AI-Supported Work-Integrated Learning for Electrical Engineering Students in Open Distance Learning: A Competency-Based Approach

This paper presents the initiative of OER course development for the undergraduate course, Software Scalability and Reengineering using Wikibooks which was recently completed in Semester II, July 2014 in Wawasan Open University (WOU), Malaysia. The initiative presents the phases involved for the development of OER-based course materials namely the OER course integration using Wikibooks, evaluation of Quality Assurance (QA) in OER learning content and the design of OER course material. The learning design for the computing courses with engagement of learning experiences and feedbacks from different stakeholders in Open Distance Learning (ODL) environment are taken into consideration as one of the major components in the OER-based course development phases. The OER-based course comprises of course units, self-tests, unit practice exercises and activities focused on supporting distance learners to fulfill self-directed learning. Evaluations and studies are being carried out at end of the semester by the course team members on the primary aspects focusing on assessments and course learning outcomes. The OER course development has successfully carried out with the integration of four Wikibooks as major resources mainly Introduction to Software Engineering, A-Level Computing, Embedded and Embedded Control Systems Design to promote the use and understanding of Wikibooks and building a learning community in ODL environment.

This exegesis reports on nine case studies of university-led work-integrated learning (WIL) in journalism at Griffith University (GU), undertaken from 2014–2018. While WIL has a relatively long history in journalism education in terms of internships and cadetships, they have some limitations in terms of access and equity. Students may lack the capacity to fulfil the requirements of internships because of disadvantage, the number of available placements may be limited and/or students may have varied experiences with placements. This exegesis enunciates the varied dimensions and faces of a ‘wise practice’ approach to university-led WIL in journalism education and addresses the central research questions: What are the dimensions of inclusive, quality WIL and what are the challenges to its implementation? To address these questions, I draw on data from participant observation as well as from interviews and focus groups with students, academics and industry partners. Each set of data formed a case study. This multiple case study analysis has led me to identify three distinct yet interrelated models of university-led WIL in journalism education – I have called these Flipped WIL, Event WIL and Purpose WIL. The development and delivery of each of the case studies were informed by the teaching philosophy of university-led WIL as wise practice, which emphasises context, diversity, inclusion and community. University-led WIL occurs within a hybridised space created within a university context outside the internship/placement model. Students obtain practical experience, usually in conjunction with a professional organisation, and this goes beyond simply providing ‘scholarly problematizing by students of their practice experiences’ (Cooper and Orrell, 2016, p. 111). The Flipped WIL case studies comprised scaffolded, practice-based units culminating in a capstone unit. Student learning occurred through working as, and alongside, industry in a specially configured, university-based multimedia newsroom. In contrast, the Event WIL case studies involved students working collaboratively with industry at specific newsworthy events – the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane, the Blues on Broadbeach annual music festival on the Gold Coast and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, also on the Gold Coast. The Purpose WIL case studies engaged with the community around the social issues of domestic violence, refugee mental health and disability, with a social justice focus. Each model involved students producing relevant multimedia news stories for an authentic news outlet, and building skills in analysis, critique, creativity and innovation. The models allowed students enrolled in on-campus journalism programs to be prepared for employment in an evolving and challenging media landscape because they provided equivalent access to what Billett (2002, p. 29) refers to as ‘affordances’, that is, the workplace’s ‘readiness to afford opportunities for individuals to engage in work activities’, and ‘engagement’, that is, the ‘degree by which individuals wish to engage purposefully in the workplace’. The affordances offered by industry workplaces were incorporated into the hybrid space created by the university-led model described, and were enabled and enhanced to produce inclusive, quality WIL when five key dimensions were invoked. These are that the WIL experience is university-led, undertaken in a hybrid space, embedded in community and sustainable, and recognises and encourages student agency. There are, however, challenges to implementing inclusive, quality WIL, including with online students, access issues, high academic workloads and a student and industry perception about a lack of legitimacy for WIL experiences within the university context. This project sets out to provide a timely, engaging, robust and reflexive analysis of the development and objectives of the Wise Practice Work-integrated learning model in journalism education. Illustrated by the nine case studies, this model has potential to serve as a template for other institutions while contributing to journalism pedagogy in Australia. The implications of the WIL model discussed here, through the testing and analysis of the Flipped WIL model, the Event model and the Purpose WIL model, will form the basis for future projects and/or the adoption of similar models elsewhere.

