Does My Course Demonstrate...? (Examples & Considerations)
Extended WIL/CBEL Examples
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Are you uncertain whether your experience qualifies as Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) or Course-Based Experiential Learning (CBEL)? Please review the comprehensive institutional examples and additional considerations provided below. These resources will help you understand the diverse range of experiential learning opportunities offered at the University of Lethbridge and determine how your reported submission might be categorized.
If you require further assistance in defining and accurately reporting your experience for inclusion in this reporting initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the Career Bridge team using the provided contact button.
WIL & CBEL Ext. Examples - By Faculty
Remember:
WIL experiences include an engaged partnership of at least: an academic institution, a host organization, and a student. WIL can occur at the course or program level and includes the development of student learning objectives and outcomes related to: employability, agency, knowledge and skill mobility and life-long learning.
Ensuring Quality in Course Design: The PEAR Model
Institutions around the world are increasing the number of work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities available to post-secondary students. As the quantity of WIL programs and courses increases, it's important to ensure the quality of these experiences for all key stakeholders. The AAA* WIL quality framework (McRae, Pretti, & Church, 2018) was developed through a review of quality in higher education and the field of WIL. Practitioners can use the framework to identify potential gaps in quality WIL. It also provides a list of potential outcomes and measures that can be used to evaluate WIL programs.
The key components of quality WIL as defined by AAA* are pedagogy, experience, assessment, and reflection, or P.E.A.R. Making sure all four elements of P.E.A.R. are met is critical for ensuring quality WIL.
Pedagogy
In the context of high-quality WIL activities, pedagogy represents the manner in which your course/activity integrates both workplace learning and academic learning. When evaluating the pedagogical aspects of your course for potential categorization, please consider the following course goal/learning outcome considerations that a typical WIL/CBEL-categorized course seeks to have students achieve:
Consider:
- How WIL purposefully fits into the overall curriculum, including when it occurred, for how long, and how it was taught/ integrated
- Whether or not a program/course/activity included one or many instances of WIL experience
- At what stage in a student's curriculum the WIL experience occurred.
- How the WIL experience connected with and to other courses in the curriculum
- Whether the experience:
- impacted impacted the credit hours assigned to your course?
- affected the sequence of courses within the program?
If your activity, course, lab, or related component addressed most of these considerations, it may qualify for inclusion as a WIL/CBEL course or activity.
Experience
Quality WIL should include meaningful experience in a workplace or practice setting. When evaluating the experiential aspects of your course for potential categorization, please consider the following activity considerations that a typical WIL/CBEL-categorized course seeks to have students experience:
Consider
- Basic logistical questions, including how experiences were funded, their location and how students managed associated risks
- How students are placed into, or competitively recruited for, experiential opportunities
- How experience supported students, at varying levels and created a positive educational experience
- How the experience facilitated direct student involvement and meaningful contributions to the host organization
- How the host organization set out positive conditions for learners, including resources, supervision, support and appropriate role distribution.
If your activity, course, lab, or related component addressed most of these considerations, it may qualify for inclusion as a WIL/CBEL course or activity.
Assessment
In the context of executing high-quality WIL, assessment represents the establishment of learning outcomes related to employability, personal agency and lifelong learning. When evaluating the assessment components of your course for potential categorization, please consider the following evaluative criteria typical of WIL/ CBEL-categorized courses:
Consider
- How learning outcomes aligned with program-level, and even institution-level, outcomes
- How learning outcomes relate to the development of skills and attributes relevant in the workplace (problem solving, collaborative, industry-specific skills)
- How learning outcomes developed the learner's capacity to contribute to both the workplace and civil society (career & personal development)
- Do you aim to have students experience real-life challenges as part of what you want them to learn?
If your activity, course, lab, or related component addressed most of these considerations, it may qualify for inclusion as a WIL/CBEL course or activity.
Reflection
Reflection is critical for learning from experiences, and quality WIL supports critical self-reflection in, on, and for each experience. When evaluating the reflective components of your course for potential categorization, please reflect on the following reflective considerations typical of WIL/ CBEL-categorized courses::
Consider
- How reflection practices facilitated the learner's understanding of their skills, knowledge, attributes, and contributions to the workplace
- How reflection practices enhanced learning from the workplace and from academic study
- Whether your course/activity helped students make connections to broader life experiences?
- How reflection created transformative learning experiences, including potential shifts and beliefs in worldviews, academic concepts, personal practices, etc...
If your activity, course, lab, or related component addressed most of these considerations, it may qualify for inclusion as a WIL/CBEL course or activity.
Please Note:
In addition to the project and its relation to the PEAR model itself, there are other required elements that must be demonstrated for categorization. These activities should occur before, during or after the WIL or CBEL experience
- Student Preparation: with technical, career and project specific skills
- Student Guidance: relating to project, client and teamwork related outcomes
- Assessment & Evaluation: of final project deliverables and outcomes
- Student Reflection: that fosters critical thinking and self awareness among all participants
Have Examples of Your Own?
Do you offer work-integrated learning (WIL) or course-based experiential education (CBEL) experiences in your courses? We'd love to use them to flesh out this page!
Download the WIL/CBEL Example Reporting Sheet using the button below. Then submit it through the Microsoft Forms link to help the Career Bridge Centre document these valuable hands-on learning opportunities at our institution.
Your examples will assist the Student Enrolment and Registrar Services (SEARS) office as they complete their WIL/CBEL reporting initiative on behalf of the university.