Work-based Learning in Health: Evaluating the experience of learners, community agencies and teachers

This paper evaluates a case-study work-based learning (WBL) programme for final year health studies undergraduates, analysing key characteristics, and reporting benefits and tensions that result. It triangulates evidence from learners, community agencies and teachers. Cross-fertilisation of ideas between the academy and community agencies, and the viability of a very short term WBL programme were highlighted as positive features of the scheme, aided by clear student learning agreements. However, student confidence issues, struggles with self-directed learning and assessment of practical skills represented tensions, especially for ethnic minority and part-time learners. For community agencies, some lack of supervisor engagement, limited contribution to the taught-course curriculum and frequent structural reorganisation presented difficulties. Tensions for teachers related to reconciling academic and community enterprise goals, embracing resource pressures, fitting WBL within wider curriculum development and scaling up from small scale WBL programmes.