Reflecting on how to optimize tertiary student learning through the use of work based learning within inclusive education courses

Teaching and learning, as two of the most fundamental components of the educational process, have been of interest to a variety of individuals concerned with tertiary education for a long time (e.g., Biggs & Moore, 1993; Marton, 1997; Ramsden, 2003). Few individuals would deny that learning is the primary purpose of higher education and that teaching is the foremost means by which that goal is accomplished. Consequently, tertiary educators constantly seek opportunities to provide best practice in their university classrooms. As a profession, teaching at the tertiary level obviously draws upon a formal knowledge base. An important step in the translation of the formal knowledge base to enlightened practice is to draw upon tertiary students' experiential and informal knowledge. This paper discusses how a work based learning experience was utilized to enhance a post graduate course on collaborative consultation and team building methods.