????說到大學教育,，你腦海中會浮現(xiàn)出什么樣的畫面呢,？是坐在大階梯教室前排聽專家講課？在實驗室里努力做實驗,？參加小組討論,？還是在大學圖書館泡上幾小時“啃書”？
????在加拿大,，雖然這些都可能是多數(shù)大學生在校生涯的一部分,，但學校也越來越鼓勵學生走出校園，到社區(qū)去參加各種活動,。瀏覽加拿大主要大學的網(wǎng)站就會發(fā)現(xiàn),，其中大多數(shù)都有“動手”學習內(nèi)容，也就是讓學生把理論和實踐結(jié)合起來,，而且這種學習正越來越被看作是大學生涯的核心,。
????這些把正規(guī)教育和工作實踐聯(lián)系在一起的活動稱為“工學結(jié)合”（Work Integrated Learning）。它引發(fā)關注的原因有幾個：首先,，安大略省高等教育質(zhì)量委員會（Higher Education and Quality Council of Ontario）的一系列研究顯示,，完成課堂學習和社區(qū)學習的學生通常會覺得自己的學習更深入，對自身和選擇的學術方向也更有信心,。
????由于全球勞動力市場的變化,，如今找工作或者讀研的難度大幅上升。簡歷上的畢業(yè)前工作經(jīng)歷有助于讓學生脫穎而出,。工學結(jié)合會讓本科畢業(yè)生在找工作或者報考研究生,、申請去專業(yè)學院深造時獲得競爭優(yōu)勢。
????那么,，什么是工學結(jié)合,？對于加拿大多數(shù)高校開設的各類工學結(jié)合課程項目，學生又需要了解些什么？大多數(shù)工學結(jié)合都是選修課,，并不與學位直接掛鉤,，而且有些形式的工學結(jié)合項目只適合某一部分學生。在加拿大,，最常見的工學結(jié)合模式包括：
????實習：這也許是實業(yè)領域描述工作經(jīng)歷的最常用詞匯,。實習包括帶薪實習和無薪實習，期限也有長有短,。過去2-3年中,，隨著大型盈利組織壓榨無薪實習生的報道屢屢登上新聞頭條，無薪實習在北美受到了嚴格監(jiān)督,。受此影響,，無薪實習正在發(fā)生變化，越來越多的公司開始考慮帶薪實習,，或者把實習作為大學課程,，讓參加實習的學生獲得拿學位所需的學分。有時正規(guī)大學會把實習納入獲得學位的課程之中,，但在更多情況下，實習機會由企業(yè)提供,，學生需要應聘并利用課余時間完成實習,。
????評估實習機會時要考慮的因素包括：它是否帶薪，如果是無薪實習,，學生就要綜合考慮其他方面的付出,，進行比較，看花在實習上的時間是否合理,。相關公司以前是否招過實習生,，如果招過，那些實習生對自己的經(jīng)歷作何評價,？實習期間,，是否有機會做大量和自己的專業(yè)以及職業(yè)目標相關的工作？還是說會更多地在辦公室里打雜,？對來自海外地區(qū)的國際學生來說,，還要考慮實習是否需要工作簽證。 |
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????What do you imagine when you think about a university education? Sitting in large lecture halls, listening to experts at the front of the room? Working hard on lab experiments or participating in discussion groups? Spending hours in front of books at the university’s library?
????While all of these activities are likely to be part of most students’ experience at Canadian universities, increasingly students are also being encouraged to participate in activities that take them outside the classroom and into the community. Look at the web sites of most major Canadian universities and you’ll see that “hands-on” learning that allows students to integrate theories with practice is increasingly viewed as central to the university experience.
????This focus on Work Integrated Learning (WIL)—programs that combine work with formal education—is the result of several factors. First, studies, including a series from the Higher Education and Quality Council of Ontario, show that students who complement classroom learning with learning in the community usually feel they learn more deeply and are more confident about themselves and their academic choices direction
????As the changing global labour market makes getting a job or getting into graduate school a lot more difficult, having work experience on your resume prior to graduation helps students differentiate themselves from their fellow students. WIL gives graduates a competitive advantage in the labour market, for graduate school, and for professional schools.
????So what is WIL and what do students need to know about the different types of programs available to them at most Canadian universities? Most forms of WIL are optional, not required elements of a university degree, and some forms will be better suited to some students than others. Some of the most common types of WIL in Canada include:
????Internships: Probably the most commonly used term to describe work experience in industry, Internships can mean paid or unpaid work of varying durations. Unpaid internships have come under scrutiny in North America in the past 2-3 years as stories of large, profitable organizations exploiting unpaid interns have captured headlines. As a result, practices around unpaid internships are changing, and more organizations are looking at bringing on interns either in paid roles, or from university programs that give students’ credit for their internships towards their degree program. Sometimes internship programs are part of a formal university program integrated with the degree, but more often they are opportunities that an employer posts and students apply for, completing them on their own time.
????In assessing an internship opportunity, consider: Is it paid? If not, are the volunteer hours reasonable given my other commitments? Will the experience count for credit towards my degree? Has the employer hired interns before? If so, what do past interns say about their experience? Will I be asked to do substantial work related to my degree and career goals, or will I be doing more menial work around the office? If I’m an international student, do I need a work visa for an internship? |
