Delivering Quality WIL Without Compromising Wellbeing: Exploring Staff and Student Wellbeing in a WIL Context Through the Lens of Organisational Health

Abstract

Recent scholarship has highlighted the need to be attentive to the student experience of placement-based work-integrated learning and its possible impacts on the wellbeing of student participants. The experiences of staff involved in planning, delivering and supporting work-integrated learning programs and the impact on their wellbeing have received less attention. Using data from a survey conducted at an elite Australian university, this article explores staff perspectives on, and experiences of, work-integrated learning. Through the theoretical lens of organisational health, this article proposes key contributors to ensuring quality learning outcomes for students without comprising the wellbeing of staff. These include conducting realistic workload assessments and providing staffing and allocating workload in line with these; providing appropriate training, staff recognition and reward, and employment which recognises work-integrated learning as a specialist skillset; and resourcing skilled administrative support and technological systems.