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| The first forum of the year for the NSW/ACT Chapter focused on WIL for international students. |
The ‘Unpacking
co-curricular options: WIL for International Students’ forum hosted by the ACEN NSW/ACT Chapter on 16 February provided an invaluable
opportunity to share and discuss a variety of delivery options for co-curricula
WIL, specifically initiatives for international students.
The nature of co-curricula activities presented in the case studies ranged from preparatory programs designed to introduce students to Australian workplace culture and enhance their competitiveness in the job market, through to more targeted programs and forums covering specific areas such as mentoring, professional development, leadership and employability.
The nature of co-curricula activities presented in the case studies ranged from preparatory programs designed to introduce students to Australian workplace culture and enhance their competitiveness in the job market, through to more targeted programs and forums covering specific areas such as mentoring, professional development, leadership and employability.
When reflecting on the case studies, a number of
considerations and challenges to co-curricula WIL were identified, as well as
possible approaches to addressing some of these issues.
For me personally, the top 3 take away(s) of the forum
were:
- The need to Integrate co-curricula activities with classroom learning and other WIL programs in order to maximise alignment with future WIL experiences students may have.
- To maximise the Authenticity of co-curricula activities, in particular those offered in-house/on-campus to ensure they provide opportunities for networking and (as much as possible) reflect real-life/authentic employment conditions.
- To consider the Transferability of co-curricula WIL to other disciplines, professions and universities in light of resourcing, scalability and equity issues.
What were your take away(s) from the forum?
Anna Rowe
Chapter Secretary
Thanks Anna for the food for thought.
ReplyDeleteFor me, my key takeaways centred on how there is 'no one size fits all' approach to how we prepare students for formal WIL experiences. Also, often students just don't know what opportunities are out there and how to engage. I think this is especially pertinent for international students who may take while to navigate options, a challenge when often they have limited time to do this. Sarah USYD
Hi Folks,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I missed the forum as it looks like an interesting set of discussions.
Anna, your point about integration is valid as some students struggle with taking learnings from one context and applying them in a different one. In real life, however, this integration can be difficult as the co-curricular experience is often offered by different staff to those who are teaching the subjects. This begs the question of how we break down any barriers to ensure students get the most from their experience.
Has anyone managed to do this successfully? If so, can you share with us how you make it happen?
Theresa
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThank you Anna for sharing your insights with us.
I completely agree with Sarah, while there is "no one size fits all' approach to prepare students for formal WIL experiences. I believe that as a student, we must be proactive in searching for opportunities that are out there and make the most of the time that we have at university and while we have access to the WIL opportunities.
Joel
Student
University of Wollongong
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