Using practice-based education to improve the student experience

Practice-based education (PBE) is an invaluable experience as it offers students an essential bridge between the conceptual tools gained in a university classroom and the realities that occur in the social and physical context of the workplace (Clifford, Macy, Albi, Bricker &Rahn, 2005). The rationale for PBE at Charles Sturt University (CSU) is to enhance the student experience and ensure 'work-ready' graduates. As a Teaching Fellow seconded to CSU's Education for Practice Institute (EFPI), this research used a document analysis(Maykut & Morehouse, 1994) of course profiles, subject outlines, assessment descriptions and field observation notes to identify guiding principles that inform the design of practice based education in three purposively selected case studies. The case studies represented undergraduate courses that demonstrated quality practice, represented traditional and new approaches to implementing PBE, were on various CSU campuses, and were in different Schools and Faculties. The results of the research are significant as these guiding principles can be extrapolated to other CSU courses and tertiary institutions who offer their students PBE opportunities to enhance the student experience.