UNISA’s policy documents state clearly that the Open Distance Learning (ODL) concept aims to bridge the time, geographical, economic, social, educational and communication distance between student and institution, student and academics, student and courseware as well as student and peers. Blended learning and student-centredness remove barriers to effective learning, provide flexibility, and construct learning programmes with the expectation that students can succeed. Student-centredness and blended learning are the main drivers behind the intense evaluation and planned upgrading of the courses taught within the Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology. The student profile showed that our students are indeed a unique group with diverse interests and expectations from the theological courses for which they enrolled. By adjusting the values of the four components of blended learning and using both active and passive learning tools, students can learn course content and develop a core of applicable, transferable skills needed to succeed in the Open Distance Learning environment.

Work integrated learning (WIL) is essential to successful higher education curricula and qualifications. Traditional WIL models are discipline specific with collaboration between educator and business aimed at providing the student with workplace experience. There is a need for a transdisciplinary approach to WIL as well as a need to consider multiple stakeholder responsibility in WIL models. This conceptual paper provides a critical review of two discipline specific WIL models in order to reshape them into a third transdisciplinary multi-stakeholder WIL model highlighting the roles of student, education, business and government. Two working WIL models currently in use in two different disciplines, namely the Human Resources and Marketing Departments, were reviewed for similarities and gaps. The review resulted in the proposed Multi-Stakeholder WIL Model. The message of this paper is that for WIL models to be effective and economically viable, government and the students must become key stakeholders.

PurposeIn light of the expanding prominence of work-integrated learning (WIL), the pedagogical model that integrates work experiences into an academic curriculum, this paper presents a systematic review that uncovers little-explored students’ reflections of quality (RoQ).Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the concept of wayfinding rocks and Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory, the “students’ RoQ (pronounced [ROK]) WIL model” offers guidance for future research, policy development and educational interventions aimed at optimizing students' experiences of WIL.FindingsThis paper highlights RoQ WIL through student voice. The outcomes offer a model, contributing insights for institutions, employers and students involved in WIL experiences.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the study addresses specific limitations such as the use of specific search terms and potential biases, future research is needed to explore cultural capital’s influence on WIL quality. A focus on broadening the scope of data collection to include a more comprehensive range of student perspectives is needed.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests practical implications for institutions, employers and educators in designing WIL programs that prioritize student perspectives, ultimately enhancing the quality of WIL experiences.Originality/valueBy focusing on students' RoQ in WIL, this paper fills a significant gap in the literature and provides a foundation for future research and practice in optimizing WIL engagement and outcomes.

Growth in student numbers and heavy teaching workloads may negatively influence the quality of teaching and learning in higher education. Various strategies have been introduced to try and address these concerns. One specific strategy involves the use of learning management systems to enhance the interaction between students and academics. The purpose of this article is to highlight student usage of a learning management system in electrical engineering at an open distance learning institute in South Africa, correlating it to the student’s academic achievement. The lack of 100% student engagement suggests that not all students have access to the Internet. A relationship was established between the pass rates of the modules and the student usage of the learning management system and student support given via the learning management system. Final grade results suggest that students who fully engaged with the learning management system are more likely to succeed in an open distance learning environment.

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is an experiential learning approach that merges theoretical academic knowledge with meaningful reflective workplace experiences. WIL is more than just work experience, it enhances graduate competencies and attributes and provides a point of difference that sport management employers’ value. This chapter focuses on WIL in New Zealand and the pedagogies used to enable sport students to develop their preparedness for employment in a supported environment. The reflective WIL process aims to enhance aspects of students’ personal growth and professional development. WIL involves focusing on developing aspects of students’ self, and also enhances their boundary spanning competencies (soft skills) and a depth of discipline understanding (hard skills). It is recommended that WIL is part of the whole course of study, involving partner organisations rather than as a stand-alone component, thus embedding workplace and WIL opportunities within purpose-designed curricula and co-curricular activities. The WIL experience can also provide graduates’ life-long learning as potential ‘super-mentors’ of future WIL students.

