Högskolan i Skövde

The integration of work-integrated learning (WIL) into engineering education offers unique opportunities to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical application, thereby enhancing student readiness for industry challenges. WIL fosters critical skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and communication while providing direct exposure to industry standards and practices (Boud & Lee, 2005). However, it also presents significant challenges, particularly in the examination and assessment of student performance. This paper explores these challenges within the context of a redesigned Production System Design course conducted in collaboration with 11 partner companies as part of a broader initiative to strengthen industry-academia cooperation (Sengupta, 2020). 

The course involved real-world, company-specific projects addressing diverse industry needs, including logistics optimisation, total quality management (TQM), value stream mapping (VSM), product packaging redesign, and modifications to existing production lines. Students worked in small groups, spending a week on-site at the partner companies, applying theoretical concepts to propose solutions, with guidance from industrial supervisors who mentored without directly solving the problems. These projects enabled students to develop practical skills and gain valuable industry insights, aligning with the pedagogical goals of WIL and Work-Integrated Education (WIE) to create experiential learning opportunities (Cooper, Orrell, & Bowden, 2010). However, these benefits posed challenges in ensuring equitable and consistent project assessment. 

Key challenges included:

Diverse Project Scopes and Complexity: Each project varied in scope, complexity, and required competencies, making it difficult to establish uniform assessment criteria. This diversity raised concerns about the fairness of evaluations, as each group faced unique tasks, which complicated the establishment of standardised assessment frameworks (Jackson, 2015).

Balancing Academic and Industry Objectives: The dual accountability to academic grading standards and company expectations required a nuanced approach to assessment. Ensuring that student deliverables met industry needs and aligned with course learning outcomes required careful consideration to balance the academic and industry objectives (Bennet, 2018). 

Subjectivity in Evaluation: With input from both academic instructors and industrial supervisors, differences in evaluation perspectives often arose. These differences reflect varying expertise and priorities, complicated grading, and necessitating transparent mechanisms for reconciling these viewpoints (Boud & Molloy, 2013). 

Formative and Summative Feedback: Providing constructive feedback within the limited timeframe of the projects proved challenging, especially in balancing the academic and practical dimensions of the students’ work. The short duration often limited the opportunity for comprehensive formative feedback, an issue commonly noted in WIL programs (Grealish, 2013). Potential improvements may include extended feedback loops and digital tools for realtime input.

This paper explores these challenges and offers insights into developing more effective and equitable assessment strategies for WIL contexts. By addressing these issues, the findings contribute to advancing assessment practices in WIL initiatives, intending to strengthen industry-academia collaboration and improve engineering education outcomes.

References

Bennet, D. (2018). Graduate employability and higher education: Past, present and future. The Review of Higher Education, 5, 31-61.

Boud, D., & Lee, A. (2005). Promoting work-based learning through the development of a community of practice. International Journal of Engineering Education, 21(3), 514–523.

Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2013). Rethinking models of feedback for learning: the challenge of design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), 698-712.

Cooper, L., Orrell, J., & Bowden, M. (2010). Work-integrated learning: A guide to effective practice. Routledge.

Grealish, L. e. (2013). Barriers to effective feedback in work-integrated learning environments. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(1), 67-68.

Jackson, D. e. (2015). Industry engagement in work-integrated learning: Addressing the challenges of diverse projects and assessments. Journal of Education and Work, 28(4), 431–450.

Sengupta, S. e. (2020). Collaborative partnerships between industry and academia: A model for project-based learning. Journal of Engineering Education, 109(1), 32–44.