Although internships are widely studied work-integrated learning (WIL) practices, microelectronics and defense-related engineering internships remain underexplored. This qualitative study examines how students' experiences in internships shape their professional and subjective development. Guided by existing scholarship, including the students' reflections of quality (RoQ) framework, the central research question-"What is the nature of students' relationship to their internship experience within WIL programs?"-is examined. The study also explores belonging, job pursuit intentions, developmental value, and satisfaction. Thirty-one participants from thirty-one institutions shared rich descriptions of their internship experiences that were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that internships fostered skill development and, when aligned with students' goals, positively influenced satisfaction and career clarity. Mentorship and organizational support were key to shaping belonging and intention to remain in the field. Results suggest that well-designed internships, co-created by students and employers, can bridge the gap between education and employment while cultivating developmental value.
As higher education faces shifting workforce demands and limited placement opportunities, this study examines how co-designed, non-placement work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences can foster student agency, applied learning, and professional growth across disciplines. Focusing on Creative WIL, an initiative involving pre-service and in-service education students and engineering students in a three-day project-based March Break camp for Grade 7 learners in New Brunswick, the study employs a constructivist, participatory orientation and reflexive thematic analysis within an iterative case study design. Centring student voice in shaping inclusive, strengths-based, interdisciplinary WIL experiences, findings show that participants developed key professional competencies, including collaboration, pedagogical responsiveness, and reflective practice, while actively influencing camp design and delivery through feedback and shared decision-making. Five themes emerged: respected autonomy, learning through being and doing, purposeful risk, refreshing perspectives, and hope through impact. This work underscores the transformative potential of student-informed, equity-conscious non-placement WIL models in bridging gaps found in traditional university-practicum-university transitions.
Work-integrated learning (WIL) is vital in higher education, enabling students to apply and enhance their knowledge and skills in real-world settings. This study explores WIL experiences and outcomes within a Bachelor's program in Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, emphasizing what students find important for their learning. Based on focus-group interviews, four key themes emerged: WIL curriculum design, host organization, the student themselves, and contextual factors. Overall, students valued WIL for its role in skill refinement and providing professional insights. While most students expressed enthusiasm about their work placements, some critiqued the university and host company, highlighting issues such as learning design, onboarding and supervision. This study provides valuable insights into managing WIL in challenging rural and remote coastal environments. By employing experimental and situated learning theories, this paper offers a comprehensive understanding of how students, as co-creators of WIL quality, navigate their WIL experiences to improve learning.
Globally, placements are an integral component of many allied health and nursing programs. Students are formally evaluated on their placement performance and may fail. Whilst research has explored placement failure, there remains limited insight from students, including the Australian occupational therapy context. This study involved 28, semi-structured interviews with occupational therapy students and graduates across Australia who had failed or almost failed a long-block placement in the past five years. Interview data was initially analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, followed by framework analysis using self-determination theory. Under selfdetermination theory, three themes and eleven sub-themes were identified. Findings highlighted when the three psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness and competence were compromised, how this influenced a student's performance and engagement on placement. Strategies for universities and agencies to support students before, during, and after placement failure were discussed, exploring how each can contribute to changing the student's experience.
This study analyzes the role of student voices in entrepreneurship education within the framework of workintegrated learning (WIL). Through an empirical, qualitative study supported by grounded theory, the research captures insights from eighteen semi-structured interviews conducted with students at a private higher education institution in western Mexico. The findings reveal three central themes. First, individual work emphasizes personal growth through learning, engagement with reality, and meeting expectations. Second, group work focuses on communication, teamwork, and adaptability. Third, students develop entrepreneurial skills, including creativity, innovation, and decision-making. Student narratives are not only reported descriptively but also serve as the core analytical material from which key categories and theoretical insights were inductively developed. By examining how students' perspectives and reflections shape their entrepreneurial learning, this paper underscore the transformative potential of entrepreneurship education when aligned with WIL principles and offers practical recommendations for strengthening entrepreneurship education through the active integration of student voices.
