Decentralised work-integrated learning support

Thomas Groenewald, Mia Le Roux Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, (2009), 10(2), 121-140	Abstract: This article provides both a current and a historical perspective, as well as describing the journey of a distance education institution. It contains a synopsis of the imperatives pertaining to work-integrated learning within higher education in South Africa. The article gives its readers a glimpse of the role of decentralized learner support staff at a distance education university in soliciting potential host organizations and placing students for their prerequisite work-integrated learning. It also contains an overview of a week-long seminar. The research entailed both a semantic and a metaphoric evaluation of the training. The findings include an analysis of semantic indicators of the reflection by participants and a review of the metaphors participants used to express their feelings about the seminar. The article concludes with the benefits message subsequently developed.
Semantic and Metaphoric Reflection on the Training of Decentralized Staff Responsible for Supporting Students in Terms of Work-Integrated Learning: A Distance Education University Scenario
Keywords: Cooperative education; work-integrated learning imperatives; roleplayer responsibilities; distance education university; decentralized learning service centers; key performance areas; product knowledge; sales skills; good quality standards; constructivist-evaluation method; semantic indicators; metaphors; benefits message.