Commonalities and distinctions between ServiceLearning and WorkIntegrated Learning A Walter Sisulu U

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Commonalities and distinctions between
Service-Learning and Work-Integrated Learning A
Walter Sisulu University perspective
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Paper presented byNombeko Felicity Dwesini
ndwesini_at_wsu.ac.zaCentre for Community
International PartnershipsWALTER SISULU
UNIVERSITYSOUTH AFRICA
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WACE AP/ACEN 2008 CONFERENCE

• Held at the Manly Pacific Hotel, Sydney
• Australia
• on
• 30th Sept to 3rd October 2008

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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

• Introduction and background
• General description of WIL and S-L at WSU
• 2.1 Description of WIL
• 2.2 Description of S-L
• 3. Commonalities between WIL and S-L
• 4. Distinctions between WIL and S-L
• 5. Challenges of implementing S-L and those of
  implenting WIL
• 5.1 S-L
• 5.2 WIL
• 6. Lessons learned
• 7. Conclusion

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1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND

• WSU is a new comprehensive university that
  resulted from a merger of two technikons (Border
  Technikon Eastern Cape Technikon) and a
  traditional university(University of
  Transkei-UNITRA).
• In pursuit of its vision mission as a
  developmental university WSU includes community
  partnership programs as one of its core
  functions

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Vision

• Walter Sisulu University will be a leading
  African comprehensive university focusing on
  innovative educational, research and community
  patnership programmes that are responsive to
  local, regional, national development priorities,
  and cognisant of continental and international
  imperatives.

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Mission

• Maintains the highest possible standards in
  innovative teaching and learnerships, basic and
  applied research and community partnerships in
  co-operation with development agencies, the
  public and private sectors.
• Provides affordable appropriate, career-focused
  and professional programs.

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Introduction Background

• I.t.o. the White Paper on higher Education
  (1997), HEIs in South Africa are to make their
  expertise and infrastructure available for
  community service programs in the interest of
  demonstrating social responsibility and a
  commitment to the common good.
• The White paper mentions social responsibility as
  one of the goals of HE as follows
• To promote and develop social responsibility and
  awareness amongst students of the role of HE in
  social and economic development through community
  service programmes.(199710).

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Introduction Background

• To give effect to the goals of social
  responsibility and that of providing appropriate
  career-focused programs WSU implements both
  Service- Learning (S-L) and Work-Integrated
• Learning (WIL) in some of its academic programs.
• The university component of the newly merged
  institution was strong in S-L whereas the two
  technikon components were strong in WIL at the
  time when the three institutions merged.

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Introduction and Background

• The primary purpose of this paper is to give an
  overview of the commonalities and distinctions
  between S-L and WIL as experienced by WSU
• Problems and challenges encountered in the
  implementation of these two programs are also
  highlighted.

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Introduction and Background

• Top management at WSU promotes S-L and WIL as
  ways to link theory and practice to give effect
  to their vision and mission. They have thus
  decided to institutionalize S-L and WIL
• This means WIL and S-L will be compulsory
  components of WSU students curriculum to
  graduate with a degree or diploma
• It is hoped combining WIL and S-L will prepare
  students for roles as workers and responsible
  citizens .
• Two units, the WIL unit and CHESP units which are
  responsible for implementing WIL and S-L
  respectively have been linked by housing both
  under the same centre, the Center for Community
  and International Partnerships (CCIP).
• The CCIP has been mandated to establish, promote,
  and enhance a high sense of practical community
  engagement and urban renewal partnerships in
  cooperation with development agencies, the
  public, government, and the private sector.

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Questions addressed by this paper

• How does S-L differ from WIL?
• What are the commonalities between S-L and WIL?
• What are the challenges experienced in the
  implementation of WIL and S-L?

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Methodology

• Data provided here was obtained by the following
  techniques
• Document analysis
• Literature review
• Interviews with academic staff involved in S-L
  and those involved in WIL

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Definition of Key Concepts

• S-L can be defined as a course-based,
  credit-bearing educational experience in which
  students
• (a) participate in an organised service activity
  that meet identified community needs
• (b) Reflect on the service activity in such a way
  as to gain further understanding of course
  content, broader appreciation of the discipline,
  and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility
  Bringle and Hatcher (1995112)

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Definitions cont

• WIL is a strategy of applied learning (learning
  integrated with work) which involves a structured
  educational program that combines relevant work
  experience with academic study and professional
  reflection Committee of Technikon
  Principals(200537). Students are required to
  undergo a period of on-the-job training as part
  of their studies.

