Co-designed, industry-delivered: Real-world student experiences

Authors and presenters*

• Naomi Walsh, Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Equity*

• Gemma Lewis, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics*

• Billy Blackett, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics

Abstract

For the past three semesters, we have collaborated with key Tasmanian organisations to deliver an Industry Showcase series: which teaches Undergraduate and Masters students how to use contemporary models for pitching ideas, writing team charters, responding to cyber security threats and more. Each 2-hour workshop is delivered by a different organisation. They are co-designed to be 1) an immersive learning experience and 2) an opportunity for students to learn directly from experts, including UTAS alumni, about the organisation’s graduate roles and workplace culture.

We take time to embed Showcase workshops in our on-campus timetable, so they capture students who are in their second year of an Undergraduate degree, or second semester of their Masters. In some cases, the Showcase is a student’s first real-world interaction with a Tasmanian business. Our students can generally undertake work integrated learning (WIL) in the form of an elective unit placement or internship in their final semester of study. Hence, an additional benefit of the Showcase series is it exposes students to an immersive classroom experience that has both industry proximity and authenticity (Kaider 2017). In doing so our students are developing their readiness for a full WIL experience.

Students love how interactive the sessions are, the chance to collaborate and problem solve with students from other disciplines and imagine themselves in their future careers. Our partner organisations love sharing their workshop experience with their LinkedIn networks, and our students rate the workshops above 90% for inspiring their learning.

Reference

Kaider, F., Hains-Wesson, R., & Young, K. (2017). [GL1] Practical typology of authentic work-integrated learning activities and assessments. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 18(2), 153-165.