Faculty Willingness and Ability to Engage with Work-Integrated Learning (WIL): Piloting the Faculty Engagement Model in the WIL Sphere

Much of the literature that addresses faculty engagement in work-integrated learning experiences (WIL; i.e., internships, practicum, and co-op experiences) focuses on experiential education broadly or on specific forms of WIL programs, such as service learning. The faculty engagement model (FEM) is the primary model of faculty participation in community-based learning experiences, and it accounts for the myriad factors known to influence faculty engagement, including personal, professional, communal, and institutional factors. Although relevant to WIL, this model has not been used specifically in WIL communities. Thus, the current study sought to examine the utility of the faculty engagement model within the context of WIL. Participants included 72 full-time university faculty drawn from the United States, Canada, and other countries. The researchers recruited participants through personal networks, and the participants completed an online survey asking about the domains of the FEM. Results indicated that faculty are primarily engaged in WIL in the form of internships, and that they highly value both department and discipline support for WIL. The aspects of the FEM that clearly related to faculty engagement in WIL were high department support, high community interest in university collaboration, personal history of participating in WIL, and low institutional support. This pattern suggests that factors across the faculty engagement model contribute uniquely to each faculty member’s decision to engage with WIL activities, and that the FEM can be a useful tool in the WIL realm.