The AA and Coventry University have, teamed up in a new approach to enable workers to learn and earn (this was in personnel today back in October). Since the Leitch report ‘learn and earn’ is an increasing market for HE, the challenge for HE is to fulfill this market. The partnership AA-Coventry collaboration has much in common with the BA Learning Technology Research degree – learners are in employment, learning for, at and through work, there are elements of problem based learning, evidence and competence based learning, the linking of theory and applied knowledge is a central tenet and the inclusion learners without pre-specified qualification levels. 

The BA LTR is not brokered by a particular company. Learners come as instigators of learning to the university and seek to learn through their own individual work context. With the AA partnership case, the company are in effect HE brokers or critical partners. 

Some comparisons (in time) between the two course experiences might be helpful to better understand the field of work-based learning. A few questions of personal interest to me would include: 

When the learner instigates the work based learning rather than the employer are the motivational factors different? 

When the company makes the partnership agreement with the university, is there the release of study time such that the learner is better able to manage their work-life-learning  balance,  than when learning is undertaken without the adoption of the direct employer  in to a relationship with the HEI? (A comparison of learner experience)

How can we equip learners in work undertaking higher education courses with the study skills to thrive? (A comparison of strategies)

One of the questions often directed to myself and colleagues about the BA LTR is about the sustainability of facilitating the course – ‘how is it sustainable to engage so intensively with your learners when they have so many different needs and contexts and personalised pathways?’. The BA LTR team have continually refined practices to cope with up-scaling the number of learners, central to this is the notion of community based learning rather than one-to-one support. The article acknowledges the intensity of such personalised courses. A further area for potential research might lie in a comparison of techniques for permitting personalisation with sustainability and scalability.  

An interesting project, I look forward then to the unfolding story.