New environments for learning: Encouraging students to learn from doing

Today's workplace environment comprises increased demand for graduates with, in addition to their degree, the generic workplace skills that make them job ready, and abilities in the 'basics' such as literacy, numeracy and problem solving.

The experiment sought to provide students with an opportunity for deep learning, rather than surface, and to provide access to generic skills within the framework of an existing Bachelor of Business first year unit profile.

The keys for success were the positive way in which the program was offered to students, linking the workload to existing assessment (although the additional work did not count towards assessment directly) and encouraging, to some degree, student ownership.