Professional Development (PD) program puts the “I” in Work-Integrated Learning
By: Matthew King (he/him)
Supporting the integration of classroom skills and future ready talents to prepare students.
The Centre for WIL’s Professional Development (PD) program has evolved significantly since it was just a single WatPD course in 2006. Today, the PD program includes a suite of 15 online courses with content and embedded reflections that support students’ growth throughout their work-integrated learning journey.
Last year, 93 per cent of students who completed the end of course surveys said they feel more prepared to use their skills in the workplace after completing a PD course.
The thinking behind having students engage while on a work term is to allow them to make connections between the course content and their WIL experience. Students are then prompted to reflect on their experience and articulate their learning which ultimately supports them in becoming more future ready.
Students seeing the connection
PD courses are designed intentionally to align with Waterloo’s Future Ready Talent Framework to help students identify and develop the skills they’ll need as they navigate the future of work. With PD courses on communication, teamwork and conflict resolution, students enhance a wide range of essential professional skills to prepare for their future.
Hayden Wong, Psychology student and PD teaching assistant
“I'm taking PD13: Research in the workplace for example, but research is a universal thing and a lot of the strategies you're using are the same, whether it be for your coursework, whether it be for like, the workplace,” says Hayden Wong, a Psychology student and PD teaching assistant (TA).
To support the operation of PD courses, the Centre for WIL hires 15 to 20 full-time co-op students as TA’s each term. Most of the students working with the Centre for WIL find themselves in the unique position of taking a PD course while simultaneously supporting another PD course.
“As a TA, I see how students engage with the various learning opportunities. That got me thinking about how I complete my assignments when I’m taking a course myself,” says Wong. “I can see how this will be applicable to my own experiences moving forward.”
With students ultimately required to take four to five PD courses throughout their co-op journey, the courses are intentionally designed so students build on their skills and knowledge through reflection with each new course and work term.
“I think most students don't realize the significance and impact that the PD courses have until they’re beginning to engage in their work,” says Benjamin Bell, PD teaching assistant. “For me, from what I've heard, and what I've reflected on, a lot of the value really comes while you’re in the workplace, because you've been developing these skills and knowledge.”
“The goal is to provide students with engaging and relevant learning experiences that prepare them to develop and use their skills in the workplace, and ultimately, their future,” says Broderick.
Benjamin Bell, PD teaching assistant