Experiential Learning

How Can International Education Navigate Change Through AI, Experiential Learning, and Collaboration?

October 13, 2025 Experiential Learning, Project Based LearningLeave a comment

Introduction: Change Has Become the Classroom

Across every university, campus and screen, one idea has settled in — change isn’t something we prepare students for anymore; it’s the environment they learn in. This year’s AIEC 2025 theme, Navigating Change, calls educators, employers, and policymakers to turn uncertainty into an advantage. It asks how our sector can build resilience, embrace disruption, and design inclusive, equitable and sustainable pathways for the future. At Practera, this question sits at the core of everything we do. From the award-winning Study Australia Industry Experience Program (SAIEP) to university-led initiatives like EdgeX, our programs are built to help students learn by doing, educators teach through data, and partners collaborate across borders.

Why “Navigating Change” Matters Now

International education is no longer a linear journey. Political shifts, digital transformation, and changing student expectations have created a world where adaptation isn’t optional — it’s the measure of relevance. Educators everywhere are asking the same thing: How do we prepare students for careers that don’t yet exist, using technologies we’re still learning to master? The answer lies in three forces that now define modern learning: Artificial Intelligence, Experiential Learning, and Collaboration. Together, they don’t just respond to change, they help us navigate it.

AI: From Disruption to Direction

AI as Ally, Not Adversary

AI has shifted from being a curiosity to a cornerstone. Used well, it amplifies human judgement, giving educators new tools to personalise learning, track progress, and scale mentoring.

Within Practera’s platform, AI acts as a quiet partner — analysing reflections, surfacing growth patterns, and recommending feedback aligned with employability frameworks.It saves time without losing the human voice.

Ethical AI and Equity

Navigating AI responsibly means focusing on transparency, fairness, and inclusion.Practera’s design philosophy follows three principles:
  1. Explainability – every AI insight can be understood by educators and learners.
  2. Equity – algorithms are trained on diverse data sets to avoid bias.
  3. Empathy – technology should strengthen mentorship, not replace it.
By embedding these principles, institutions gain what the AIEC 2025 theme calls “resilience through shared understanding.”

Experiential Learning: The Bridge Between Knowing and Doing

Learning by Doing — Wherever You Are

Experiential learning connects classroom theory to real-world practice. Through programs like SAIEP, international students collaborate with Australian businesses to solve live challenges — from digital marketing to sustainability audits — all facilitated online through Practera’s platform. This model turns geographical boundaries into learning opportunities. It builds capability, confidence, and connection — the three currencies of employability in a changing world.

Why It Works for Educators

Educators gain data-driven visibility into student development:
  • Live dashboards mapping growth in teamwork, problem-solving and communication.
  • Reflection analytics identifying where learning is deepening or stalling.
  • Outcome evidence for accreditation and employer reporting.
Experiential learning doesn’t replace academic study — it completes it.

Collaboration: The Compass That Guides Change

Partnership as Practice

In an era of uncertainty, collaboration has become the new stability. No single institution can meet every learner’s need or predict every shift in technology. The most agile universities are those that co-create solutions with partners.Practera’s programs sit exactly at that intersection:
  • Universities embed authentic projects within courses.
  • Employers gain insights and access to emerging talent.
  • Students gain experience, mentorship, and confidence.
It’s a loop of mutual learning — and it keeps evolving.

EdgeX: Scaling Collaboration at Home

At the University of Sydney, EdgeX has become a model for how domestic and international students collaborate virtually on projects with real clients. The result is a scalable framework that fosters inclusion, cross-cultural communication, and professional growth — proof that collaboration can thrive even without physical borders.

Inclusion, Equity and Sustainability: The Three Anchors

AIEC 2025 calls on our community to build an international education system that’s inclusive, equitable, sustainable, and empowered to navigate change.Practera’s ecosystem directly contributes to each pillar:
  • Inclusive: Virtual access opens global experience to students regardless of location or circumstance.
  • Equitable: Every learner participates in authentic projects, not just those who can travel.
  • Sustainable: Digital delivery reduces environmental footprint while expanding global reach.
The goal isn’t simply to adapt — it’s to make adaptation fair.

The A.I.D. Framework: A Roadmap for AI and Experiential Learning

To help institutions integrate AI ethically and effectively, Practera applies the A.I.D. Framework — three stages that mirror the sector’s transformation.

This framework gives educators a way to pilot AI safely while preserving human agency — turning curiosity into capability.

Case Study: The Study Australia Industry Experience Program (SAIEP)

When Practera partnered with Study Australia and the Australian Government to launch SAIEP, the vision was simple: to give international students real Australian workplace experience — wherever they were in the world.Impact Highlights
SAIEP’s success led to its recognition at AIEC 2022 for national innovation — proof that change, when guided by collaboration, can lead to impact measured in human growth, not just metrics.

