Assessment of prior workplace learning: a case study

Paper

Dowling, David. 2009. "Assessment of prior workplace learning: a case study." 16th World Conference on Cooperative Education and Work Integrated Learning: An International Dialogue in Vancouver. Vancouver, Canada 23 - 26 Jun 2009 Vancouver, Canada.
Paper/Presentation Title

Assessment of prior workplace learning: a case study

Presentation TypePaper
Authors
AuthorDowling, David
Journal or Proceedings TitleRefereed Papers from WACE 16th World Conference 2009 : An International Dialogue in Vancouver
ERA Conference ID60726
Number of Pages7
Year2009
Place of PublicationVancouver, Canada
Web Address (URL) of Paperhttp://www.waceinc.org/papers/vancouver/Australia/Dowling.pdf
Conference/Event16th World Conference on Cooperative Education and Work Integrated Learning: An International Dialogue in Vancouver
World Association for Cooperative Education Conference (WACE)
Event Details
16th World Conference on Cooperative Education and Work Integrated Learning: An International Dialogue in Vancouver
Event Date
23 to end of 26 Jun 2009
Event Location
Vancouver, Canada
Event Details
World Association for Cooperative Education Conference (WACE)
WACE
Abstract

Many experienced engineering technologists work at the professional engineer level and seek the formal qualifications to enable them to practice at this level. The Master of Engineering Practice is a distance education program designed to enable them to achieve this goal by using their workplace learning to demonstrate achievement of up to half of the defined graduate attributes. The program is accredited by the Institution of Engineers, Australia, which operates as Engineers Australia.

The pedagogical design is based on principles drawn from the scholarship of learning and teaching, particularly from the fields of adult learning, reflective practice and the assessment of workplace learning. The first course requires students to use reflective practice to assess their learning against the graduate attributes and then prepare and negotiate an individual Pathway to Graduation Plan. As each student brings a unique set of learning experiences to the program the Plan is tailored to their learning needs and designed to enable them to demonstrate achievement of all of the required attributes.

The student response has been extremely positive and the first students graduated at the end of 2007. This paper describes the program structure and assessment processes, and then discusses student and staff experiences with those processes. In particular, it addresses the self-assessment process which some students have found to be a complex and demanding process. The paper draws on the results of two student surveys and describes actions taken to simplify the assessment processes while at the same time enhancing the quality and efficiency of the processes from both staff and student perspectives.

Keywordsself-assessment; self-directed learning; reflective practice; negotiated curriculum; workplace learning; graduate attributes
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390113. Science, technology and engineering curriculum and pedagogy
390409. Learning sciences
390402. Education assessment and evaluation
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Byline AffiliationsDepartment of Surveying and Land Information
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