This Article Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Freestone, R. Articles by Williams, P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Student Experiences of Work-Based Learning in Planning Education

Planning and Urban Development Program, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Susan Thompson

Planning and Urban Development Program, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Peter Williams

Planning and Urban Development Program, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Of various approaches to teaching planning in practice, work-based or integrated learning retains vital relevance in many planning programs. There are strong rationales in pedagogic, professional development, employment, and personal terms. But what of student experiences of work experience? How do student planners approach, experience, and reflect on workplace engagements? This article explores these experiential dimensions through a survey of a cohort of Australian students involved in a yearlong paid placement as part of an accredited undergraduate planning degree. It discusses the changing expectations of students and whether these were realized, their major learning experiences, and an overall evaluation of off-campus learning. The findings have wider relevance for evaluating student assessments of work-based learning in planning education.

Key Words: work-integrated learning • work placements • student assessment

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?