Work-Learn Institute wins Best Paper award at WACE conference in Sweden | Work-Learn Institute

By: Micaela Kelly (she/her)

Work-Learn Institute (WxL) earned the Best Paper Award at the 2024 WACE International Research Symposium.

Idris Ademuyiwa, research associate, Calahndra Brake, research assistant and David Drewery, associate director wrote the paper titled Is our research aligned with the sustainable knowledge society concept? A thematic analysis of the International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning from 2018 to 2023.

The paper summarizes themes from 222 articles published in the journal and identifies opportunities for the Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) community to explore as it works to create sustainable knowledge societies.

Idris Ademuyiwa, Research Associate, WxL

Calahndra Brake, Research Assistant, WxL

Dave Drewery — David Drewery, Associate Director, WxL

What is a sustainable knowledge society?

A knowledge society generates, shares and applies knowledge for the growth and well-being of its people. A sustainable knowledge society must do so through equitable access and experience. In WIL, the knowledge society can help individuals develop skills to navigate a rapidly evolving world of work. The paper notes that building a sustainable knowledge society in WIL requires a focus on:

Research on contemporary issues
Promotion of inclusive learning
Periodic evaluation of the WIL research agenda

Ademuyiwa, Brake and Drewery aimed to learn the contemporary issues in WIL research and how they align with developing a sustainable knowledge society.

About the paper

WACE evaluates papers for quality, empirical research and alignment with the theme of the symposium—WIL and the sustainable knowledge society. This is WxL’s first time winning the Best Paper award. The authors analyzed 222 articles published from 2018 to 2023 and found eight common themes in 131 articles. The paper focuses on the eight themes and provides recommendations for how WIL practitioners could consider these themes when making strategic long-term decisions.

The table below outlines the eight themes and a brief description of the articles related to each.

Theme	Description
Equity, diversity and inclusion 24 articles	Creating inclusive environments for student success Identifying and removing barriers Focus on specific groups (especially Indigenous students)
Learning and skill acquisition 20 articles	Students’ relationship with learning and skill acquisition in WIL experiences Evaluation of skill acquisition initiatives in WIL
Professional identity development 20 articles	Students’ understanding of their professional roles, values and identities and WIL experiences Reflection, training and professional identity formation
Stakeholder collaboration & engagement 16 articles	Active roles of academics, employers and industry partners in shaping WIL initiatives Effective and sustainable partnership strategies
Virtual WIL experiences 15 articles	Challenges and implications of virtual WIL (writing during the COVID pandemic) Assessing institutional efforts, stakeholder perceptions and best practices for integrating remote technology
Risk management and student support 14 articles	Ethical dimensions of WIL Risk management, ethical responsibilities, of stakeholders and safeguarding students’ well-being and rights in WIL
Graduate employability and labour market transition 12 articles	WIL and graduates’ job readiness and career development Assessment of related WIL programs and students’ perceptions of skills gained from WIL
WIL practitioners’ professional development 10 articles	Importance of well-developed practitioners in designing positive learning outcomes Challenges faced by practitioners and solutions for improving their capacity

Theme

Description

Equity, diversity and inclusion

24 articles

Creating inclusive environments for student success

Identifying and removing barriers

Focus on specific groups (especially Indigenous students)

Learning and skill acquisition

20 articles

Students’ relationship with learning and skill acquisition in WIL experiences

Evaluation of skill acquisition initiatives in WIL

Professional identity development

20 articles

Students’ understanding of their professional roles, values and identities and WIL experiences

Reflection, training and professional identity formation

Stakeholder collaboration & engagement

16 articles

Active roles of academics, employers and industry partners in shaping WIL initiatives

Effective and sustainable partnership strategies

Virtual WIL experiences

15 articles

Challenges and implications of virtual WIL (writing during the COVID pandemic)

Assessing institutional efforts, stakeholder perceptions and best practices for integrating remote technology

Risk management and student support

14 articles

Ethical dimensions of WIL
Risk management, ethical responsibilities, of stakeholders and safeguarding students’ well-being and rights in WIL

Graduate employability and labour market transition

12 articles

WIL and graduates’ job readiness and career development

Assessment of related WIL programs and students’ perceptions of skills gained from WIL

WIL practitioners’ professional development

10 articles

Importance of well-developed practitioners in designing positive learning outcomes

Challenges faced by practitioners and solutions for improving their capacity

The authors conclude the paper by writing, “We call on the community of WIL scholars to continue exploring the themes identified in this review and to explore new themes that have not yet emerged in our collective literature.”

We’re elated that our paper was chosen. Our work identifies key directions for the future of WIL research. Experienced WIL researchers and emerging ones can respond to our work as they aim to advance our understanding of WIL.

David Drewery, associate director, WxL