimulated by the needs of the workplace, including formal on-the-job training, informal learning and work-related off-the-job education and training,' (Unwin and Fuller, 2003).

One of the challenges which results from this is to attempt to introduce some clarity about what work-based learning at higher education level involves and the contexts in which it occurs:

"It is evident there can be no single, or simple, definition of what work-based learning entails beyond the notion that it is about learning (not teaching) and occurs in the workplace (rather than on campus). As such, work-based learning can, and should be, distinguished from the notion of work- related learning; the latter, in the form of vocational programmes designed to prepare people for employment, which often includes employer-determined competencies such as national occupational standards, and does not necessarily require significant areas of the curriculum to be completed in the workplace itself," (UVAC, 2005).

This position is underlined by the Higher Education Academy's guide to learning and employability: "It is not necessarily the experience of work itself that is paramount - rather it is the learning that an individual derives from that experience of work and from reflecting upon it. A government-sponsored review recognised that work-based learning could take many forms including a full-time undergraduate undertaking a work placement planned as part of the curriculum; a full-time undergraduate doing a part-time job; a full-time employee seeking to explore work-focused and work-related issues in the context of the knowledge, skills and values of a higher education institution. The common factor linking these forms was that the individual would be doing a job of work, or would be undertaking a work role."

Work-based learning is an emerging discrete university subject which is taught, studied and researched - a field of study in its own right. It is not a traditional part-time course undertaken while at work but rather: "The demonstration of your ability to reflect upon your skills, knowledge and approach to your work, often called your 'professional practice'. In some situations, learners will develop occupational competence alongside the WBL programme and this is usually assessed separately by the employer," (Durrant, Rhodes and Young, 2009).

The emphasis in this model is on what has and can be learnt at work by carrying out the job, interacting with colleagues and identifying and reflecting on processes and procedures.

In this respect, employment is defined as: paid work or unpaid work, which could include voluntary work or working within a family business rather than receiving remuneration; full-time or part-time employment; self-employed workers
and business owners - from actors,
artists and builders to farmers, gardeners
and restaurateurs.

"In short, work-based learning is for anyone who is regularly engaged in work (or undertakes periods of contractual work sufficiently long enough to complete a programme of study), whatever the
nature of that work," (Durrant, Rhodes
and Young, 2009).

So what does this mean in practice? There is an emerging group of universities such as my own, Middlesex, as well as Chester, Derby, Anglia Ruskin, Northumbria, Portsmouth, Kingston, Coventry and Westminster University that are not only leading the way by providing vocational courses in response to the national economic need, but have also developed work-based learning solutions to support employers and provide opportunities for employees to gain University qualifications while at work, a very cost-effective solution for both the employee and the employer.

It is the work of these institutions that should be nurtured and promoted. So let's take a look at one or two of them.  Portsmouth University recently confirmed a work based solution for Hewlett-Packard, which involves a tailored work-based learning programme in strategic quality management for the high-tech giant in order to support
key staff in implementing a range of
change projects.

The University of Derby, on the other hand, has been working with Toyota, which has a large factory located in the region, to ensure compliance and provide up-to-the-minute information on employment legislation available to all staff in an easily accessible format. The solution was to use the Intelligent Shell System created by the University of Derby as a unique e-learning platform that provides full control over content management for the client. The ISS system provided the essential delivery of employment legislation training, but is now being adapted to deliver more specific training aimed at increasing loyalty, competence and knowledge of the workforce, staff and management.

Another exciting development pioneered by Middlesex University; Institute for Work-based Learning is the recognition of company training programmes as integral components of university qualifications.

What are the benefits of this approach? Work-based learning experts such as Alan Durrant, Garth Rhodes and David Young suggest those in work are increasingly undertaking work-based learning qualifications because they:

l Are able to see direct relevance between studying for a qualification to work-based learning and their role in the workplace

l Can obtain support from their employers

l Are able to develop the programme around their own professional development needs and individual interests

l Are able to negotiate the focus, context, timescale and assessment of their work

l Can fit this flexible form of study into their working and personal lives

l View studying for an accredited qualification as evidence of commitment to their professional role

l Seek career progression and the potential for increased earnings.

Above all else, it places a value on skills and knowledge acquisition in the workplace through reflective practice, is flexible and saves time as well as money. It makes sense of what you have been doing at work.