Practical Steps for Educators and Institutions

For those asking “Where do we start?”, here’s a roadmap drawn from Practera’s partner experience.
  1. Start Small — Think Scalable
  2.  Pilot one authentic project before embedding a full WIL program.
  3. Design for Reflection
  4.  Build structured reflection prompts into every experience; it’s where learning consolidates.
  5. Let AI Inform, Not Instruct
  6.  Use data to guide mentoring and course improvement, not replace educator intuition.
  7. Co-Create with Industry Early
  8.  Joint design yields more relevant and sustainable experiences.
  9. Measure What Matters
  10.  Focus on skill growth, student confidence, and partner engagement over attendance or hours logged.

The Road Ahead: From Adaptation to Anticipation

The next phase of international education won’t be defined by who adapts fastest, but by who anticipates best. AI will continue to reshape how we design, deliver, and evaluate learning. Students will expect integrated, personalised experiences that connect study to real outcomes. Institutions that weave AI + Experiential Learning + Collaboration into their DNA will lead this transformation — not by resisting change, but by learning through it.As the AIEC 2025 community gathers in Canberra, that’s the shared mission: to build a future where global education is resilient, inclusive, and human-centred.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the AIEC 2025 theme? The Australian International Education Conference 2025 focuses on navigating change — exploring how educators and organisations can build resilience, inclusion, and sustainable innovation in times of uncertainty. 2. How is AI transforming international education? AI supports educators by analysing reflection data, matching students to projects, and providing actionable insights — improving scale and personalisation without removing the human element. 3. What makes experiential learning effective for international students? It connects theory with practice, allowing learners to apply knowledge in authentic settings, collaborate globally, and develop employability skills valued by employers worldwide. 4. What is Practera’s role in this transformation? Practera partners with universities, governments, and employers to deliver scalable, technology-enabled experiential learning programs such as SAIEP and EdgeX, aligning education with real-world outcomes. 5. How can institutions get started? Begin with small, structured pilot projects, integrate reflective practice, and use AI-assisted insights to refine delivery. Practera provides frameworks, platforms, and support to help institutions build these capabilities.

Conclusion: Navigating Change Together

Change is no longer a disruption to international education — it’s the ecosystem it grows in.What matters now is how we move through it: together, intentionally, and with curiosity. Practera’s mission remains simple — to empower educators, students, and partners to navigate change with confidence through AI-enabled, experiential, and collaborative learning.Whether you’re joining us at AIEC 2025 in Canberra or exploring these ideas from afar, we invite you to connect, collaborate, and help co-create the next chapter of international education.Learn more at practera.com.

How Can Private Higher Education Providers Deliver Affordable, Scalable Work-Integrated Learning?

October 9, 2025 Experiential Learning, Practera Learning, Project Based LearningLeave a comment

Introduction: The Affordability and Employability Challenge

If you run a private higher education program, you feel the same heat universities do: employers expect job‑ready graduates, students want the “real world” built into their course, and budgets aren’t getting friendlier. The big question is simple: how do you deliver authentic, industry‑connected learning that employers respect without blowing the budget or your team’s bandwidth?

This article walks through practical ways private colleges can design and deliver affordable, scalable WIL programs. We’ll look at what national and global programs like SAIEP and WACE achieved, and how institutions use Practera to give students real industry experience for under $200 per learner, lifting employability and student satisfaction along the way.

 

Step 1: Redefine What “Work-Integrated Learning” Means

For years, WIL meant long placements, on‑site internships, and coordination marathons. Valuable, yes but heavy. In today’s hybrid world, authentic industry experience doesn’t have to mean a physical placement or a mountain of emails.

What modern WIL looks like:

  • Short virtual industry projects (2–6 weeks). Real brief, real client, tight scope.
  • Micro‑consulting challenges designed with actual employers.
  • Mentored capstone assignments tied directly to your subject outcomes.
  • These aren’t simulations. Students deliver work to real clients through digital collaboration, practicing the communication, teamwork, and problem‑solving employers keep asking for.

How Practera supports this model:

  • Connects colleges with pre‑vetted employers via a global network.
  • Provides templated project briefs mapped to employability skills.
  • Hosts delivery, mentoring, and AI‑enabled reflection in one place.
  • The shift matters for smaller providers. You can offer high‑impact WIL without the old financial and administrative burden — and you can do it with the team you have now.

A quick story: A marketing cohort at a private college partnered with a regional tourism operator. Over four weeks, students tested three messages for winter visitors. One went live on the client’s socials. The student who led the copy test added the link to her portfolio and referenced it in interviews. That’s real‑world learning, minus the scramble for placements.

Step 2: Do More with Less — The New Economics of WIL

Private providers are resourceful by nature. You stretch budgets and time already. The traditional model of faculty‑led placement management just doesn’t scale.

