The Impact of Prior Work-Experience on Student Learning Outcomes in Simulated Internships

Autor/in	Bayerlein, Leopold
Titel	The Impact of Prior Work-Experience on Student Learning Outcomes in Simulated Internships
Quelle	In: Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 17 (2020) 4, Artikel 4 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1449-9789
Schlagwörter	Prior Learning; Work Experience; Outcomes of Education; Simulation; Simulated Environment; Work Environment; Internship Programs; Accounting; Virtual Classrooms; Problem Based Learning; Undergraduate Students; Student Attitudes; Skill Development; Program Effectiveness; Foreign Countries; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Vorkenntnisse; Employment experience; Job experience; Occupational experience; Berufserfahrung; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Simulation program; Simulationsprogramm; Künstliche Umwelt; Arbeitsmilieu; Berufspraktische Ausbildung; Abrechnung; Buchführung; Buchhaltung; Problem-based learning; Problemorientiertes Lernen; Schülerverhalten; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Ausland; Australien
Abstract	In this paper, the extent to which a compulsory non-placement work-integrated learning (WIL) activity, in the form of a simulated internship, in an Australian undergraduate accounting program, created learning outcomes for students with different levels of prior work-experience is assessed. The paper extends prior, theoretically based literature by providing an exploratory evaluation of the experiences of students undertaking a specific simulated internship. This evaluation is important because it enables students and higher education providers to evaluate the extent to which a simulation is likely to meet the learning needs and expectations of individual students and student groups. Despite the critical importance of such an evaluation, prior literature has thus far focused on theoretically based evaluations and comparisons of simulated internships, with empirical evidence being largely absent from the literature. Using a series of semi-structured interviews with students, the current paper shows that the evaluated simulation was generally able to develop cognitive, skill-based, and affective learning outcomes, and that students' learning outcomes were strongly influenced by their prior real-world work-experience. In addition, the paper also shows that the lived experiences of students within the simulation were much more multifaceted and diverse than anticipated in the prior literature. The findings of this paper are relevant for higher education providers and students planning to undertake a simulated internship, or other non-placement WIL activity. Potential challenges and opportunities for different groups of students arising in the analysed simulation are identified and discussed. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of Wollongong. Available from: Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources. Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Tel: +61-2-4221-3140; Fax: +61-2-4225-8312; e-mail: jutlp@uow.edu.au; Web site: http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01