Problems and possibilities to enhance non-local work-integrated learning experience for postgraduate design research

In recent years, postgraduate research students have been more expected to gain knowledge and experience through work-integrated learning. The key advantages of work-integrated learning include non-conventional university support and facility for research. Students can also gain alternative and other in-depth and comprehensive experience in the research area. This off-campus learning also provides opportunities for students to explore other research interests. On the other hand, work-integrated learning has its deficiencies and limitations. Since the learning is conducted outside the university, it is difficult to make arrangement and be available, in particular most of the time not the best available locally. Therefore, work-integrated learning is sometimes necessary to be carried out in remote regions. This situation creates more barriers and un-predictable matters for planning, implementation and management of the learning. To review the needs of work-integrated learning, this paper takes a collaboration of work-integrated learning for postgraduate design research students between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong as a case study. The paper then identifies some key issues and problems. After that, the paper identifies and discusses possibilities for improvement and directions for further investigation.