New podcast: Enhancing impact for work-based learners

As we reach the end of National Careers Week, our new podcast explores ways to enhance the impact of the projects carried out by work-based learners - and specifically some of the challenges which part-time students face in combining their academic learning with creating impact from that learning outside of the classroom.

It also introduces a new toolkit designed to equip educators with the knowledge and the confidence needed to embed impact in their curricula, developed through a QAA-funded Collaborative Enhancement Project run by colleagues based at universities in Liverpool, Oxford and Chester.

The project is informed by a commitment to sustainable development and to embedding a recognition of the importance of such global issues in the practices and impacts of work-based learning initiatives.

Our regular host Dr Kerr Castle leads a full and lively conversation with Professor Tony Wall, Dr Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs, Dr Geena Whiteman and student Korben Dean-Young from Liverpool John Moores University's Business School, Dr Lisa Rowe from the University of Chester's Business School, and Dr Simon Smith from Oxford Brookes University's Business School.

‘One of the main problems that we're facing in universities and more broadly is that we've got a siloed approach to work,’ Lisa Rowe explains. ‘We're trying to reduce those barriers by getting people to work more collaboratively. Universities are very well placed to drive those changes. Our project is about creating a toolkit and a community of practice to help address some of this.’

Geena Whiteman observes that their research identified students' real desires to create impact for their academic work and to share it beyond their studies, while Tony Wall argues that the key principle of the project's approach to this building of impact has been its integration into the educational experience.

Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs emphasises that this approach focuses on the practical application of learning and explains how her students work in teams, discuss different challenges, and then go out into communities to tackle those challenges.

‘That really ties into community wellbeing,’ she says. ‘The programme is really about that from the very outset - how you can use that team-based learning to create impact outside of the university.’

Student Korben Dean-Young adds that engaging with his team at university ended up taking over a lot of their lives.

‘Because it's applied, because it's real-life, I feel like I'm making a big difference,’ he says. ‘That's why the commitment's there.’

‘The students are the stakeholders that build the project,’ adds Simon Smith from Oxford Brookes. ‘They're the inspiration behind most of the work being done. They're energising us, they're prompting action, they're pushing everything along.’

How to tune in

QAA Membership podcasts can be found on Buzzsprout and other popular streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. On these platforms, you can explore our full catalogue of podcasts, covering topics including student transitions, experiences of pass/fail assessment, and neuroinclusivity.

Find out more

More information and resources from this Collaborative Enhancement Project, entitled Student Intrapreneur and Entrepreneur Toolkit and community of practice, can be found on project web page. On 15 April, we will also be hosting a webinar where the project team will share their learnings. Registration is now open for QAA Members.

Details of all Collaborative Enhancement Projects are available on our website, including the other projects we’re funding on the topic of employability and supporting students moving into the workplace.