A fundamental aspect of work integrated learning is the ability of students to perform in the work place. Alignment theory therefore suggests that the assessment of work integrated learning should include an assessment of students’ actual... more
A fundamental aspect of work integrated learning is the ability of students to perform in the work place. Alignment theory therefore suggests that the assessment of work integrated learning should include an assessment of students’ actual workplace capabilities. Apart from pedagogical issues, feedback from students indicates that they expect performance in the work place to count significantly towards the assessment of work integrated learning. The assessment of students’ capabilities in legal internships is, however, problematic. It will be impractical for the academic supervisor to directly assess capability if there is a large number of students in external placements. If evidence of capability is provided by the student, the student’s ability to articulate his or her own capabilities will interfere with the validity of the assessment. If evidence of capability is provided by the supervisor then the assessment is heavily dependant on the individual supervisor and may be unreliabl...
