Evaluating the WIL experiences of engineering and the built environment students

This investigation explores the experiences of engineering and built environment students during their work experience programs. The aim was to understand the demands, engagements and outcomes of learning through work experience activities. An internet-based survey was administered to all students in the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. This paper reports on responses to quantitative questions (Qualitative data will be reported on elsewhere). 201 students responded, the majority of whom were construction management students. Only a quarter of respondents were not working, indicating that students have ample opportunity to relate their studies to the world of work. This paper reports on the sources of information students used to find out about their industrial placements and how useful these were. The findings reported here are preliminary and will be supplemented in due course with those of the qualitative data to provide a fuller picture.