Promoting the power of partnership
By: Matthew King (he/him)
A redeveloped and reimagined graduate preparedness course brings insights from industry partners to the forefront.
The Centre for WIL supports multiple pathways for students to explore work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences beyond co-op. Central to supporting students through those multiple pathways is providing innovative ways to help students prepare. Recently, this innovation included collaborating with industry partners to redevelop an existing course while ensuring a quality WIL approach.
The collaborative project to redevelop WIL 601, a course for graduate students, involved multiple partners with each taking on a role that aligned with their expertise:
- The Centre for WIL developed the course.
- The Centre for Career Development authored the course.
- Industry partners provided insights:
- Graduate students provided valuable insight throughout the process.
In alignment with Waterloo’s goals of graduate-level work-integrated learning, WIL 601 provides students with the tools, strategies and resources to effectively prepare for their upcoming WIL experiences and future career endeavours after graduation.
As part of the course, students reflect on their career goals and identify opportunities to work towards those goals. They also articulate the skills and knowledge they are demonstrating in their graduate experiences, and explore workplace preparation strategies to support their success.
“Creating WIL courses alongside industry and community partners enhances the learning experience for our students,” says Natalie Clifford, associate director, Centre for WIL.
For the development of WIL 601, we knew that collaborating with industry partners to integrate an authentic voice that speaks to the value of lifelong learning practices would be an overall value add and motivator for our graduate students as they set their sights on their careers.
Industry insight plays pivotal role
WIL 601 includes 10 modules for students to complete. Each of the industry partners in the project—Vidyard, Manulife and D2L— had representatives review a portion of the modules and provide insights to the course developers.
“The partners helped to emphasize the importance of course content by providing tangible examples of what actions students could take,” says Monica Vesely, lead work-integrated learning designer, Centre for WIL. “For example, in the preparing for an interview section, industry tips help guide students to be sure to describe what their research is about before diving into their prepared points. This will make the discussion easier to follow and will drive some great follow-up questions.”
Beyond reviewing the course content, Vidyard also provided content for the course. Vidyard co-founder and CEO Michael Litt (BASc ’11) delivered a video message that welcomes students to the course.
“At Vidyard, we understand first-hand the incredible importance of life-long learning, skill development and embracing a growth mindset,” says Litt. “These are values we have instilled within our organization, and we truly believe they are an essential part of success in today’s dynamic and ever-changing world.”
Vidyard, D2L and Manulife each have a history of collaborating with the Centre for WIL and the University of Waterloo. All three were valuable industry partners in the pilot offering of Co-operative and Experiential Education’s (CEE) award-winning WE Accelerate program. Vidyard also provided video marketing content for the Digital Skills Fundamentals micro-courses that CEE launched in response to the global pandemic to help students build the skills needed to support organizations through digital transformation.
We recognize the value of collaboration with the University of Waterloo, as it provides an opportunity for us to engage in a community collaborative approach similar to what we've done in the past.
“Regardless of the specific program we are collaborating with, our approach remains consistent. We strive to cultivate a thoughtful process that aims to pave the way for student success.”
Vidyard also applied this collaborative and thoughtful approach to their review of the course material. Several members of the Vidyard team contributed by providing helpful feedback.
“We believe that involving various team members enhances ideas and solutions, providing a more comprehensive and effective approach,” says Galbraith.
“Once again, this mirrors our internal values, which center around collaboration, support and insightful contributions. Aligning our efforts with these principles was crucial for us.”
Feedback from students who take the course will help inform any future revisions to the course content. CEE will also share that student feedback with Vidyard for their review of the final course.
“That's one aspect that consistently provides the University of Waterloo with a competitive edge—they prioritize and value community partnerships,” says Galbraith. “They prioritize collaborations to ensure a holistic approach in delivering content to our students. Once again, emphasizing the importance of receiving feedback.”
WIL 601 will run regularly each term following the initial offering in winter 2024.