e-WIL in student education

Abstract

Higher educational institutions have been compelled by market forces to be more responsive to the needs of their students as well as the demands of different stakeholders - government, industry, professional bodies, and community. The inclusion of WIL (Work-Integrated Learning) curriculum in Australian university programs has become a common strategy to address increasing demands for more practical work related learning in courses. At the same time, as Information Communications Technology (ICT) has become a common teaching and learning resource, its ubiquitous nature means that WIL can also flourish in an online environment. This paper discusses the experience of using asynchronous ICT to implement inclusive e-WIL (electronic Work-Integrated Learning) in the curriculum of an undergraduate business degree subject at Victoria University. It provides insights into the advantages, disadvantages, challenges, and critical success factors of implementing e-WIL activity. The integration of this e-WIL activity has achieved a number of desirable learning outcomes for the students, which will also be discussed.