Learning from Online Professional Practice in Higher Education in the Covid-19 Knowledge Economy

Abstract

There has been a sea change in the pressures on higher education institutions (HEIs) with the advent of internet technologies, pressure on universities to ‘deliver value for money’ and the Covid-19 pandemic (‘the pandemic’). Before the pandemic some commentators predicted that over 50% of colleges and universities in the United States may close or go bankrupt within a decade (Dover, 2021) and arguably, pressures on universities have intensified as many have been forced to deliver education purely online. This paper examines postgraduate professional practice courses (that include a work placement) for international students in the context of these challenges. It explains why such courses are important for helping students with their employability and how such courses help provide ‘value for money’ and reviews literature about this. Also, the paper explains and discusses learning trends from reflective reports of students and compares what was learnt in the past with learning experiences of students in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also includes personal reflections of a tutor who taught professional practice through the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper concludes that similar skills and competencies have been learnt by professional practice students. However, in the pandemic, the students and tutor faced challenges that mirror the challenges faced in organisations. These include: greater unemployment/pressures in employment, challenges of social isolation/mental strength and the increased importance of resilience. This meant that a larger percentage of students in the Covid-19 pandemic failed to get work placements but that all the students on the course learnt similar skills and attributes to students on the same course in previous years. Hence, the courses are valuable for equipping students for the challenging work environments – even during a pandemic.

Keywords: Online Professional Practice, International Postgraduate Students, Covid-19