Enhancing Psychology Students’ Employability Through ‘Practice to Theory’ Learning Following a Professional Training Year

Abstract

In this chapter, Winstone and Avery argue that one medium through which a period of work-based learning can enhance students’ employment, transferable skills and career satisfaction is the design of learning experiences to support students in applying ‘practice to theory’, not just ‘theory to practice’. Experiences during a Professional Training (Sandwich) Year can be harnessed to support academic learning once students return to University study. Winstone and Avery applied the Reality-Based Learning model (Smith & Van Doren, 2004) to inform instructional design in two Level 6 Psychology modules, employing authentic activities and assessments, reflection and problem-based learning. The intervention resulted in a significant increase in students’ self-reported preparedness for work, demonstrating that reality-based learning following return from a Professional Training Year can enhance undergraduates’ work-readiness.