Abstract

This seminar presents student experiences during a semester long internship journey where self-reflections on teaching, leadership, professional identity, future ‘ self’ and strategies for bridging the gap between theory and practice are all discussed. Student stories paint a picture of a future professional and reveal new perspectives to better inform the successful transition to work. Results show that students move through multiple domains of identity during the internship and the curation of evidence (and the accompanying narrative) presented in their portfolio fosters experiential learning outcomes. Therefore, reorienting learning for career relevance is important to enable the development of essential, transferable skills such as leadership, communication, teamwork, workplace negotiation and problem solving.

JENNIFER ROWLEY , PhD, is an Associate Professor in Music Education with special interests in the areas of learning technologies; cognitive and behavioural development; learning and teaching in higher education; identity development for graduates; and the impact of eLearning on student engagement. Jennifer lectures in pedagogy and curriculum; cognitive and adolescent development; and social and professional issues for musicians and teachers: she is committed to students’ professional learning and how individual cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioural needs of all learners can be met in a diverse range of educational settings, including the digital environment. Ensuring graduates develop a salient identity through understanding the changing nature of today’s workplace is one of her passions. Research-enhanced learning and teaching inform her research and teaching practice. Jennifer presents at national and international conferences and publishes on the use of new and digital technologies.