23-T3 Learning in and for vocations and professions

Download full Course Manual: https://ico-education.nl/2024-04-25-ico-course-manual-wpl2024/

Course coordinators

Dr Renate Wesselink (renate.wesselink@wur.nl)
Prof. dr. Maaike Endedijk (m.d.endedijk@utwente.nl)
Prof. dr Elly de Bruijn (elly.debruijn@ou.nl)
Supported by PhD candidate Christine van Nooijen (vannooijen@essb.eur.nl)

Course description

Nowadays organizations are dealing with a variety of challenges. Knowledge evolves very quickly and there are continuous technological, economic and social innovations and challenges. In this respect, more than ever before, human capital is the main asset of organizations. Given the dynamic environment of organizations, investment in human capital implies a strategic approach of supporting learning in the workplace, from the beginning of an employee’s trajectory (e.g. internships).
The central focus of this course is (how to support) Learning and Development in the workplace, referring to both formal and informal learning. This learning already starts in initial (vocational) education and continues during a worker’s life as they become professionals working in organizations. More specifically, in this course the following topics will be discussed:
I) The genesis of workplace learning,
II) How does initial vocational and professional education prepare for professional expertise of (future) professionals?
III) Which mechanisms and strategies facilitate the synthesis of knowledge and skills learned in the various contexts (in particular, at school and in the workplace)?
IV) What can organizations do to support continuous development (of professional expertise) on an individual, team, and organization level in order to improve human capital amongst employees, and adaptation of organizations?

The course pays special attention to contemporary research questions in the field, such as:

• To what extent can informal learning be supported?
• What are the outcomes for the individual, teams, and organizations?
• What are hybrid learning environments?
• To what extent is boundary crossing a concept that can support our research?
  and the challenges related to the different research methods used to investigate those questions, such as:
• How can informal learning be measured – could socio-metric badges play a role?
• How can outcomes be measured at the individual, team, and organizational level?
• How can we combine these different levels in analyses?
  This course will stimulate PhD candidates’ conceptual thinking about learning in the workplace and development of professional expertise, and broaden their perspective on relevant research questions, research methods, and discussions. It will do this by demonstrating the multidisciplinary background of various concepts and methods involved, allowing space to discuss contemporary approaches. Additionally this course will let students study a topic at the crossroads of the course and their dissertation.

Course objectives
After successful completion of the course, the PhD candidates will:

• understand fundamental issues in the scientific domain of two of the three following domains: 1) workplace learning in the context of initial vocational education, 2) professional expertise (development) and 3) team and organizational learning;
• gain insight into contemporary research methods (inquiry about professional expertise; educational design research; case studies; informal learning; organizational learning)
• be able to turn notions from literature into scientific argumentation that is beneficial for their own PhD trajectory.
  

Course dates and deadlines
Days start at 10:00 and end at 16:30 with half an hour break in between. Starting time could be adjusted, depending on how far PhD candidates have to travel. The intention is to have two modules, one in the morning (M) and one in the afternoon (A) in one day.

Location: Vergadercentrum Vredenburg, Vredenburg 19, Utrecht

Important deadlines:

• Deadline pre-class assignment (date May 20th). Before the course starts, you write a pre-class assignment (see for more details Task 1). You must hand in this pre-class assignment one week before the course starts: 20 May). You will receive feedback right before the course so you can choose your modules carefully.
• Deadline short pitch (date May 27th, 2024). Before the first session. You prepare a short pitch about yourself and your research. See Task 2.
• Deadline presentation during final online meeting (July 1st, 2024) – you are going to present the lessons you have learned from the different modules, and how you can connect them to your PhD project. See Task 3.