Side‑by‑side, here’s the picture:

The digital model lowers costs by standardising what used to be bespoke: project templates, clear milestones, centralised communication, and AI‑supported reflection. Less chasing, more learning. And because the unit cost drops, you can extend WIL to whole cohorts — not just a lucky handful.

Step 3: Use a Proven, Affordable WIL Model

Case Study: SAIEP (Study Australia Industry Experience Program)

Austrade launched SAIEP with Practera to make authentic WIL accessible and affordable to thousands of international students nationwide. The brief was ambitious; the delivery stayed simple.

Scale and impact:

  • 6,700+ students from 86 institutions across Australia
  • 953 industry partners engaged globally
  • Real consulting projects delivered fully online
  • 87% of students improved employability skills
  • 85% of final reports rated high or outstanding by clients

What this showed: smaller providers can deliver world‑class employability programs by plugging into a digital WIL ecosystem. You don’t need massive funding or a large employer team — you need a clear structure and a platform built for it.

Case Study: WACE Global Challenge

Practera also partnered with the World Association of Cooperative Education (WACE) to deliver the WACE Global Challenge, an online international industry project connecting students from 40 universities with global employers.

Results:

  • 676 students from 40 institutions worldwide
  • 85% completion rate and 83% reported employability skill growth
  • Delivered fully online at a fraction of traditional mobility costs

One Program Director summed it up: students collaborated across countries, solved real problems, and gained international employability, without leaving home.

Together, these programs prove the point: Practera’s model delivers authentic, employer‑verified outcomes affordably at national and institutional scales.

Step 4: Embed Practera into Your Program Without Overheads

A common worry: “New platform = more work.” In practice, Practera simplifies the workflow and frees up faculty time.

What’s included end to end:

  • Employer sourcing: access to verified employers and industry briefs.
  • AI‑enabled reflection and assessment: reduces marking and admin by up to 60%.
  • Built‑in feedback loops: employers and students interact in one place.
  • Analytics dashboards: track employability skills, engagement, and satisfaction in real time.
  • You can start small, as few as 20 learners and scale once the model is proven. The work shifts from logistics to coaching, which is where educators add the most value.

What this feels like week to week:

  • Clear milestones and deliverables replace back‑and‑forth emails.
  • Automated nudges keep teams moving.
  • Consistent rubrics cut debate and speed up decisions.
  • A single workspace keeps everyone aligned, including clients.

Step 5: Prove ROI — From Employability to Enrolments

Graduate outcomes drive reputation and recruitment. Affordable WIL is one of the most direct levers you have.

Across Practera programs, providers report:

  1. 80–90% of students feel stronger career confidence.
  2. Employers rate student projects as directly valuable to their organisation.
  3. Students leave with portfolio‑ready work they can show in interviews.
  4. Colleges build a reputation for practical, industry‑connected education.

One Academic Program Leader put it plainly: “Students come back to us saying their Practera project was the highlight of their course. It’s tangible, it’s real, and it gets them noticed.”

That combination: quantifiable skills growth plus credible artifacts, helps private colleges compete with larger institutions while keeping programs affordable.

Step 6: Blueprint to Launch an Affordable WIL Program

Here’s a straightforward way to get moving without overcomplicating it.

A quick tip from teams who’ve done this: scope the work tightly. Two to three meaningful deliverables beat a sprawling wishlist.

Step 7: Frequently Asked Questions (Educators & Academic Directors)

Q1: What’s the minimum number of students to start?

A: Pilots can launch with as few as 20 students, and can scale to 200+ once you’re confident in the model.

Q2: How quickly can a program be launched?

A: Typically 4–6 weeks from sign‑off to delivery, including employer matching and onboarding.

Q3: Do I need existing employer connections?

A: No. Practera provides access to a global network of employers and verified project briefs. You can also bring your own partners if you have them.

Q4: How much academic oversight is needed?

A: Faculty input is intentionally light. Practera’s structured milestones, automated reflection, and AI‑feedback reduce marking and admin by up to 60%. Your time goes to coaching.

Q5: Can this be integrated into accredited courses?

A: Yes. Projects align well with assessment tasks, capstones, or employability modules and can be mapped to your course learning outcomes.

Q6: What industries are available for projects?

A: Business, marketing, finance, sustainability, health, and technology are common. Briefs range from market research to process improvement and product positioning.

Q7: How do we track employability outcomes?

A: Through Practera’s dashboards, aligned to 21st‑century skills. You’ll see engagement, milestone completion, feedback patterns, and skills development.

Q8: What support is available for educators?

A: Onboarding, project templates, delivery guides, and educator training. Most teams feel comfortable after one run.

Q9: Can projects run fully online?

A: Yes. Practera supports virtual and hybrid delivery. Many providers prefer fully online for flexibility and lower cost.

Q10: Do employers pay or participate voluntarily?

A: Employers participate voluntarily to access fresh ideas and talent pipelines. They also value the structured, time‑bounded scope.

Q11: Can we co‑brand the program?

