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Many forms of modern life are united by their fragility, temporary nature, vulnerability, and inclination to constant change (Bauman, 2012). The complex and fluid nature of 21st century society requires expansion of competence and skills focused university curricula. Academic institutions are challenged to rejuvenate curricula to encompass – besides the development of students’ technical and cognitive skills – the development of students’ ability to engage with and drive their own learning, thereby developing graduates who can thrive in a fluid world. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is increasingly being embraced as a possible remedy to answer this call for career-ready graduates (Goulter & Patrick, 2010). Consideration of specific work-integrated learning pedagogies underpinned by situated and workplace-learning theories that privilege student participation in workplace activities is required (Patton, Higgs, & Smith, 2013). The critical contribution of student disposition to the shaping and reshaping of workplace learning spaces and the central position of students in driving – not just receiving – workplace learning must be part of the pedagogical change. Building on my doctoral research that used photo-elicitation techniques to explore physiotherapy students’ learning in clinical workplaces (Patton, 2014), as well as contemporary literature, this chapter introduces visual spaces as a pedagogical strategy to assist students to drive their own unique learning in workplaces.

The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed case study of the evaluation strategies of a complex, multi-faceted response to a public health emergency: drug-related overdose deaths. It sets out the challenges of evaluating such a complex response and how they were overcome. It provides a pragmatic example of the rationale and issues faced to address the what, the why and particularly the how of the evaluation.

The case study overviews British Columbia’s Provincial Response to the Overdose Public Health Emergency, and the aims and scope of its evaluation. It then outlines the conceptual approach taken to the evaluation, setting out key methodological challenges in evaluating large-scale, multi-level, multisectoral change.

The evaluation is developmental and summative, utilization focused and system informed. Defining the scope of the evaluation required a strong level of engagement with government leads, grantees and other evaluation stakeholders. Mixed method evaluation will be used to capture the complex pattern of relationships that have informed the overdose response. Working alongside people with drug use experience to both plan and inform the evaluation is critical to its success.

This case study builds on a growing literature on evaluating large-scale and complex service transformation, providing a practical example of this.