 

Simon Roodhouse is professor at
Middlesex University Institute of Work
Based Learning. He is also adjunct professor
of creative industries at the University
of Technology, Sydney, and director of
Safe Hands (Management) a strategic consultancy engaged in education and
cultural industries.

Weblink: www.simonroodhouse.com

 

The way forward...

A route to chartered status has been jointly designed by CIEA and the Institute for Work Based Learning and is now available for those who are involved in assessment in the workplace. These innovative, work- based programmes are designed to prepare workplace assessors for a senior leadership role in improving the overall quality of workplace assessment through policy or strategy formulation, research, planning and implementation.

Using a comprehensive and contemporary approach to research evidence, theory, policy and practice, the programmes (with qualifications from Postgraduate Certificate through to Masters) are designed to allow workplace assessors to critically reflect on their practice, position workplace assessment in the development and ongoing success of a learning organisation and to develop a strategic approach to standards, assessment and strategic organisational development.

l www.ciea.org.uk; www.mdx.ac.uk

 

Developing teacher assessment

Authors: John Gardner, Wynne Harlen, Louise Hayward, Gordon Stobart

Publisher: McGraw-Hill for the Open University Press  Price: £19.99

ISBN: 13: 978 033623783-8

Ratings (out of 5) Readability (5), Usefulness (5), Relevance (5)

 

This is a timely piece of work, writes Graham Herbert , as it comes when teacher assessment is, again, under the microscope, and its effectiveness challenged. It considers the purpose of assessments, the need for evidence to support any innovation in classroom practices, the procedures to follow in order to develop new practices and a perception of what counts as quality in teacher assessment.

The text begins by outlining the purposes and use of classroom assessment or teacher assessment (TA) as it is better known. The first part of the book is devoted to clearing up any assumptions relating to the definition of terms such as formative assessment and summative assessment and the erroneous assumption that the two are quite separate. 

The authors are at pains to suggest that the overriding consideration is the purpose of the assessment. In fact, they argue, that both summative and formative assessment are two sides of the same coin. The difference lies in determining the purpose to which the assessment is put, thus echoing long-held views within the CIEA.

Each chapter begins with an overview of the chapter itself and, in the best traditions of formative assessment, concludes with questions to encourage the practitioner to apply the knowledge and understanding they have gained from reading the chapter.

The reader is encouraged to consider what needs to be done to integrate effective teacher assessment into common practice at both a classroom and institutional level. They insist that this needs to be carefully planned and delivered strategically rather than in a piecemeal and ad hoc fashion, by highlighting the dangers inherent in such an approach. They also look at different models of dissemination and consider what worked, what did not and why.

The importance of effective change management is also considered, as is the culture manifested within the institution. Practitioners are asked to evaluate the impact of what they are doing, and how to embed and sustain this impact for learners' benefit.

l See Debate on pages 18-21.

 

The essential guide to teaching 14-19 Diplomas

Authors: Lynn Senior  Publisher: Longman  Price: £16.99   ISBN: 978-1-4082-2549-3

Ratings (out of 5) Readability (5), Usefulness (4), Relevance (4)

 

This is another in Pearson's Essential Guide series and arrives amid concerns for the future of the qualification, writes Graham Herbert . One criticism of the qualification is that it is logistically difficult to deliver. However, this helpful little book offers strategies for practitioners to adopt and customise to their own circumstance.

The chapters pass from the UK's history  of vocational developments and the current state of 14-19 education, through the different elements that make up the Diploma, including functional skills and personal learning and thinking skills, to collaborative models of working across institutions and a view of the future. However, each chapter is also a discrete unit in its own right and can be usefully read without recourse to the others.

The chapter on assessment looks briefly at the principles and there are helpful documents to consider when recording assessment activities and data. The role of the awarding bodies is made clear, as is the grading of the Diploma and the routes to certification. However, the crucial role of the teaching staff and internal assessment practice is not covered in much detail. This is unfortunate, as a large part of the assessment of the Diploma falls to individual teachers.

Perhaps the most effective chapters are those that look at functional skills and personal learning and thinking skills (PLTS). The author demolishes some myths surrounding these developments and gives practical advice about how to embed the teaching and assessment of these
key areas.

 

CIEA member discounts

The CIEA has negotiated significant
discounts for members with leading
educational publishers. To access the
publisher discounts, visit the members area of the CIEA website www.ciea.org.uk

 

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