A: Yes. Practera supports white‑labelled delivery so the program matches your institutional brand.

Q12: How do we report outcomes to TEQSA or similar bodies?

A: Use analytics exports showing skills, engagement, and satisfaction, plus examples of student work and short quotes.

Q13: What if a client goes quiet mid‑project?

A: Program managers can step in, and backup briefs are available. Structured check‑ins and reminders keep momentum.

Q14: How do we maintain quality at scale?

A: Standard rubrics, short mentor training, and light moderation. Review a sample of outputs each cycle to keep standards consistent.

Q15: What is the typical student workload?

A: For a 4–6 week project, plan 6–8 hours per week, including client time, team collaboration, deliverables, and reflection.

Q16: How do we ensure inclusion and access?

A: Online delivery reduces location barriers. Flexible meeting windows help students balancing work or caring responsibilities.

Q17: Can this support internationalisation at home?

A: Yes. Cross‑institution and cross‑country teams create global collaboration experiences without mobility costs.

Q18: How do we prepare students for client interaction?

A: A short etiquette guide, a meeting template, and a sample outreach script go a long way. A 30‑minute orientation helps set expectations.

Q19: What evidence do students take away?

A: A tangible deliverable (report, deck, prototype), client feedback, and a brief reflection they can reference in interviews.

Q20: What does success look like after one term?

A: Strong participation and completion, positive client ratings, visible skill growth, and a few student stories you can share with leadership and prospects.

Step 8: Educator’s Quick Action Checklist

Identify one suitable course or cohort for a pilot (20–30 students).

Define your academic and employability outcomes and map them to briefs.

Contact Practera to access templated project briefs and employer partners.

Launch your first affordable WIL pilot (under $200 per learner) for 4–6 weeks.

Use dashboards to measure engagement, skills, and satisfaction.

Collect quotes and examples of student work.

Share results internally and plan the next run.

Scale to additional programs once the model is validated.

Step 9: Conclusion — Affordable Impact Starts Here

You don’t have to choose between affordability and authenticity. With Practera, private providers can deliver meaningful, industry‑connected experiences at scale — without straining faculty capacity or budgets.

From the SAIEP national program to the WACE Global Challenge, the results are consistent: high skill growth, strong employer ratings, and credible student deliverables — delivered online at a fraction of traditional costs.

If you’re aiming to meet TEQSA benchmarks, lift graduate outcomes, or simply find a practical win you can launch this term, this model gives you a clear path forward. Start with one cohort. Learn. Then scale.

Practera helps private colleges do more with less and gives students the edge employers are looking for.

 

Unleashing the Power of Hybrid Learning: Bridging the Gap with Experiential Education

September 30, 2024 Experiential Learning, Practera Learning, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As educators, we are always looking for ways to provide rich and engaging learning experiences that meet students’ diverse needs. Hybrid learning has emerged as a game-changer. It blends online and in-person teaching for flexibility and accessibility. But preparing students for real-life needs more. We mix experiential learning—an approach that combines book smarts with practical, hands-on skills. This piece dives into how combining hybrid learning with experiential education can make learning more inclusive, effective, and future-ready.

The skyrocketing demand for flexible learning environments pushes us to adapt. A 2022/23 Jisc survey of over 27,000 UK students gives us valuable insights to use while designing and tweaking our hybrid programs.

Digital Satisfaction vs. Community Connection

81% of students said they were happy with their digital learning experience. However, only 44% felt like they belonged in their online learning communities. This shows us a big challenge: creating meaningful connections in a digital space—is key if hybrid learning will be truly effective.

Assistive Technology: Supporting Diverse Learners

57% of students said they used at least one type of assistive tech. International students found tools such as captioning and writing support super helpful. This reminds us that ensuring everyone has access to what they need is crucial in hybrid learning settings.

Persistent Challenges in Hybrid Learning

Bad WiFi keeps messing up online learning. Limited private study spaces make it hard for students to focus. Some still struggle to get devices, especially marginalized learners. We’ve got to push for better infrastructure and equal access so that no one is left behind in hybrid settings.

While hybrid learning provides flexibility, it’s vital not to rely solely on online materials. Introducing experiential learning can add real-world relevance to the classroom. This method allows students to apply what they learn in real situations. It enhances their understanding and engagement considerably. Plus, it preps them for the challenges they might face in the workplace

Why Experiential Learning Matters in Hybrid Education

  • Enhanced Engagement: Hands-on projects grab attention and link theory to practice.
  • Career Readiness: Work with industry partners on real issues gives useful skills & experiences.
  • Meaningful Connections: Group projects help build bonds and cut down on the isolation that online learning creates.
  • Skill Development: Teaches problem-solving, teamwork, & communication—hard to get through lectures alone.