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Definitions contd

• Community the private sector, public sector,
  NGOs, development agencies, rural and urban
  communities.
• Community engagement ( CE ) .initiatives and
  processes through which the expertise of the
  higher education institution in the areas of
  teaching and research are applied to address
  issues relevant to its community.

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Definition

• CE typically finds expression in a variety of
  forms, ranging from informal and relatively
  unstructured activities to formal and structured
  academic programmes addressed at particular
  community needs (service-learning programs).
• (CHE, HEQC, 200426)

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Definitions

• Technikon a non-university higher education
  institution in South Africa focusing on
  vocational education. The status of Technikons
  in South Africa has changed - they are now
  called Universities of Technology.

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2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WIL S-L AT WSU

• 2.1 Work-Integrated Learning
• WIL unit places more than two thousand students
  in accredited WIL positions nationally.
• We adopt both centralised decentralised model
  of WIL.
• During WIL period an academic from university
  acts as students academic supervisor and senior
  personnel from placing company acts as industry
  supervisor or mentor.
• Duration of will varies across different
  programs.

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General Description of WIL

• A significant element in WIL is the mentor or
  supervisor who collaborates with the academic and
  the student to design a plan of learning and to
  facilitate the reflective process.

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Description of Service-Learning at WSU

• The following nine S-L modules are being
• implemented in different faculties at WSU
• Population medicine is implemented by the Dept
  of Community Medicine which falls under the
  Faculty of Health Sciences.
• 3rd year medical students examine patients in the
  health centres in the surrounding communities
  with the help of a doctor placed in that
  particular health center.

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Population Medicine contd

• They also do clinic diagnosis within the health
  centre and research on how the health centre
  performs so that problems are identified and
  dealt with if there are any. Students also visit
  communities and do community diagnosis.

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Child and Adolescent Development

• This module is implemented in the School of
  Social Sciences and Development Studies in the
  Faculty of Education. Fourth year students visit
  schools to do counselling on those students with
  problems. They also teach teenagers about drug
  abuse, HIV/AIDS and pregnancy.

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Food Production

• Is implemented by the Department of Sociology.
• It educates community members on how to plant
  crops and how to take care of them.

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Rural Local Government

• Implemented by the Department of Political
  Studies.
• It deals with conflicts between chiefs and
  councillors in the community. This module is not
  active at the moment.

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Adult learning and facilitation

• The Department of Adult and Continuing Education
  implements this module by identifying and
  training community members on adult education and
  on drafting business plans.

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School Improvement

• This is done by the Department of Communication
  Skills. Students visit schools within the
  communities surrounding the university. Pupils
  in grades seven to nine are educated in
  communication in English.

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Insect and Man

• This module falls under the Department of
  Biological Sciences. It educates community
  members on how to protect their crops from
  insects. Community members with communal gardens
  are identified and students do some
  demonstrations on how to kill pests and protect
  crops using chemicals.

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Introduction to Management

• Implemented by Dept of Management. Community
  members are empowered on how to develop business
  plans, do basic bookkeeping and project
  management. A computer course is also given to
  community members.
• These community members spend two weeks at the
  WSU campus attending computer classes. At the
  end of the course they are awarded certificates
  of attendance.

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Human Rights for All

• Implemented by the Dept of Criminal and
  Procedural Law.
• Community members are empowered about their human
  rights, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS.

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• S-L modules must have some acdemic context and be
  designed in such a way that ensures both the
  service enhances the learning and the learning
  enhances the service.
• Unlike a field education program in which the
  service is performed in addition to a students
  course, a S-L program integrates service into the
  courses (HEQC/JET 2006)

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3. Commonalities between S-L and WIL

• WIL and S-L are different types of experiential
  learning but they have a lot in common. Furco
  (1996) outlines the following similarities
  between S-L and co-operative education
• They are based on the philosophy that learners
  learn best through active engagement in
  meaningful activities.
• They view students as active learners and
  producers of knowledge.

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Commonalities between S-L and WIL

• They use such instructional strategies as
  contextual learning and application of knowledge
  to real situations.
• There is a requirement for the university to
  establish formal partnerships with outside
  entities.
• There is a concern for integrating university
  experiences and external experiences.

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Commonalities cont

• Both WIL and S-L are forms of experiential
  learning
• They are both teaching and learning strategies
• In both S-L and WIL, reflection and integration
  are requirements. In the case of S-L both formal
  and informal types of reflection ensure that the
  project provides real learning in addition to
  service experience (Dubinsky, 2006).

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Commonalities cont.

