014162 Strategic Learning in Workplaces
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade, no marks
Requisite(s): 014221 Learning in the Digital Age AND 014220 Learning and its Trajectories AND 014222 Designing Innovative Learning AND 014225 Leading Learning
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 013147 Human Resources and Organisational Development AND 013162 Organisational Learning AND 57995 Learning in Organisations
Description
In this subject, students explore the systems and practices that enable and constrain learning in workplaces – for example, a school, hospital, large corporation, government department or small NGO. This subject takes a strategic approach to the design of learning systems and practices for teams and organisations. Students explore contemporary approaches to organisational learning that are critiqued in terms of their relevance for workplace and professional learning in different contexts, with a focus on students’ own professional practice. Contextual factors that enable and constrain learning in organisations, such as power and culture, are also examined. Using their learning in the subject, students develop their own strategic plans to support learning in their workplace.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Identify and articulate a strategic learning scenario relevant to own professional context. |
|---|---|
| b. | Analyse organisational context to establish strategic requirements. |
| c. | Engage with theory to develop evidence-informed learning strategy for a team or organisation. |
| d. | Develop strategies to addresses identified current and future organisational learning needs. |
| e. | Communicate appropriately using a range of genres and technologies. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
- Synthesise advanced knowledge of complex concepts to make research and theory informed judgements about a broad range of professional learning and / or leading practices (1.1)
- Apply research skills to investigate complex learning, leading or innovation practices (2.1)
- Critically and creatively reflect on complex relationships between theory and professional practice using highly developed analytical skills (2.2)
- Apply strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage diverse audiences around complex professional practice issues (6.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
Students are guided through a series of six online modules, over a seven-week teaching session, using a process of practice-based learning. Each module contains rich content that is organised around a series of topics and includes activities that help students actively engage with the content and undertake the practice-based tasks. Students engage interactively through online discussion boards, embedded comments, and concept-based activities and are scaffolded to observe and analyse professional practice.
Students draw on their own professional practice for activities and assessments in addition to relevant examples from industry. In addition to collaborative and individual activities on Canvas, synchronous online seminars provide an opportunity to revise key concepts, further develop connections with other students, and to prepare for assessments. Students receive formative feedback on assignment tasks both from their lecturers and peers, including early formative feedback.
To ensure practice-relevant and authentic outcomes, teaching and learning strategies for this subject involve students customising learning to suit their professional practice context. This occurs through the ‘Capability Wrap’ process. Students develop a ‘Subject Learning Plan’ for each subject, as a way of customising assessments and their learning in the subject to their professional context. As a first step in this process, students must complete their ‘Course Learning Plan’ and Portfolio (Part A –if this is the student’s first subject in the course) and their ‘subject learning plan’ (Part B), which are compulsory (non-graded) tasks and constitute minimum requirements for this subject.
Students also complete a ‘subject wrap-up’ on conclusion of the subject by reflecting on their learning in relation to their course and subject learning plans. This also contributes to the ongoing ‘Capability Wrap’ process.
Content (topics)
Students begin by interrogating key concepts and debates regarding strategic learning in workplaces before having the opportunity to frame their own scenario to use throughout the subject to analyse and develop a learning strategy. They then explore approaches to analysing strategic learning issues and approaches to supporting change. Building on this, students learn about issues of accessibility and sustainability in strategic workplace learning before finalising the subject by examining methods for measuring outcomes. Throughout, students base their work on workplace and organisational learning research.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Identify and articulate a strategic learning scenario
| Objective(s): | a and e | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 10% | ||||||||||||
| Length: | 250 words | ||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Analyse a strategic learning scenario
| Objective(s): | a, b and e | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 2,000 words | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Design a learning strategy
| Objective(s): | c, d and e | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 10-minute pre-recorded presentation | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The satisfactory completion of the Course Learning Plan (Part A) (if not previously completed) and the Subject Learning Plan (Part B) are minimum requirements for this subject as they are key components of the ‘Capability Wrap’ process and a defining feature of this course. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the final assessment task not being considered for assessment.
Required texts
There are no required texts for this subject. Recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and the subject site.