For educators, blending experiential learning into hybrid models can be both innovative and practical. Here are some ideas:

  • Live Industry Projects: Team up with companies to give students real-world problems, offering relevance & hands-on practice.
  • Virtual Internships: Remote internships let students gain work experience without location barriers.
  • Simulations and Role-Playing: Use tech to create immersive scenarios where students practice solving issues.
  • Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Get students from different fields to work together on complex projects, like real-world teamwork.

These ideas offer students not just curriculum knowledge but prepare them for life beyond school.

Bringing hybrid and experiential learning into schools isn’t without hurdles. Here’s how educators can tackle them:

  • Invest in Strong Tech Infrastructure: Push for reliable WiFi & devices so all students can join hybrid learning fully.
  • Create Flexible Learning Spaces: Make on-campus spots that cater to both solo & group study styles.
  • Enhance Accessibility: Ensure courses include assistive tech & content for different needs.
  • Comprehensive Support Systems: Offer tech support, mentoring, & guidance so students can navigate hybrid environments smoothly.

For those looking to blend hybrid and experiential learning well, Practera provides custom solutions that are flexible, scalable, and fit modern student needs. Practera’s platform helps educators easily incorporate experiential learning into their courses.

  • Customizable Learning Journeys: Design paths that mix online and face-to-face experiences uniquely for each student.
  • Industry Collaboration Opportunities: Facilitate remote internships & live industry projects easily through Practera.
  • Data-Driven Insights: Use analytics built into Practera to track student engagement/results & improve course delivery continuously.
  • Scalable Solutions: Support large programs effortlessly, allowing institutions to offer top-quality hybrid experiences broadly.

Partnering with Practera offers educators a more dynamic, flexible &, and career-focused environment, prepping students for future challenges.

As educators, we are at the forefront of a rapidly shifting educational landscape. By combining the adaptability of hybrid learning with the hands-on approach to experiential methods, we can craft an engaging and career-focused environment for all learners. This helps us meet the needs of today’s students while equipping them with essential skills for facing tomorrow’s challenges.

So, how do hybrid and experiential learning enhance your educational journey? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

Shaping the Future of Higher Education: CEO Insights on the Impact of the Universities Accord

July 22, 2024 Employability, Experiential LearningLeave a comment

Shaping the Future of Higher Education: CEO Insights on the Impact of the Universities Accord

Beau Leese, CEO and co-founder of Practera, had the honour of presenting to the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS) colleagues on the potential impacts of the Universities Accord on educational access. This presentation required diving deep into the Accord’s 400 pages and revisiting several pivotal reports, including the Jobs Ready Graduates, NPILF, Bradley, and WIL in Universities reports. Beau extended his sincere thanks to Marnie Long and Leanne Burke for the invitation and the engaging homework! It was refreshing to delve into policy and strategy. A special shoutout to his co-panelists Denise Bradley, Penny Chancellor, and Michelle Moss for their insightful contributions.

While the Accord awaits Government selection, funding, and implementation of its recommendations, it has set a long-term horizon to 2050. By analyzing broad trends across these policy papers, several clear directional themes have emerged:

  1. Workforce Needs and Mass Education: Tertiary education is poised to meet over 80% of Australia’s future workforce needs. Universities, already delivering a mass education model for over 50% of the commencing workforce, will be increasingly called upon by the Government to align with workforce demands through funding mechanisms.
  2. International Education: Over the past 25 years, the number of international students has grown tenfold, approaching 1 million out of 21 million people aged over 15. This sector is both socially and economically significant, and thus politically sensitive. Universities will need to recalibrate international education to align with national economic needs, including regionalization, diversification of source countries, addressing housing issues, and workforce shortages.
  3. R&D and Innovation: Australia’s investment in R&D and productivity outcomes lags behind most OECD peers. University R&D expenditure now constitutes over one-third of the total. Universities must demonstrate a higher return on investment in national innovation and productivity outcomes.
  4. Access to Work Integrated Learning (WIL): Access to high-quality WIL is unequal, with First Nations, low SES, regional, and international students less engaged than their high SES, metropolitan counterparts. This disparity correlates with attainment and employment gaps.

Strategic Implications for Universities and Career Services

Given these themes, what might they imply for the strategic direction of universities and their careers and employability capacities?

Fundamentally, universities must deeply embed and evidence a distinctive theory and framework for employability, career preparation, and attainment within their education strategy. This must align with national skills requirements and institutional contexts. Key strategic imperatives include:

  1. Enhancing Experiential Learning: Deepen and broaden the integration of experiential learning, employer engagement, and WIL within the curriculum.
  2. Dynamic Programming: Develop dynamic in-curricular and co-curricular programs that address the skills and innovation impacts of new technologies, evolving job gaps, and emerging skills and technologies (including micro-credentials).
  3. Equality of Access to WIL: Ensure equal access to WIL for disadvantaged groups, linking this to improved equality in graduate employment and career attainment.
  4. Sustainable International Strategies: Develop more sustainable international student recruitment, experience, and alignment strategies.
  5. Lifelong Career Support: Shift to a mindset of lifelong career support, partnering with students and alumni throughout their careers, emphasizing skills, experience, and connections.
  6. Engaging and Incentivising Students: Systematically engage and incentivize students to participate in extra-curricular, co-curricular, and in-curricular employability activities, and meaningfully verify and credential their achievements alongside their degrees.

