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Outdated curriculum content and structure which does not connect with the current practices well;
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Manpower constraint to support learners during workplace learning to make better links between theory and practice;
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Limited communication between adult educators, and between adult educators and workplace supervisors on learners’ progress and difficulties in overcoming the challenges in linking theory and practice; and
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Outdated equipment used in practical sessions, which hinders the application in practices.
The next section will discuss the case studies that tend to create a more seamless sense-making experiences for the learners.
4.2 Seamless curriculum design, pedagogies and sense-making experience in blended learning This section will discuss how the seamless sense-making is experienced by the learners from WSH and HR courses, which are affected through the curriculum design and pedagogical practices and shaped by the interaction between industry and TAE arrangements.
4.2.1 Moving towards a seamless sense-making experience (WSH: Construction and Maritime courses) As described in Section 3.3, the adult learners in the WSH courses experienced strong sense-making, as compared with healthcare learners, because the former were provided with more opportunities to make connections between theory and practice and conceive a more systemic understanding of the industry through practical sessions and workplace learning. Such a sense-making experience tended to be seamless for these learners because they received plenty of opportunities and support to link and apply what they have learned across different learning environments. Both of the courses were non-WSQ courses and had been run by the respective training providers for more than 10 years. Again, curriculum design and pedagogical practices shaped by both industry context and TAE arrangement played an important role for the quality of learners’ sense-making experience. The learners’ sensemaking experience in both WSH (Construction and Maritime) courses is illustrated in Figure 9.
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