Professional Education

"Professional Education refers to professional entry education at undergraduate degree or graduate-entry level. Professional Education in broad terms includes a wide range of educational endeavours that prepare graduates for professional work after graduation. This includes most courses at CSU apart from the Foundation courses with no specific occupational focus.

Practice-Based Education (PBE)

Practice-Based Education (PBE) refers to grounding education in goals, content and strategies that direct students' learning towards preparation for practice roles post graduation. PBE is best understood as a curriculum framework that can be shaped to fit the particular situation (e.g. course, discipline, profession, location, resources). Within the framework PBE is manifest in subject, stream and activity level strategies such as goal setting and teaching, learning, assessment and program coordination-evaluation activities. PBE can occur in oncampus workplace, distance, e-learning, self-directed and workplace learning components of curricula. PBE can adopt multiple approaches including problem-based learning, workplace learning (WPL), blended and flexible learning and interprofessional learning.

Practice-Based Education occurs:

in the classroom, in fieldwork and practicum education, in self-directed learning and in distance learning
in the explicit and hidden curriculum, in the intentional and unintentional learning experiences that students encounter, and in the ethos of the university and practice learning environments
in the planned and unplanned behaviour of formally appointed educators and other practitioners that students encounter in the field through the interventions of academic, fieldwork and general staff who knowingly and unknowingly influence the infrastructure, learning community and direct learning experiences of students as well as their aspirations and dilemmas when students are learning together or alone, through the power of peer example in the expectations of external stakeholders including professions, industry partners, the community and interest groups through learning experiences within and across different disciplines
through real, virtual and reflexive learning experiences.

Workplace Learning (WPL)

Workplace learning, also known as work-integrated learning, practicums and professional practice, professional experience, internships, intra-mural and extra-mural placements, fieldwork and clinical placements, allows students to learn through direct implementation of their professional roles in real workplace settings. Workplaces may encompass on-campus and off-campus facilities. Commonly such learning involves supervision to provide safeguards and ensure duty of care towards clients and students. (CSU Academic Senate May 2010).

Interprofessional Learning (IPL)

Source: EFPI (2011) Standards for Professional and Practice-Based Education, The Education For Practice Institute, Charles Sturt University, Sydney. (Version 2: September, 2011.)