Learn more on the benefits of gaining real-world experience in our ‘Effective Experiential Learning’ whitepaper

Practera’s Role and Vision

At Practera, we see numerous examples of leading practices aligned with these themes in many institutions, and we are thrilled to be working on programs that support them. Too often, these initiatives are specially funded pilots or extracurricular activities. The real opportunity for many institutions lies in genuinely committing to, mandating, and investing in these programs as core components of their strategy. Building the institutional capability to deliver these programs over the long term will yield significant returns in graduate outcomes and alignment with future Government funding incentives.

By embracing these strategic imperatives, universities can position themselves competitively for future funding and ensure they meet the evolving needs of the workforce, students, and the broader community.

 

Connect with us for a discussion here, or if you are a first-time user, you can pilot our program for free for up to 15 learners here.

Experiential Learning in Business Schools and beyond

December 11, 2023 Experiential Learning1 Comment

Experiential Learning in Business Schools and beyond

It was a pleasure to join Beau Leese, Wes Sonnenreich and Jane Hallett from Practera recently in London for a stimulating and enjoyable round table with colleagues from a number of UK university business schools. The event was framed with thought leadership from Kate Ross, Workforce Education and Skills Global Program Manager at IBM, whose perspectives and provocations catalysed some fascinating conversation about experiential learning (EL), not just in the business school context but with significant implications for higher education and employers. Here are five reflections on what we discussed.

Fusion skills are key…

Kate Ross drew together a number of perspectives on the skills conversation, from whether Excel is essential for everyone to what a top five desired transferable skillsets might actually be. One of her key points built on findings from a City of London/NESTA report on transferable skills (2019) that proposed the concept of ‘fusion skills’: the combination of technical skills and transferable skills that enables the “merging and blending of skills and industries…[which are] key components of the current and changing labour market” (p.7).

This resonated very strongly with colleagues at the round table, not least because of the role of EL in enabling students to explore and apply both technical and transferable skills. For students on Business School programmes, industry-aligned EL within their programme is often the first time they have had the opportunity to explore this skills development in a ‘safe place’ which is important no matter what sector or role they end up in.

Indeed, for some students, ‘fusion’ might also refer to the application of existing skills while acquiring new ones, and EL can be an essential space where that happens. Which leads to another really important point that Kate made: that…

…telling your story as a graduate has never been more important.

Institute of Student Employers survey data tells us annually that self-awareness is an essential attribute which graduate recruiters seek, but telling a story goes beyond being able to articulate what you can do. Kate noted higher education’s enduring resistance to the responsibility for teaching graduates how to work, but education is all about reflection and universities do have a fundamental role to play in ensuring that their graduates are not just knowledgeable and skilled, but also reflective too.

It was inspiring at the round table to hear so many examples of how colleagues are embedding reflective learning into their programmes. So ‘telling the story’ in skill development terms is about recognising and articulating the stages, from identifying what skills are involved and whether you have them, to recognising that you have developed them and can apply them and, crucially, that you understand why an employer needs them. 

The graduate story isn’t just about career decision-making therefore; it’s about contextualizing the learning and development journey that takes place into the goals that the employer has for their future employees. That is an innately academic journey too.

Balancing external expectations

A particularly interesting feature of our round table discussion centred on the roles of both employers and Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) in collaborating with and shaping degree programmes and learning and skill development outcomes. The high levels of industry collaboration in Business Schools means that they are often particularly impacted by these two communities, which may at times also be in tension with each other.

This is not surprising, and it has some implications for EL: we could see PSRBs as representing an idealised representation of sectoral expectations, while we know that each employer will bring their own nuanced perspective.

A good example of such a difference would be in a skill like leadership: leadership competencies are often a key part of sectoral frameworks, but the reality on the ground increasingly represents distributed leadership and flattened hierarchies.

A student project with an industry client might be a great introduction to the experience of distributed leadership, but that may not resonate strongly with a more fixed statement on leadership from a professional body.

Embedding inclusion in EL

There was universal enthusiasm and agreement that whatever form EL takes, it must be inclusive. Embedding EL in core curriculum is the most efficient way to ensure that all students have access to and don’t self-select out of doing EL, but ensuring EL is actually inclusive and enables all students to gain the value, no matter their starting point academically or experientially, is a different matter.

We discussed the barriers that students can experience to engaging and benefitting from EL, including the nature of a student’s transition to engaging with an industry partner for the first time. And, as with ‘telling your story’, confidence and self-awareness are key.