Open distance learning (ODL) education has been developing rapidly in South Africa. The main reason behind the growth is the demand for online studies created due to the corona pandemic. The ODL system involves study that is not limited by geographical boundaries and extends to many knowledge areas electronically. In practice the study tends to extend to knowledge areas beyond those offered by the standard contact or traditional universities. At the University of South Africa (UNISA), the adoption of the ODL framework to theoretical subjects has been successful by making use of the Sakai virtual learning environment (VLE). The practical subjects or practical knowledge areas on the other hand have previously been taught face-to-face. Therefore, the practical modules have not been effectively taught online particularly in the electrical engineering curriculum. This issue can contribute to graduates who are unskilled in the practical component of a knowledge area, which can lead to unemployment. Virtual learning environments (VLE's) play a vital role when it comes to teaching and learning online. In this paper, the impact of VLE's on the practical skills of students and practical knowledge is investigated. This is done by analyzing the change in pass rates of students in a practical subject such as Electrical Engineering when taught face-to-face as compared to when taught through a VLE such as Sakai online. Two groups termed as emerging centered learner (ECL) and a developed centered learner (DCL) are investigated. The method evaluates students who study electrical engineering practical module part-time. In this paper the Sakai platform was used as a VLE to teach and then evaluate students in the electrical engineering practical module. The practical guide with the full set of experiments was uploaded on Sakai under additional resources. The students were given the necessary guidelines and tasks via Sakai online, examined and then the pass rates achieved were analyzed at the end of the program and compared to the pass rates achieved using previous face-to-face teaching method used for the same practical's. It was determined that a VLE can be used to improve the pass rates of a practical module such as electrical engineering taught online in ODL.

Abstract: The Covid-19 Movement Control Order imposed by the government converted the delivery of lessons to online learning in the education sector. Pharmaceutical chemistry is a core subject for pharmacy students and first-year students were taught the elucidation of the absolute configuration of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). The objective of this study is to investigate the pharmacy students’ perceptions and performance on learning new knowledge related to the concept of absolute configuration on API through micro-learning. Students were introduced and assessed on the stereochemistry of new terminologies through micro-learning activities. Various 3D molecular model capture in video format was uploaded on YouTube(YT) and embedded in the Google Form(GF) online assessment. The students’ video navigation was captured with YT video analytics, students learning performance was through GF quiz assessment responses, and the student’s attitudes through questionnaire survey. In conclusion, the performance of student pharmacists in learning and applying new knowledge delivered through online distance micro-learning was comparable to face-to-face active learning. Both YT video analytics and GF responses allowed real-time monitoring and interventions. Nonetheless, students required more time to learn new knowledge online compared to face-to-face active learning. In conclusion, the designed virtual micro-learning enabled students to learn bite-sized new knowledge while training their spatial ability through the application of 3D molecular models with reinforcement through quizzes. The virtual micro-learning design is practical and economical without much technological investment or training for both the educator and learner with easy access in an open distance learning environment and post-Covid.
 
 Keywords: Absolute configuration, Analytics, Micro-learning, Online assessment, Video

Preparing preservice teachers for professional engagement is important for teacher education and has received much attention over the past decades. Therefore, finding effective training and coaching to improve the professional skills of preservice teachers (PSTs) is of great importance. This study developed a proactive online training program (POTP) based on a model of work-integrated learning (WIL) activities and teacher education. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the POTP in improving PSTs’ professional skills. The participants consisted of 83 PSTs in an education program from two universities in Thailand. This study comprises three phases: phase I, the development of the POTP; phase II, a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design; and phase III, a focus group discussion. The findings demonstrated that PSTs in the group in which the POTP was implemented exhibited increased professional skill development compared to the PSTs in the control group, i.e., without the POTP. Analysis from the focus group confirmed that participants gained knowledge and satisfying online tools, and they were found to have better skills. They also revealed that the POTP not only improved professional skills but also enhanced the inspiration and confidence of the PSTs and supported their life and career goals and preparation. Therefore, educators, practitioners, and policymakers involved in pedagogical content knowledge development in teacher education programs can apply the POTP and assessment models proposed in this work to develop essential soft skills for PSTs and to better prepare them for their careers as teachers in the 21st-century digital era.

This paper reflects on the introduction of project‐based learning (PBL) into a postgraduate engineering management unit, as a form of work‐integrated learning (WIL) extending the practice of students and their engagement with industry. The real life and authentic PBL was designed and implemented in extensive consultation with industry practitioners. WIL has often been conceptualized as a process of induction and introduction to workplaces and work practices. However, such models do not easily translate to postgraduate students with existing workplace experiences. The experience of this unit suggests that there is an intersection between PBL and WIL which may provide a pathway for broader student–industry engagement, scaffolding the development of professional networks and practices for students already within an engineering workplace, and allowing students to transform their practice and improve workplace capabilities. This paper presents a case study of the experience of students who have participated in an industryled and assessed project based learning experience as part of a unit in the Masters of Engineering Management course. Student satisfaction and engagement with the unit was extremely high, with students self‐reporting increased levels of confidence and ability to apply theoretical knowledge. It is concluded that through the integration of project‐based and WIL it is possible to create authentic learning experiences for postgraduate students which enable transformative practice and capability development.

