An interdisciplinary, short-term mobility, work-integrated learning experiment: Education for change

Rachael Hains-Wesson and Kaiying Ji
The University of Sydney, Australia

This article explores how a university-wide, short-term mobility, work-integrated learning (WIL) program at an Australian university developed students' interdisciplinary, adaptability and interdependence skills. We chose a case study methodology with a mixed methods approach to answer a key research question to better design online, short-term mobility programs. Data was collected from students who participated in a short-term mobility program through pre- and post-experience online surveys, and recorded focus group interviews. We utilise the findings from this study to provide specific recommendations to support online, short-term mobility practice, curriculum design and delivery. This study contributes to mobility, internationalisation of the curriculum and interdisciplinary education research fields for higher education.
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Authors: Dr Rachael Hains-Wesson (corresponding author) is the Director of the Work-Integrated Learning Hub and an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Business School. She is responsible for leading the scope and scale expansion of the School's Work-Integrated Learning strategy and offerings. Rachael has completed two PhDs (in English and Education) and is a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust for Young Australians awardee. She has extensive senior management and leadership experience in work-integrated learning, curriculum development and design, entrepreneurship, and the creative industries. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1549-4504 Email: rachael.hains-wesson@sydney.edu.au Dr Kaiying Ji is a Lecturer in the discipline of Accounting at the University of Sydney Business School, Sydney, NSW Australia. Kaiying has a PhD in accounting and she is a member of CPA Australia and the CFA Institute. Kaiying has extensive experience in teaching accounting, work-integrated learning and business units. Her research areas include work-integrated learning, financial reporting, and intangible assets. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4332-3892 Email: kaiying.ji@sydney.edu.au Please cite as: Hains-Wesson, R. & Ji, K. (2021). An interdisciplinary, short-term mobility, work-integrated learning experiment: Education for change. Issues in Educational Research, 31(3), 800-815. http://www.iier.org.au/iier31/hains-wesson.pdf