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Article
Publication date: 20 October 2014

Judith K. Shawcross and Tom W. Ridgman

This paper identifies the activities to be undertaken by students during short industrial placements. The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of what…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper identifies the activities to be undertaken by students during short industrial placements. The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of what students do during their placements and provide a framework that supports both teaching and learning. This research focuses on a masters-level programme that contains a series of four, two week industrial placements where groups of two students work on a real and significant issue for the host company.

Design/methodology/approach

A framework, developed from literature, describes a placement in terms of 17 high-level activity groups. A multi-stage action research method was applied to test the framework and develop a more detailed level framework. This used insights gathered from students, tutors and researchers on all 80 placements undertaken during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Findings

The 17 high-level activity groups and their configuration in the framework were confirmed. For the 12 process activity groups, 64 activities were identified and included into a detailed level framework. For the five through-placement activity groups some specific activities were captured and further work remains to capture the others.

Originality/value

These complex industrial placements can now be described consistently to students, companies and tutors using an evidence-based framework. Literature searches have not identified any other equivalent research-based frameworks. Other HE programmes also use similar industrial placements and this framework will provide a basis to support these and add to the body of knowledge in work integrated learning.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 20 October 2014

Ruth Brooks and Judie Kay

4751

Abstract

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2017

Ruben Toledano-O’Farrill

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experience in a Mexican private higher education institution of implementing credit-bearing student placements and projects…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experience in a Mexican private higher education institution of implementing credit-bearing student placements and projects (interventions) in organizations, as a mandatory part of the curriculum for all undergraduates. The university-wide program, called professional application projects (PAPs) has been running for ten years and has two main aims: to develop work-based professional skills in students and to deliver services to organizations and communities of diverse types. All undergraduate students get involved in PAP when they have completed 70 percent of the required program credits. This amounts to approximately 2,000 students per year. The paper reports the results of an investigation into the learning outcomes of PAPs in the Business School, which comprises six undergraduate programs, a center for liaisons with businesses, and a center for management of technology and innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative analysis of students’ final reports of their PAP experience, from the period 2015-2016 was done.

Findings

The report analyses and clusters the main categories of learning outcomes reported by students. The analysis shows that the PAP experience has been mostly successful in terms of student learning.

Originality/value

There has been scarce reporting of the results of PAP at the reported institution, or of other similar experiences of work-based learning in Mexico on this scale.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1986

Audrey W. Hall

This brief survey looks at library school fieldwork placements and the current problems and constraints. It does not approach the subject from a theoretical viewpoint, but looks…

Abstract

This brief survey looks at library school fieldwork placements and the current problems and constraints. It does not approach the subject from a theoretical viewpoint, but looks at the practicalities of the situation, as they are experienced by placement tutors/liaison officers, host librarians and students. No attempt is made to review the considerable literature originating on both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere. The emphasis is on current views and all material was collected between October 1985 and February 1986. Comments on library school practices have deliberately been kept brief, as their point is not to inform academics, who are well aware of the position, but to promote understanding. All too often there is a communication gap, and many librarians, and indeed many students, may not realise the parameters within which a school is operating. Similarly tutors and students may not fully understand the constraints affecting librarians/information officers in a vast range of institutions. Tutors and librarians may lose sight of the students' needs and the heavy demands that placement can make on them.

Details

Library Management, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Article
Publication date: 14 December 2022

Sigen Song, Fanny Fong Yee Chan, Yongfa Li and Cheng Lu Wang

Placement prominence is a multidimensional concept. Previous studies have defined and operationalized prominence in different ways, and no studies have tried to systematically…

Abstract

Purpose

Placement prominence is a multidimensional concept. Previous studies have defined and operationalized prominence in different ways, and no studies have tried to systematically examine what should and should not be counted as prominence. This study aims to fill this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a content analysis of six short films and a survey study on 129 Chinese young adults, this study systematically examined 13 dimensions of placement prominence on the memory of placed brands.

Findings

Factor analysis has reduced the 13 dimensions into five factors: contextual, narrative, sensory, exposure and spatial prominence. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) software was used to conduct a contrarian case analysis and test for predictive validity. This was followed by a QCA to identify the optimal configurations of the five factors that may lead to a high recognition of the placed brands. The optimal configurations were also contrasted across two gender and brand familiarity groups. While the optimal configurations of prominence on brand memory for male and female participants were largely the same, the combinations differed between participants with low and high brand familiarity.