As academics, experiential learning professionals and careers and employability professionals, we need to guard against assuming that reflection comes equally naturally or automatically to all students, and we need to use pedagogy to put in sufficient scaffolding to enable it to occur inclusively for all.

Active learning vs. ‘CV seeding’

Finally, there was a strong emphasis on pedagogy in all the EL practice shared by the academics, which reinforces the conversations that are surfacing through the Institute of Experiential and Skills-Based Learning about EL as a way of activating and deepening engagement with the subject. This contrasts with how experiential learning is often seen strategically by higher education institutions, which is as ‘CV seeding’: giving students tractable bursts of industry engagement with the intentional goal of improving employability towards graduate outcomes.

It would be easy to see these as opposite ends of the scale, but they aren’t and shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. Indeed, when seen through the lens of subject engagement, experiential learning is both conceptually and practically capable of holding opportunities for complex subject engagement which might also lead to employability enhancement.

This is particularly important when we talk about experiential learning in subjects that don’t have strongly aligned professional outcomes and open up very diverse career choices, such as across the humanities, where conversations about EL can often be divisive if EL is considered to be only for industry engagement.

Furthermore, the idea of fusion skills is no less relevant here, particularly if we consider (as I do in my own work on skills and curriculum) the innate transferable skills of the subject to be also the specialist technical skills of the subject.  

Beau, Wes, Jane and I would like to thank Kate Ross and all the colleagues who joined us for a really stimulating and important discussion. If there are discussions that you would like to have about themes within experiential learning, pedagogy and university strategy, please do get in touch.

Learn more on the benefits of gaining real-world experience in our ‘Effective Experiential Learning’ whitepaper

Kate Daubney

Careers and Employability Consultant and Practera Advisory Board

Kate Daubney is a former academic and a former head of university careers services, and now acts as a consultant on education, careers education and employability strategies to universities in the UK and internationally. She is an Advisory Board Member for Practera and on the Board of Gyrfa Cymru Careers Wales.

 

Connect with us for a discussion here, or if you are a first-time user, you can pilot our program for free for up to 15 learners here.

How Gamified Learning Increases Productivity and Engagement in Higher Education

April 21, 2022 Experiential Learning2 Comments

Today’s educators are always looking for new, motivating, and powerful ways to engage students. Two popular modern methods are gamified and project-based learning—but what’s involved in these pedagogies, and what makes them so effective?

You’ll find all the answers you need in this article!   

What is gamified learning?

Gamified learning is an educational approach that combines video games and education to create a more engaging and motivating learning experience.

But it’s not just about playing games in the classroom. It’s about using game-like elements to make any kind of learning more effective.

Quiz apps like Kahoot! are a popular example of a gamified learning platform used in classrooms around Australia and the world. The app’s game-like ‘rewards’ such as points, badges, emotes, and unlockable ‘chests’ drive students to succeed.

When combined with project-based learning, which involves active engagement in meaningful projects, gamification creates a powerful learning experience.

The key to a successful gamified learning project is good game design. Whether designing a gamified lesson or an entire gamified course for your students, you’ll need to think like a professional game designer.

Most importantly, you’ll need to create challenges for your students that are meaningful, achievable, and rewarding while making sure they align with your curriculum’s goals. It’s also a good idea to create feedback loops so your learners who are struggling or show signs of mastery can continue progressing.

Preparing students for the workplace with experiential learning

How gamified learning increases productivity and engagement

So, how exactly does gamified learning improve the educational experience for students and educators? We’ll dive into this question in the sections below.

Enriched learning experience

Today’s young people are so deeply entwined with technology it has become an integral part of their everyday lives. Modern universities have adapted all kinds of technology, such as online distance learning platforms, digital file-sharing tools, and electronic whiteboards. Game-based learning is another step in this forward-thinking process.

Because modern students are so accustomed to technology, gamified learning works on their unique level. Students earn interactive rewards, points, and achievements as they learn, creating an enriching, holistic experience that makes them feel empowered and accomplished.

Increased desire to learn

Gamified learning also leverages students’ desire to learn and increases their interest in the subject matter. The best way to achieve this is to create interactive, engaging gamified content using proven game design principles.

But how does gamification boost the desire to learn? It’s all about dopamine. 

Just think about the rush you feel when you score a goal in basketball or win a prize from an arcade machine—it’s the same thing! When your students earn rewards and points through gamified learning, they get a dopamine release, making them want to keep learning.  

In the context of project-based and experiential education, your students will also have a clear, well-defined goal, which creates a sense of urgency and drives them to succeed.

Want to learn more? Download the ‘Quality in Online Project-Based Learning’ white paper to see how top institutions are using experiential learning.

Stronger knowledge retention

As an educator, you’re likely always looking for ways to improve knowledge retention within your student cohort. Repeating the same subjects is time-consuming, so it’s best to do whatever you can to help your students better absorb and retain what they learn.

