Learning. Life. Work. Conference

Academia | Work

A Cross institutional track of the conference Learning. Life. Work.

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Keywords

The relationship between academia and work is subject to varied, and sometimes contradictory, interpretations. For some there should be no explicit or pre-planned connection at all. Most simply captured in the ‘learning for learning’s sake’ formulation, this reading of academia and work see them as distinct and discrete spheres of activity. At the other end of this spectrum is the vocational training perspective, that frames education as a mechanism through which learners are prepared specifically for tasks in the workplace. In between these two positions are a multitude of others, each of which stresses one or another aspect of this complex relationship.

Sitting within this context are fascinating experiments that push the boundaries of both the educational and the professional contexts. They seek ever more innovative and challenging ways to interact across the ‘divide’ and provide professionals, teachers and learners alike with fresh perspectives of what work and education can and should be.

From setting up industry-led competitions for innovative students projects, to engaging students with ‘real world’ social problems in the classroom, academia and the workplace are full of collaborations. From ‘live projects’ in disciplines like architecture to ‘hackathons’ in the IT sector, the nature of how those in education interact with those in communities and work sites continues to grow and diversify.

This strand of the conference is interested in exploring these questions through a variety of formats. It welcomes case studies of unique collaborations; critiques of standard modes of practice; research into how we ‘learn on the job’; investigations into the role of business in teaching; examples of training programs, internships and placement schemes, and more.

Part of the conference: Learning. Life. Work.

Teaching + Research

This conference comes out of the AMPS Teaching + Research Programme – an initiative that acknowledges that teaching and research can take different forms and that teaching is not always accepted as research in its own right. Reflecting a scenario in which there are both contradictions and congruence between research and teaching, this programme celebrates and disseminates best practices in both teaching and research, whether it be: teaching operating on its own pedagogical terms; research produced independently of the classroom; or interrelated research and teaching. It aims to operate as a platform for disseminating best practice research and teaching for academics through events, films and publications.

Overview

In working across various strands of research and pedagogical theory in art, design, architecture and the social sciences AMPS has connected academics in over 50 countries. It has also connected people working across disciplinary boundaries and facilitated collaborative projects across national borders. It has brought together departments in single universities and linked practicing teachers, with researchers and industry. Examples of its partners include:

Routledge, Taylor & Francis; UCL Press; Libri Publishing; the University of Manchester, UK; the University of Pretoria, South Africa, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA; the University of Kassel, Germany, Beaconhouse University, Pakistan; Northumbria University, UK; Syracuse University, New York, USA; and many more.

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Image: Photo by Marcus Lenk