Work-based learning/Course guide/Course overview

Aims of the course
This course aims to:


 * introduce you to key concepts about workbased learning
 * support you in identifying an area of development that is relevant to yourself and those about you. This will arise from and be bedded within your own practice context and will benefit both yourself, your students and your team
 * enable you to form, justify, structure, plan, and seek approval for a learning agreement that will  achieve the learning outcomes you seek
 * support you as you identify and reflect on the implications of the project for your professional identity.

In achieving this you will be in a position to be able to create a project of benefit to your team that recognises and defines your own personal perspective on work/practice.

In this course you will examine your own practice and the environment in which you practice, you will look at workbased learning inquiry processes, you will question and reflect on your work context and you will actively engage with peers and managers about you to refine and develop your ideas for your development. You will continue to build your critical reflection skills and your networking skills as you shape your learning agreement and negotiate your plan for your development area.

Learning agreement
Specifically you will be preparing a learning agreement and in doing that you will:


 * show understanding of inquiry methods as you structure your learning agreement
 * demonstrate understanding of the key ethical issues and the work / practice implications for your work based inquiry
 * analyse inquiry methodologies that inform the development of your proposal for your work based inquiry
 * reflect upon your chosen work based project methodology/ies and consider how the inquiry will contribute to the development of your own practice
 * design, develop and plan a work based inquiry proposal
 * effectively communicate your inquiry proposal to both your professional and academic audiences
 * discuss your role in leading the inquiry within your professional practice responsibilities.

On completion of this course you will be ready to proceed with enrolment if you choose into an elective paper in which you will undertake your learning project, with the confidence of a well-articulated learning agreement for your project which has received institutional approval.

The three distinct phases in this course are:


 * 1) Understanding workbased learning
 * 2) Introduction to practitioner inquiry
 * 3) Developing a learning agreement for approval.

Within each of these areas you will be expected to undertake further reading, some of which you will source and some of which may come from your facilitator. There are a short series of activities or tasks that are designed to help you progress towards the shaping of a sound learning agreement. This is the key assessment for this course. Alongside of this you will create a critical commentary of the learning you have