A report by a technical team (29 March 2004, pp. 5-6) of the South African Department of Education about an investigation into state funding of experiential or work-integrated learning at higher education institutions, included the following best practice of services that ought to be provided, by an institution to students that are undergoing work-integrated learning:
ORIENTATION — WORK PREPAREDNESS AND LIFE SKILLS PROGRAMME: Students receive instruction to prepare them for the world of work. Policy and ground rules clarify roles and the obligations of the students, technikon and industry in the co-operative education partnership. Students acquire job-seeking skills such as CV writing, application procedures, interview and presentation skills. Other life skills such as time management, team building and communication are also introduced.
LEARNING PROGRAMME: Learning criteria and specific outcomes are documented to give guidance to the student and mentors on the work-based training and learning areas for the specific disciplines. Students are guided on how the work learning experiences should be integrated and recorded. Assessment criteria and evaluation timeframes are documented.
PLACEMENT PROCESS: The [institution] markets and promotes Cooperative Education to commerce, industry and government and secures accredited workstation placement opportunities. Learners are introduced to a range of Companies and have to apply and secure their own placements. [Institutions] may facilitate the application and interview process as required and students are selected by the companies after short-listing and interview processes.
VISITATION AND MONITORING: [Institution] staff visits students to ensure that their learning experience meets the expectations of all parties. The students, mentors and technikon staff meet to discuss progress. Logbook entries, presentations or any other agreed evidence portfolios or artefacts may be used to assess student progress. Visits to students at the workplace are planned timeously and by appointment. Frequency of visits will depend on geographical location, costs and related factors.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION: Interim and continuous assessment may occur throughout the experiential learning period. Assessment and evaluation performed by mentors, technikon staff or external examiners. Logbooks, assignment reports, projects, presentations or any other agreed evidence portfolios or artefacts may be used to assess and evaluate student learning. Marks, credits or records of OBE [outcomes based education] competence may be used to reflect student success and learning outcomes. Structured and recorded feedback by students and industry can serve as a quality assurance tool for review and improvement.
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE: Best practice presupposes dedicated administrative infrastructure and resources. This would include a database of participating companies, student's placement and work-record progress, as well as correspondence, communication and marketing material.
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