Teaching Work Integrated Learning across a program

This event has been cancelled

This session provides an overview of how we mapped employability attributes across our postgraduate Master of Applied Linguistics program and imbedded Work-integrated learning (WIL) into individual program components.

We examine what is needed to move our program forward and will discuss the current employability crisis within applied linguistics and how this relates to diversifying our pathways from TESOL and into new directions.

We discuss how we approached the concept of employability in applied linguistics; how we redeveloped our outward facing profile to incorporate employability as a central component; our mapping of employability attributes across the timeline of initial entry, during studies, and opportunities post graduation; and how the employability skills developed in our courses map onto foundational, developmental and professional level practises. This mapping was converted into a student facing document that provides students with certainty as to the skills they are developing while undertaking our program, and encourages future students to prioritise our program. We also explore how the integration of a program-wide employability skills component was tailored to the specific needs of applied linguistics' students and built into blackboard.  

The session includes a short presentation and a panel discussion with the applied linguistics team, and our resident employability specialist, Dr Angie Knaggs.  

Proposed facilitated questions for the panel include:  

• what were your initial thoughts on employability when this project first started?  
• how has this process changed your thinking?  
• what does employability mean within the context of applied linguistics?  
• how has employ ability mapping improved student satisfaction with our program?  
• what more needs to be done in this space in the years to come? 

Session participants will: 

• learn the importance of considering how and where their programs promote employability to their graduates, and whether this ultimately aligns with program and curricular goals or whether goals need to be reconsidered 
• consider the benefits of front-loading employability attributes upon entering study programs and maintaining a focus on these throughout the students university life. 

Presenters

• Dr Angie Knaggs 
• Dr Peter Crosthwaite.