Work-integrated learning (WIL) entails learning that is happening “in [ideally] a real working environment producing real objects and delivering services” say Hondonga, Chinengundu and Maphosa (2022: 566). “WIL is recognized as an effective strategy to promote the quality and relevance of vocational education and training” they say. The original article from which the content of this blogpost is extracted from, is framed against the backdrop of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic that swept the world and Botswana, resulting in country-wide lockdown on 30 March 2020, affecting the continuity of WIL activities. Although most theoretical teaching, and even assessments, were adapted to online delivery as result of the pandemic, however “practical competencies related to WIL must be carried out in the workplace and assessed on the job” say Hondonga et al. (2022: 565). They remark that the pandemic imposed a significant impact for students of lower income, due to their limited access to digital technologies.
Hondonga et al. (2022: 568) indicate that the “tools and methods used for WIL assessment can be defined by what is to be assessed, whether application of content learnt, the process of learning or both”. They present (in Table 1 from p. 569) a range of different methods that can be used to assess achievement in WIL. They (p. 570) say the “completion has a number of assessment requirements”, which must all “be in place for a student to complete WIL” namely:
- logbook (15%)
- assessment by industry supervisors (60%)
- an attachment presentation (10%)
- an attachment report (15%)
They observe that “the inclusion of workplace supervisors, college supervisors and learner self-assessments gives responsibility to all parties in the learning agenda”. “This entails either giving the role of assessing work-based learners to experts based in the workplaces, or to use online assessment methods” they point out and add that “involving industry experts as assessors can help to ensure the credibility of the certification”.
Institutions had to commit “additional human and financial resources … to create new assessment strategies, deploy new technologies and/or expand the use of online and offline WIL” found Hondonga et al. (2022: 574). Figure 1 (from p. 575) reflects “the development and expansion of resources to meet online assessment demands, the most common tools or resources that were developed include video conferencing n=9 (33.3%), discussion forums n=4 (14.8%), videos n=5 (18.5%) and Youtube n=6 (22.2%)”. However, some “tools or resources for offline distance learning were also being developed and expanded”, however to a lesser extent. These “includes new written resources such as self-paced learning guides and learner notes”.
Hondonga, J. Chinengundu, T. & Maphosa, P.K. (2022). Changes in the assessment of work-integrated learning in Botswana for vocational education and training students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 23(4), 565-578. Electronically accessible from https://www.ijwil.org/files/IJWIL_23_4_565_578.pdf.
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