Making work-based learning work in an online environment (eWBL)

Discover the latest findings in online internships and explore resources developed for individuals involved in internships

On Monday, 15 April 2024, the presentation of the handbook "Work-based Learning (WBL) in Higher Education" took place at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana. The handbook aims to improve the quality of WBL and practical training for university students, for all current and future mentors of WBL for university teachers and mentors in organisations, companies and institutions where WBL is offered. It is useful for all students undertaking WBL at home and abroad and for professionals involved in the supervision of WBL.

The handbook is intended to improve the quality of practical training (PT) for higher education students, for all current and future tutors of higher education students in PT, and for tutors in organisations, companies and institutions where PT is delivered. It is useful for all students undertaking PT at home and abroad, and for practitioners working in the field of tutoring in PT.

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, as consortium partner in the eWBL project
(Erasmus+), invites all interested higher education teachers, lecturers and external mentors,
coordinators and practitioners, students and student trainees to attend
interactive, free and hybrid training to prepare you for a successful and
quality delivery of practical training in a digital environment.

The new eWBL bulletin is out! Download it here

We are thrilled to announce the release of the eWBL (electronic work-based learning) Framework, available for download in both its original report format targeting practitioners and a version tailored for the academic audience, published as an open-source article in the "Studies in Higher Education" journal.

The eWBL project had a third successful face-to-face transnational partner meeting, held in Ireland last week. The gathering saw all six partners meet to reflect and discuss the project’s progress since it began in 2021. Building on the initial case study research and the creation of the eWBL Framework, the project recently unveiled a pilot version of a practical eWBL toolkit designed to empower higher education institutions with essential knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality eWBL.

Researchers from the University of Groningen and the University of Ljubljana met for a co-creation session to discuss the draft guideline for trainers in HE and in industry for implementing high-quality eWBL. The meeting was hosted by University of Ljubljana. The results of the discussion has indicated that while there are some disadvantages and challenges of implementing WBL remotely, there are also several solutions available that could offset some of the challenges. The leaders of the work package leaders stated that “with the support of the framework that they are developing, they aim to highlights not only the advantages of eWBL (flexibility, lower costs, digital competencies) but also the ways in which the disadvantages can be minimized”. The framework divides eWBL in five stages: design, preparation, onboarding, delivery, and assessment. Each stage is filled out with several theoretical and practical recommendations from literature and data collected in work package 1. The framework will be soon available for download in the project website. As remote work is becoming more popular, there is an increasing need for a robust pedagogical and technological model for “eWBL” that meets all the criteria for qualitative implementation and the delivery of the eWBL. It is within this context that eWBL project is conceived and implemented. The project aims to generate knowledge and provide guidance on how to deliver high quality eWBL from both a pedagogical and technological perspective.

The Science to Business Marketing Research Centre (S2BMRC) has officially launched the ERASMUS+ project eWBL (work-based learning). An online kick-off meeting was held on 28 January 2022. The meeting was organised and hosted by S2BMRC as the project's lead partner. It was also attended by delegates from all partner institutions: the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (The Netherlands); Momentum Business Consulting & Marketing Services limited (Ireland); University of Ljubljana (Slovenia); Università Ca' Foscari Venezia (Italy); and Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini Srl. (Italy). FH Münster and S2BMRC were represented by Jun. Prof. Dr. Sue Rossano-Rivero, Deputy Director of S2BMRC, and Habtamu Garomssa, Project Coordinator, and Luise Henßler, Project Assistant.

The book aims to improve the quality of work-based learning for university students, all current and future mentors, coordinators and university teachers in the field of work-based learning, as well as mentors in organisations, companies and institutions where work-based learning is offered. It is useful for all students doing an internship at home or abroad and for practitioners involved in mentoring in the field of work-based learning.

We are thrilled to announce the release of the eWBL (electronic work-based learning) Framework, available for download in both its original report format targeting practitioners and a version tailored for the academic audience, published as an open-source article in the "Studies in Higher Education" journal.

This report aims to synthesize the findings of the case studies showing how the WBL to eWBL transition was accomplished. The document intends to indicate the best practices observed, highlight the solutions proposed by companies and HEIs to minimize the challenges faced by this training model, and thus broaden the discussion on the topic and raise awareness of the benefits that this modality can bring to the workforce's development.

The importance of work-based learning (WBL) in the development of work-ready graduates has been documented in several EU-funded projects, such as HAPHE (2016), WBLIC (2016) and WEXHE (2020). WBL is an effective pedagogy for promoting graduates' work readiness as it is embedded in authentic work environments. As work is increasingly done remotely, [...]