Cooperative learning and work-integrated learning are the latest trends in information delivery at high schools and universities. In cooperative learning, teachers organize students' interactions and educate them to work in small groups to enhance each other's learning. Whereas, work-integrated learning, is a type of experiential learning that allows students to participate in real-world work during their studies. Both approaches help bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge gained from classrooms and professional market needs. Electrical engineering is a field that could highly benefit from such a scheme. Having to be continuously up-to-date with the latest advances in the field of micro-electronics is difficult. Consequently, Several challenges are imposed on faculty members and academics who teach micro-electronics circuit design courses in electrical engineering for senior undergraduate or graduate students. This paper presents a case study of the apparent benefits and effectiveness of cooperative learning and work-integrated learning in the Electronics II and VLSI classes offered at a university. Furthermore, it aids programs in electrical engineering to meet ABET students' outcome (4).

Since the year 2000 learnerships have been introduced in all sectors of South African society including education, as a strategy to overcome the acute skills shortage which hinders national development. A learnership is defined as work-based learning with the aim of obtaining a qualification within the South African National Qualification Framework. Unlike an internship which provides experiential workplace learning for a successful graduate, a learnership provides work-based learning for a student who is in the process of gaining a qualification. In this context Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is the ideal tuition model as it enables the student to work and learn full-time while engaged in formal study. The value of learnerships as an effective means of training teachers is generally misunderstood by teacher education providers. To overcome this gap a qualitative case study explored the value of learnerships in teacher training endeavours. The inquiry was informed by Vygotsky’s social constructivist learning theory, Lave and Wenger’s theory of situated learning and Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Twelve participants who were engaged in a teacher learnership programme in a public primary school and who were studying for a teaching qualification through ODL were selected by purposeful sampling. Data were gathered by means of participants’ written accounts of their learnership experience structured around a set of ten open-ended questions which functioned as a prompt for writing. Findings indicated the professional benefits of learnerships; drawbacks of learnerships; the personal significance of the learnership; and the role of ODL tuition in the learnership programme. It was concluded that learnerships in teacher training embody a powerful and innovative strategy to produce teachers who possess a combination of work-based and theoretical knowledge and who can help overcome the skills shortage in the education sector in South Africa. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n16p367

Internships serve as a critical component of tourism and hospitality education, offering students the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings. This study conducts a qualitative content analysis of two diploma student internship reports, focusing on placements at the international chain hotel and local tourism transportation. The analysis reveals four key thematic areas: task performance and role clarity, professional behavior and service ethics, technological adaptation, and reflections on learning and career readiness. Findings indicate that while students gained valuable operational experience and service skills, there was limited evidence of structured reflection and mentoring as the elements crucial for maximising learning outcomes and employability. This study contributes to the discourse on work-integrated learning by highlighting the need for improved internship design, including feedback mechanisms and alignment with digital and soft skill development. Implications are discussed for educators, industry partners, and policymakers aiming to enhance the effectiveness of vocational training in tourism education.

Even while Artificial Intelligence (AI) has long been a part of our lives, it has recently received more attention thanks to the Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) introduction. Since its launch in November 2022, writers have discussed its advantages and disadvantages for society. Considering the various applications of this easily accessible instrument, a significant discussion centres on how it affects learning and the academic setting. This paper discusses using ChatGPT for project-based assessments in online teacher education. Therefore, this paper aims to guide lecturers using ChatGPT to challenge students in learning and developing critical thinking abilities through various project-based evaluation methods. The constructivist paradigm was used in this exploratory case study to assess lecturers’ preparedness for project-based assessment, aligning with a qualitative approach. Twelve lecturers with at least five years of Open and Distance e-learning (ODeL) experience were purposefully selected, and data was gathered via e-mail questionnaires focused on project-based assessment. Inductive analysis, a qualitative researcher synthesising and making sense of the data, was used to evaluate the questionnaire-transcribed data. Assessment is a necessary teaching skill, one of the most important critical aspects of teacher preparation. More emphasis on project-based evaluations that emphasise knowledge application should replace traditional, memorisation-based exams. Through project-based learning, students can show that they can apply what they have learned and engage in critical and creative thinking. Findings reveal that academic institutions and individual scholars must prioritise exploring AI technology, such as ChatGPT, and its implications within educational contexts. Moreover, project-based assessments are highly effective in fostering critical and creative thinking. These assessments encourage students to solve problems, collaborate, and apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. However, many students lack proficiency in project-based skills and struggle to apply knowledge from traditional resources to develop new ideas. Academic institutions should incorporate generative AI technology alongside project-based learning methodologies to prepare students for the rapidly evolving workplace. This approach promotes creative and critical thinking, collaboration, and the practical application of knowledge.