Empowering students through mentoring, learning and reflective portfolios

This paper describes some of the issues raised by a higher education institution (HEI) in implementing systems to empower students in programmes developed in partnership with industry. As organizations focus on economic indicators and return on investment their approaches to learning and development opportunities must be effective and efficient. The resulting award or qualification can be developed to structure the acquisition of knowledge skills and competence in a blended approach valuing the workplace itself as a centre for learning. The challenge for the higher education provider is in equipping students with the supports and skills necessary to identify, translate and document their work place learning for academic accreditation. This case study looks at such an engagement and how mentoring, learning and reflective portfolios can empower students/workers to develop skills in documenting their learning relevant to workplace competencies identified in partnership with the work organization. This work was supported by the HEA Strategic Innovation Funded Roadmap for Employer Academic Partnership (REAP) project.