References
Antonacopoulou, E. P. (2019a). The new learning organisation: PART II - Lessons from the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy. The Learning Organization, 26(1), 117-131. DOI: 10.1108/TLO-10-2018-0160
Antonacopoulou, E. P. (2019b). The new learning organisation PART I: Institutional reflexivity, high agility organising and learning leadership. The Learning Organization, 26(3), 304–318. DOI: 10.1108/TLO-10-2018-0159.
Basten, D., & Haamann, T. (2018). Approaches for Organizational Learning: A Literature Review. SAGE Open, 8(3), 215824401879422–. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018794224
Battistella, C. (2021). Sustainable organisational learning in sustainable companies. The Learning Organization, 28(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-05-2019-0074.
Brandi, U., & Thomassen, M. L. (2020). Sustainable organizational learning and corporate entrepreneurship: a conceptual model of sustainability practices in organizations. The Journal of Workplace Learning, 33(3), 212–228.
Buch, A. (2020). People and practices in organizational learning. Forskning Og Forandring, 3(1), 70–88. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.23865/fof.v3.2103.
Cervero, R. and Wilson, A.L. (2006). Seeing what matters: Education as a struggle for knowledge and power. In A. L. Wilson (Ed.), Working the planning table : negotiating democratically for adult, continuing, and workplace education (pp. 5–26). Jossey-Bass.
Chia, R. (2017). A process-philosophical understanding of organizational learning as wayfinding: Process, practices and sensitivity to environmental affordances. The Learning Organization, 24(2), 107–118.
Chiva, R. and Habib, J. (2015). A framework for organizational learning: zero, adaptive and generative learning. Journal of Management and Organization, 21(3), 350–368.
Chuah, K. B., & Law, K. M. . (2019). What is organizational learning? In K. B. Chuah & K. M. . Law (Eds.), Project Action Learning (Pal) Guidebook: Practical Learning in Organizations (pp. 3–14). Springer.
Clark, H., & LeFebvre, M. (2019). The new learning economy and the rise of the working learner. In V. H. Kenan, S. V. Palsole, V. H. Kenon, & S. V. Palsole (Eds.), The Wiley handbook of global workplace learning (pp. 67–81). Wiley Blackwell.
Ewing, B., Sarra, G., Price, R., O'Brien, G., & Priddle, C. (2017). Access to sustainable employment and productive training: workplace participation strategies for Indigenous employees. Australian Aboriginal Studies, (2), 27-42.
Gherardi, S., & Poggio, B. (2018). Organizational members as storywriters: On organizing practices of reflexivity. The Learning Organization, 25(1), 51–62.
Knipfer, K. (2013). Reflection as a catalyst for organisational learning. Studies in Continuing Education, 35(1), 30–48.
Lau, K. W. (2019). A collective organizational learning model for organizational development. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 40(1), 107–123.
Lizier, A.L. (2017). Investigating work and learning through complex adaptive organisations. Journal of Workplace Learning, 29(7/8), 554–565. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-05-2016-0033.
Lizier, A.L., & Reich, A. (2021). Learning through work and structured learning and development systems in complex adaptive organisations: ongoing disconnections. Studies in Continuing Education, 43(2), 261–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2020.1814714
McCabe, D. (2016). “Curiouser and curiouser!”: Organizations as Wonderland - a metaphorical alternative to the rational model. Human Relations, 69(4), 945–973.
Patky, J. (2020). The influence of organizational learning on performance and innovation: a literature review. The Journal of Workplace Learning, 32(3), 229–242.
Peris-Ortiz, M., Ferreira, J. J., & Merigó Lindahl, J. M. (2018). Knowledge, Innovation and Sustainable Development in Organizations: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective. Springer International Publishing AG
Ortenblad, Anders. (2017). A Contextual Perspective on Organizational Learning. In J. Hong & C. (eds) Rowley, Organizational learning in Asia: Issues and challenges (ebook, pp. 173–186). Elsevier.
Starbuck, W. H. (2017). Organizational learning and unlearning. The Learning Organization, 24(1), 30–38.
Zgrzywa-Ziemak, A., & Walecka-Jankowska, K. (2020). The relationship between organizational learning and sustainable performance: an empirical examination. The Journal of Workplace Learning, 33(3), 155–179.