Student reflections on teaching, learning and the workplace at a university in South Africa

Abstract

The declining number of students enrolling for a qualification in clothing management was evident at a university in South Africa. Higher Education Institutions experienced difficulties in recruiting students for textile and clothing manufacturing programmes due to a negative public perception of the industry. This has brought with it the need to revise the Clothing Management programme in order to keep abreast with the changes in the industry and to align the programme to meet the regional demand for graduates. Work integrated learning aims to incorporate academic study from a theoretical perspective to practical application, therefore infusing a reflexive component of knowledge, skills and attributes that employer's value. It provides an opportunity for students to reflect on what is being learnt in their respective fields and use the work integrated learning aspect to reflect on the application of theory to practice. The fashion production programme (previously known as clothing management programme) implemented in 2013 after a rigorous re-curriculation process has enabled students to be exposed to industry in all years of study, thereby breaking the work integrated learning (WIL) aspect into the three years of study (previously 6 months in the 3rd year). The objective of this paper is to highlight the experiences of students in relation to their teaching, learning and experiential learning. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered through a series of questionnaires over a four year period and analysed to determine students' experiences in relation to teaching,learning and the workplace.