Delivering a work-integrated learning postgraduate course during COVID-19: Experiences, challenges and strategies

Prior, Sarah J; Griffin, Phoebe; O’Brien, Lauri; Van Dam, Pieter J

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on teaching and learning in postgraduate education. In particular, work integrated learning, in health care settings, has been disrupted in many ways negatively impacting student learning. Our Clinical Redesign courses are designed to deliver work-integrated learning in partnership with healthcare organisations to deliver workplace projects in real time, which has been complicated by COVID-19. This reflection examines the challenges that arose in the healthcare redesign teaching and learning space during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the experiences of our work-integrated learning students using Johns’ reflection model.(1) Our students faced disruption to their education, workplaces and personal lives, and the experiences of our teaching team whose teaching philosophies were challenged. In response to the ongoing challenges, we developed strategies for supporting our students including the development of virtual projects for students who no longer had access to their workplaces or project appropriate resources.