Gamification is a fantastic way to achieve this goal. According to a 2015 study, gamification improved student retention rates by 25%, while an addition of social game elements raised this amount to 50%. This data shows that gamification is even more powerful when social aspects are involved, which is a key part of project-based learning.

Diverse learning methods and materials

Project-based learning in higher education is all about encouraging students to take control of their education and take advantage of their unique learning styles. Gamification takes this a step further, making it easier than ever for educators to personalise learning experiences for each student.

For example, some students learn better through visual demonstration than written content. With a gamified app, you can automatically deliver the same information through different formats for each student, giving each individual the greatest chance at success.

Gamification isn’t limited to the digital world, either. Let’s say a group of students have set a project goal to raise money for a local charity. You can gamify the project by allowing students to gain ‘points’ for each dollar they raise, receiving a badge, medal, or prize when they reach a certain number of points. This can boost intrinsic motivation and will be especially beneficial for students with a hands-on learning style.

Active collaboration

Gamification also encourages active collaboration, where students work together to earn points, achieve rewards, and reach short and long-term goals. While traditional assignments may lack concrete goals, gamification can break a large project down into several ‘stages’ with rewards at each checkpoint.

As we mentioned above, social gamification increases retention even further than gamification on its own. This increase happens largely because students engage in real-time, which is particularly helpful with distance education.

Your gamified project’s social and collaborative aspects could include students versing each other in a digital quiz, working towards team-based achievements, or ‘upvote’ systems where students can send points and rewards to others.

Project based learning

How you can implement gamified learning in your classroom

So, now you understand the immense benefits of educational games and gamifying project-based learning, you’re probably wondering how to implement the approach within your classroom. We’ll give some specific examples below to help you get started.

Point systems

Many educational video games use a point system to measure students’ progress and encourage them to proceed. The typical ‘star charts’ used in primary and high schools across Australia are a basic example of a point system.

You can easily implement a point system within any project-based learning activity—it’s all about getting creative. For example, art students planning and running a local gallery show could earn points for each part of art submitted to the show and each ticket sold. They could then earn rewards or badges once for every 5 or 10 points gained.

Gamified grading

Typical grading systems involve students completing a task, quiz, or project and receiving a letter or number grade at the end. This system isn’t particularly encouraging since the ‘reward’ is only earned at the end of the project, and numbers and grades can be arbitrary.

A gamified grading system could involve students earning experience or ‘XP’ points for each section of the project they complete successfully. As they build up XP, students can gain levels, competing with their peers to achieve the highest possible level or ‘grade’.

Challenges and projects

Many companies set gamified challenges to promote their products, such as Nike’s Nike+ Run Club, where runners compete against each other to share their race statistics and compete with other challengers. You can use similar ideas in your classroom to keep your students engaged and involved.

For example, if you teach an IT class, you could run a ‘game jam’ type event where you challenge your students to design and create a program, app, or game. The students could then test and play each others’ programs or games, voting on which ones they like best. The top three most-liked apps could win a prize.

Leaderboards and badges

Leaderboards are another great way to gamify the project-based learning experience. You can combine leaderboards with badges—i.e. the #1 student earns a platinum badge, students #2 to #5 earn gold, #6 to #10 earn silver, and so on.

Implementing a leaderboard is a great way for students to physically see their progress and weigh up their achievements against other students in the class. The drive to reach the top of the leaderboard is highly motivational for many students and can help them do their best work.  

Educational gaming platforms

Using educational gaming platforms within your classroom is one of the simplest ways to gamify the student learning experience. 

The language-learning app Duolingo is a great example of a successful educational gaming platform. The app implements several game mechanics to motivate students, such as points for getting several questions correct in a row, daily goals, community challenges, leaderboards, and achievement badges.

But gamification isn’t limited to language learning. Regardless of your course focus, you can likely find an educational platform or app to help gamify the experience. For example, the educational coding platform Codecademy uses gamification to keep students progressing through their courses.

Work Integrated Learning (WIL)

Make gamification simple with Practera

Gamifying your project-based learning activities is easier than ever with Practera’s dedicated gamification tools. The platform features several fantastic gamified features to drive student engagement and productivity, including badges and achievements, interactive performance tracking, and custom grading scales. 

Using Practera, you can create custom workflows, implementing gamification features as you see fit. Using Practera’s range of achievements, you can create different pathways. In this way, you can create a personalised experience for each student that will drive them to succeed. 

The platform also offers a huge range of features for educators and higher learning institutions hoping to deliver powerful project-based learning experiences, including a detailed analytics dashboard, chat-based collaboration tools, activity trackers, and much more. We also offer managed services to help connect students with global organisations to ensure you get the most out of your learning experiences. By connecting with our team, we can ensure continuous support with a dedicated program manager.

To get started with Practera, contact our friendly team, request a platform demo, or download our white paper to find out more today.

Boost your skills and employability with Practera and learn more about the importance of experiential learning today.

 

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