• In WIL students reflect by writing a report on
  their experiences on-the-job in their logbooks
  and by relating these to the academics during
  visitation to the work station.
• Both are crucial. Research indicates that
  employers value job experience in their newly
  hired workers

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4. Distinctions between S-L and WIL

• The primary differences between WIL and S-L lie
  in the nature of student placements and the
  desired outcomes.
• In WIL learners are placed essentially within
  industry whereas
• In S-L placements are within service agencies or
  directly in the community

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Distinctions cont

• Desired outcome of WIL is essentially student
  learning
• S-L includes additional goal of providing service
  to the community reciprocity between those
  served and those who learn is a central
  characteristic of S-L

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Distinctions between S-L and WIL

• WIL is a venture between an organization, a
  student and an academic institution.
• S-L is a venture between academic institution, a
  private/public sector and community (Triad).
• S-L takes place in communities (community sites)
  while in WIL students are placed in the industry
  (work stations), government departments and NGOs.
  

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Distinctions cont

• The intention of WIL is to produce work-ready
  graduates while that of S-L is to produce
  responsible citizens.
• In S-L both students and the community are
  primary beneficiaries while in WIL the primary
  beneficiaries are students.
• S-L focuses on the needs of the community and WIL
  on the learning of the students.

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Distinctions cont

• The role of a mentor is critical in the case of
  WIL. A mentor gives advice and encouragement to
  students and shares knowledge and wisdom with
  them.
• In S-L the role of the course convenor is
  crucial. He/she assesses students during
  presentations in the community sites.

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5. Challenges of implementing S-L

• During the implementation of S-L modules at WSU
  the following challenges have been experienced
• Transport during evaluation workshop held on
  the 13 March 2008, 90 of course convenors
  complained about the shortage of buses to
  transport students to community sites. This is
  seen as the major challenge throughout the
  implementation of S-L modules.
• If students have been dropped at their designated
  places it is not easy for them to be picked up at
  the stipulated time

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Challenges

• Sometimes students have to be locked out of
  school premises as the school needs to lock its
  gates.

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Challenges cont

• Shortage of personnel in some modules classes
  have big students numbers and this means that the
  course convenor has to divide the students into
  groups. Where there is only one course convenor
  for that particular module it becomes a problem.
• Some course convenors regard S-L as an additional
  responsibility with no incentives.

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Challenges cont

• Institutionalizing S-L to all WSU campuses is
  another challenge. A lot of work still needs to
  be done, for example developing of SL modules at
  other campuses and these involve budget and other
  resources.
• The CHESP model of S-L calls for the
  participation of all the three partners (TRIAD),
  i.e. Higher Education Institution, Service
  Provider and the community. Building partnership
  is therefore a crucial aspect of the
  institutionalization of S-L. (Zlotkowski, 1999)
  asserts that HEIs are unable to institutionalize
  S-L without the formation and sustaining of
  strong HEI community partnerships.

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Challenges

• At WSU it was not easy to form partnerships with
  some service organisations, especially NGOs.
• NGOs were under the impression that they would
  receive funding when forming partnerships with
  WSU.
• This resulted in some of them pulling out when
  they realised that no funding was forthcoming.
  This is a problem because the success of
  partnership depends on the participation of all
  stakeholders.

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Challenges cont

• Funding before S-L can be institutionalized
  there needs to be a source of funding to enable
  course convenors to develop and implement S-L
  modules. One course convenor complained at the
  evaluation workshop about non-availability of
  funds for buying chemicals to be used by students
  for demonstration to farmers on how to control
  crop pests.
• It is also difficult to stretch the program to
  other communities who need S-L due to lack of
  funds.

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Challenges of implementing WIL

• Several barriers still exist for the prevalence
  of WIL such as follows
• Shortage of personnel At the present moment
  there are six staff members (including the
  director of the CCIP) in the WIL unit, three of
  whom are secretaries. These are spread over three
  campuses. Preparing students for placement
  opportunities is thus a challenge

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Challenges of WIL cont

• Even though we manage to place the majority of
  our students we are still unable to place all of
  them.
• A successful WIL program not only depends on the
  support of the department or supervisor the
  student directly relates to, but also the
  company-wide co-ordination and atmosphere are
  important

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Challenges of WIL cont

• Student visitation is still a problem in some
  departments, academics still claim they dont
  have time to do it because they are
  short-staffed.
• The institution is still battling with merger
  integration issues.

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6. LESSONS LEARNED

• A visible facilitating centre or an office in an
  institution is essential as a co-ordinatig unit
• Commitment by all partners is key to success
• Clear policy guidelines necessary

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7. CONCLUSION

• Implementing both S-L and WIL can be done but is
  not without challenges.