WIL in the Ontario College Sector
Sean Elliott, CEWIL Canada
Kathleen Clarke, Wilfrid Laurier University

Work-integrated learning (WIL) initiatives must be considered within the unique contexts in which they are located. While literature focused on WIL has focused on the Canadian university context, literature pertaining to the college sector is sparse. In this chapter, we provide an overview of findings stemming from a pilot study in which we completed a literature review, an examination of sector reports and ministry papers, and an environmental scan of institutional websites for six colleges in Ontario. Analysis revealed that there are differences across the college sector pertaining to how WIL is conceptualized and how these programs are delivered. However, findings also indicated there is a consistent, increased focused on WIL, evidence of mandatory WIL participation, and a growing focus on entrepreneurial/innovative WIL opportunities. Recommendations for future directions for practice and research are provided.

Good WIL hunting: Addressing common barriers to engaging faculty in work-integrated learning
Christine Arsenault, University of Toronto Scarborough
David Fenton, University of Toronto

In Canada, there has been encouragement at all levels of government to increase work-integrated learning (WIL) within post-secondary institutions. Understanding faculty-perceived barriers to expanding WIL has been a critical step to success. In 2017, The Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough committed that all students would have a WIL experience prior to graduation, prompting an internal analysis on barriers to WIL. The insights derived from this exercise inspired the development of methodology that would help overcome barriers — a path that ultimately resulted in reaching the 100% WIL goal two years sooner. This chapter explores obstacles to faculty offering WIL including administrative load, relationship management, pedagogical differences, and lack of reward. The Acceleration Web and Project Accelerator management models were developed as novel solutions for supporting faculty in overcoming these challenges. The theories and models presented are considerations for increasing quality curricular WIL experiences at a research-intensive university.

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