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G. Wilson and R. W. Pretorius
They also need to have a clear understanding of WIL practice and have established clear goals for the planned engagement. The theory and practical modules,
constituting 75% of the modules for their qualification (Pretorius et al. 2016),
provide adequate opportunity for Unisa Nature Conservation students to prepare
for the WIL excursions at Telperion. Moreover, the design of the WIL modules
includes reporting templates that enable students to highlight their goals for WIL,
assist them to reflect on their experiences and in turn to improve their assessment
submissions.
• Supervision: Supervisors need to be available to guide students through the WIL
component. They can come from universities and/or from WIL settings and can
serve as points of reference/oversight to provide feedback on learning, professional practice and personal support. In the Telperion scenario, academics take the
role of sector located supervisors. This removes uncertainties about consistency in
supervision quality. Students gain through the exposure to and fine-tuning of competencies. At the same time they obtain oversight and feedback on concepts they
are grappling with. Since academics are involved, students also receive guidance
regarding professional and personal development.
• Learning outcomes: Benchmarking against good practice indicates that learning
outcomes for WIL programmes need to cover professional standards, capacity
building (emotional intelligence, citizenship, self-confidence, etc.) and workplace
attributes (cultural awareness, thinking skills, problem solving, etc.). The WIL
modules offered by Unisa for the Diploma in Nature Conservation were developed through participatory engagement with the conservation industry. Therefore,
the most current and pertinent sector related knowledge, skills, competencies and
workplace attributes were blended with the academic outcomes, so that the requirements specified by this criterion are almost fully complied with.
• Curriculum: Aspects as participation in authentic learning activities that matches
the real-world workplace complexities, skills and attributes are central to a curriculum geared towards WIL, with inclusion of activities that facilitate learning
to and from the WIL experience. With the ten week-long excursions offered to
WIL students at Telperion, most of the WIL curriculum is covered, which builds
the students situated knowledge, understanding and practical competencies. The
responsible academics, having an acute understanding of the curriculum, are ideally positioned to facilitate the integration and alignment of theory, practice and
competency development amongst participating students.
• Pedagogies: The pedagogies employed in WIL programmes require a strong element of mentoring to achieve alignment and integration of theory, practice and
skills and therefore need to be inquiry- and scenario-driven in order to build cognition and practical wisdom. The WIL modules offered at Telperion subscribes to
inquiry-based, active learning as a strategy to engage students, which is a proven
vehicle to enhance the sustainability consciousness of students (Kalsoom and
Khanam 2017). In this regard, the design of the assessment strategy for these
modules plays an important role. Strategies such as working in small-groups,
role-play and data collection and analysis are used to get students motivated and
G. Wilson and R. W. Pretorius
They also need to have a clear understanding of WIL practice and have established clear goals for the planned engagement. The theory and practical modules,
constituting 75% of the modules for their qualification (Pretorius et al. 2016),
provide adequate opportunity for Unisa Nature Conservation students to prepare
for the WIL excursions at Telperion. Moreover, the design of the WIL modules
includes reporting templates that enable students to highlight their goals for WIL,
assist them to reflect on their experiences and in turn to improve their assessment
submissions.
• Supervision: Supervisors need to be available to guide students through the WIL
component. They can come from universities and/or from WIL settings and can
serve as points of reference/oversight to provide feedback on learning, professional practice and personal support. In the Telperion scenario, academics take the
role of sector located supervisors. This removes uncertainties about consistency in
supervision quality. Students gain through the exposure to and fine-tuning of competencies. At the same time they obtain oversight and feedback on concepts they
are grappling with. Since academics are involved, students also receive guidance
regarding professional and personal development.
• Learning outcomes: Benchmarking against good practice indicates that learning
outcomes for WIL programmes need to cover professional standards, capacity
building (emotional intelligence, citizenship, self-confidence, etc.) and workplace
attributes (cultural awareness, thinking skills, problem solving, etc.). The WIL
modules offered by Unisa for the Diploma in Nature Conservation were developed through participatory engagement with the conservation industry. Therefore,
the most current and pertinent sector related knowledge, skills, competencies and
workplace attributes were blended with the academic outcomes, so that the requirements specified by this criterion are almost fully complied with.
• Curriculum: Aspects as participation in authentic learning activities that matches
the real-world workplace complexities, skills and attributes are central to a curriculum geared towards WIL, with inclusion of activities that facilitate learning
to and from the WIL experience. With the ten week-long excursions offered to
WIL students at Telperion, most of the WIL curriculum is covered, which builds
the students situated knowledge, understanding and practical competencies. The
responsible academics, having an acute understanding of the curriculum, are ideally positioned to facilitate the integration and alignment of theory, practice and
competency development amongst participating students.
• Pedagogies: The pedagogies employed in WIL programmes require a strong element of mentoring to achieve alignment and integration of theory, practice and
skills and therefore need to be inquiry- and scenario-driven in order to build cognition and practical wisdom. The WIL modules offered at Telperion subscribes to
inquiry-based, active learning as a strategy to engage students, which is a proven
vehicle to enhance the sustainability consciousness of students (Kalsoom and
Khanam 2017). In this regard, the design of the assessment strategy for these
modules plays an important role. Strategies such as working in small-groups,
role-play and data collection and analysis are used to get students motivated and