Developing Connectivity between Education and Work Principles and Practices

Future-oriented education needs to invest in the connectivity between learning and working in order to realise its full potential. This book presents guiding principles on how to build these successful connections. By taking an educational perspective and enriching it with insights from human resource development, this book explores the why, how and what of designing for connectivity.

This edited volume presents the current knowledge about educational practices and principles that help to realise connectivity between learning and working experiences. Introducing the central perspectives of workplace learning and learning environments at the boundary of school and work, this book presents key research that examines how educators and professionals from organisations and schools can come together with the purpose of realising connectivity in educational programmes. Empirical research showcasing both theoretical and practical insights from real life cases are at the heart of this book. Considering the barriers to achieving connectivity, this book also focuses on how it can be achieved, with ideas and guidance about communication, design principles and best practices.

Using carefully chosen international examples, this book is ideal reading for policy makers, practitioners and researchers looking to learn more about connecting learning and working experiences.

Preface Section 1: Setting the stage 1.1 Connectivity between education and work: Theoretical Models and Insights 1.2 Rethinking the Connective Typology of Work Experience: the challenge of learning through internship 1.3 Integrating workplace learning in formal educational programmes Section 2: Designing across boundaries 2.1 Teacher externships: designing a boundary crossing professional development initiative in higher education 2.2 Learning at the Interface of Higher Education and Work: Experiences of Students, Teachers and Workplace partners 2.3 Boundary crossing in vocational education and research: the case of Regional Learning Section 3: Boundary objects for connectivity 3.1 Teachers’ use of digital boundary objects to connect school and workplace-based learning in dual vocational education 3.2 Digital tools as boundary objects to support connectivity in dual vocational education: Towards a definition of design principles Section 4: Guidance for connectivity 4.1 Fostering students’ reflection and employability competences through a mentoring programme in higher education 4.2 Collaborative Communication between Teachers and Company Supervisors for Integrative Teaching: An Exploratory Study in Australia, Germany and Switzerland. 4.3 Pedagogic strategies at the boundary of school and work Conclusion: On principles for connectivity

Eva Kyndt is Associate Professor at both the Department for Training and Education Sciences at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and Centre for the New Workforce Swinburne, University of Technology Melbourne, Australia.

Simon Beausaert is Associate Professor of Workplace Learning at the Department for Educational Research and Development, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.

Ilya Zitter is Professor at the research group Vocational Education at the Research Centre for Learning and Innovation at the HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, The Netherlands.