Work Integrated Learning Awards
The Office of the Advancement of Engaged Learning held its annual Work Integrated Learning Awards on September 12, 2011 at The University Gallery. The WIL Awards recognise excellence in work-integrated learning at the University with the presentation of WIL Student and Staff of the Year Awards. The response to the Awards this year was tremendous, with a significant increase in nominations from students and staff across the faculties and an excellent turnout at the WIL Awards Ceremony.
2011 Award Winners
• Shaun McCarthy
• Catherine Simmons
• Terry Burns
• Shaun Roman
Teams
• Sally Hewat, Elizabeth Spencer, Alison Ferguson, Joanne Walters, Anne Marie Laurence
• Jane Taylor and Linda Wallace
• Industry Scholarships Team
• Kirsti Haracz, Carol Hills (UoN) and Donna Wright (HNEHealth)
Shaun McCarthy
Faculty of Business and Law
Shaun is the Director of the University of Newcastle Legal Centre (UNLC). In 2010 and 2011 he has supervised the presentation of the international student seminars. These seminars are an opportunity for Professional Program students to put into practice their theoretical learning as they present legal information to international students in an accessible way. The seminars also provide an opportunity for law students to be presented with real-life legal problems.
Catharine SimmonsFaculty of Engineering and Built Environment
Catharine has been the project manager for the E-Portfolio to Support WIL in Construction Management and Nursing, ALTC funded project. Catharine has achieved significant outcomes for the project, taking responsibility for mapping WIL across the two diverse disciplines and providing a framework to better support students engaged in the two high demand WIL professions.
Terry Burns
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
In 2011 The Science and Engineering Challenge and SMART (Science Maths and Real Technology) gave around 20 students from the University the opportunity to develop their presenting and facilitating skills. The Science and Engineering Challenge is one of the University’s most successful outreach initiatives, engaging around 20,000 students a year. Terry Burns is the director of The Science and Engineering Challenge as well as the SMART program.
Shaun RomanFaculty of Science and Information Technology
Within his position as B. Biotechnology Program Convenor Shaun has implemented a highly successful WIL course. This involves a 10 week full-time placement. This is a defining feature of the B. Biotech program. Students are regularly retained by industry after completion of their placement. In addition to academics he actively engages industry to generate industry placements.
Sally Hewat, Elizabeth Spencer, Alison Ferguson,
Joanne Walters, Anne Marie Laurence
Faculty of Education and Arts
SPinS (Speech Pathology in Schools) is a work-integrated learning program for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Speech Pathology. To date a total of 17 schools have integrated the program into their learning curriculum. In 2011 the program will provide clinical placements for 52 speech pathology students. The program is innovative, sustainable and provides a variety of learning opportunities not available in other clinical settings.
Jane Taylor and Linda WallaceFaculty of Health
Jayne Taylor and Linda Wallace accompanied three oral health students on their outreach-based trip to Soe, West Timor. Linda and Jane’s students were given an opportunity to extend their clinical experience in remote villages and a variety of other settings. This allowed their students to put their learning into practice and to feel a passion for the role they can play in the community, both local and global.
Industry Scholarships Team
The Industry Scholarships program began in 1998 with the objective of offering scholars WIL opportunities. Industry Scholarships is about partnership and commitment with industry where scholars are provided with access to outstanding professional programs that combine quality education with meaningful industry experience. At first the program was limited to students studying in Engineering but has been expanded across disciplines. In the past two years the program has become more flexible and has responded to industry feedback. As part of an expansion of the diversity of the program there is now an Industry Based Indigenous Scholarships program (IBIS) in partnership with the Wollotuka Institute. The Industry Scholarships team continually grow the program and currently boast approximately 90 sponsors who sponsor over 150 scholars. This represents a total commitment of over $10 million of industry investment into UoN scholars in a WIL program.
Kirsti Haracz, Carol Hills (UoN) and Donna Wright (HNEHealth)Kirsti, Carol and Donna have designed and implemented an innovative WIL experience for groups of Occupational Therapy students. The program is an alternative to increasingly hard-to-find placements for students. Principal placements were in NGOs where there was not an occupational therapist. Students had to assess the needs of the organisation and devise a program to address these needs. The students were then supervised and mentored by senior managers from HNEHealth. This collaborative effort between UoN and HNEHealth managers provides a unique workplace experience for students. Qualitative research around the program has identified its success and benefits. The findings will be published in a professional journal.