Originality/value

Previous studies in product placement usually operationalize prominence with a few dominant dimensions intuitively though several other dimensions, and their interactions could also affect the prominence level. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that used multiple dimensions of prominence configurations to identify paths that may lead to low and high brand memory. The empirical results contribute to the theory and understanding of the effect of prominence on brand memory and provide guidance to brand managers in determining which prominence configuration is the most suitable for achieving their promotional objective.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1993

W. Shin, K. Srihari, J. Adriance and G. Westby

Surface mount technology (SMT) is being increasingly used in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly. The reduced lead pitch of surface mount components coupled with their increased…

Abstract

Surface mount technology (SMT) is being increasingly used in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly. The reduced lead pitch of surface mount components coupled with their increased lead count and packing densities have made it imperative that automated placement methods be used. However, the SMT placement process is often a bottleneck in surface mount manufacturing. A reduction in placement time in SMT will enhance throughput and productivity. This paper describes the design and development of a prototype expert system based approach which identifies ‘near’ optimal placement sequences for surface mount PCBs in (almost) realtime. The software structure used integrates a knowledge based system with an optimisation module. PROLOG is the language used in this research. The system was rigorously validated and tested. Ideas for further research are also presented.

Details

Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0954-0911

Article
Publication date: 23 January 2019

Julie Fowlie and Clare Forder

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study centred on steps taken at a Business School in a UK university, to improve local work placement provision, respond to student…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study centred on steps taken at a Business School in a UK university, to improve local work placement provision, respond to student demand and engage more productively with local businesses. It is situated against renewed focus on universities’ engagement with local economies and the graduate labour market context as demonstrated by the government’s Industrial Strategy (BEIS, 2017) and the OfS (2018) business plan. It aims to emphasise how moving the focus back from graduates to placement students could offer a useful collaborative opportunity for local businesses to articulate what they want from future employees.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper follows a mixed methods approach, drawing upon a case study on a new intervention piloted in the Business School as well as qualitative research gathered from questionnaires and interviews with students. Responses to questionnaires and interviews were analysed thematically in the Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) tradition.

Findings

The paper highlights the lack of literature on local placements and also demonstrates findings which echo existing research on typical barriers and drivers to placements in general. It offers original outcomes such as how for some students local placements offer a convenience value but for others they are part of committing to living and working locally after graduation.

Research limitations/implications

The small-scale nature of the study means that only indicative findings are presented. Further research is necessary for a more detailed examination of its implications.

Practical implications

Recommendations are made for a systematic approach to developing, or establishing for the first time, university–employer relationships in order to future-proof local placement opportunities.

Originality/value

The paper fills a gap in the literature on local placements and also provides a fresh approach to how universities and employers might work together to identify local skills gaps and increase the provision of local placements. It also offers ways in students’ often negatively framed reasons for not undertaking a placement can be mitigated through engaging with the local context.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2000

Nick Ellis

Examines issues within sales training and stresses the importance of work experience as part of undergraduate business degree programmes, both for those individuals wanting to…

2186

Abstract

Examines issues within sales training and stresses the importance of work experience as part of undergraduate business degree programmes, both for those individuals wanting to develop many of the key capabilities of sales professionals and for companies seeking sales recruits. Issues of recruitment are addressed and an explanation is offered of how student placements can benefit organisations in their search for and development of sales professionals. Observations are drawn from an extensive review of selling and placement literature, and from data gathered via the author’s substantial experience as a placement manager for a large UK university’s business school. In the light of comments in the wide‐ranging evaluation of higher education in the UK conducted by Dearing, the article stresses the need for careful management of work placement programmes, and makes suggestions for improved employer and education links in order to optimise skills and knowledge development.

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1991

Jeremy R. Huyton

The industrial placement is a crucial part of anyhotel and catering sandwich course. The articleexamines the views of college staff, students andindustry about such placements.

Abstract

The industrial placement is a crucial part of any hotel and catering sandwich course. The article examines the views of college staff, students and industry about such placements.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 July 2023

Tiyamike Ngonda, Richard Nkhoma and Thabo Falayi

The study compares how work-integrated learning (WIL) placement positioning, duration, assessment strategies and environment at three Southern African universities influence…

Abstract

Purpose

The study compares how work-integrated learning (WIL) placement positioning, duration, assessment strategies and environment at three Southern African universities influence engineering students' academic and employability outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative case study approach that drew on the principles of collaborative autoethnography (CAE). The researchers reflected on WIL placement practices, structure, assessment, environment and outcomes at their universities and then analysed the reflections using comparative descriptive techniques.

Findings

The study reports no uniformity among the universities in positioning WIL placement in the curriculum. It is done during end-of-year vacations, between the penultimate and final year or in the last year. The study found WIL placement positioning does not influence academic outcomes; however, the influence on employability outcomes needs further investigation. Components of WIL placement assessment are similar, presentations, logbooks and reports. However, there are differences in the weightings of the various assessment components and the contribution of the industry supervisor. There is a growing trend towards placing students within universities to mitigate the challenges of limited opportunities of placements available in the industry. The impact of this also needs to be further investigated. Lastly, there are policy-related challenges in placing international students. Work restrictions on student visas limit international students’ access to WIL placement. Southern African universities need to lobby the waivers to student visa restrictions that limit their participation in WIL programs if there are to succeed in their internationalisation efforts.

Originality/value

The study highlights the gaps in understanding Southern African universities' WIL placement practices, particularly relating to the positioning of WIL placement in the curriculum, the assessment methods used and the theory to work integration and employability outcomes.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

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