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The flexible delivery of training to develop skill in industry has been given considerable encouragement by both government and industry in Australia and the United Kingdom. The research in this article examines the learning preferences of apprentices and the support that they receive in the workplace. The data show that apprentice learning preferences are not currently well suited to the self-directed and independent learning expected by flexible delivery. Interviews with the apprentices indicate that the support for them in the workplace is also not suited to their learning preferences, or to supporting flexible delivery. Strategies to develop learners, trainers and enterprise contexts that will better support flexible delivery are discussed. © 2000 Journal of Vocational Education and Training. All Rights Reserved.

Using the Canfield learning Styles Inventory (CLSI), the learning preferences of 1 252 vocational education and training (VET) learners were tested. Results indicate that VET learners are characterised by a preference for dependent learning, rather than self-directed learning; and a preference for learning through observation and direct experience rather than through verbal presentations. These findings are discussed in terms of the preparedness of VET learners for flexible delivery in the workplace. Kember's (1995) two-dimensional model of open learning is suggested as a theoretical framework for the development of strategies to increase the preparedness of learners and workplaces for flexible delivery. © 2000, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Due to the different ways in which students learn, professors must vary their teaching styles. This variation in teaching styles will aid students in their understanding of course materials and enhance student learning. Richard Felder, a leading scholar in the area of learning styles reports, "Students preferentially take in and process information in different ways: by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, analyzing and visualizing, steadily and in fits and starts." Project-Based learning (PBL) is an innovative teaching methodology available to teachers to provide student a different type of classroom experience. PBL is designed to make learning relevant and useful to students though the establishment of connections outside of the classroom. This style of teaching changes the relationship between teachers and students. It focuses on the central concepts and principles of a discipline, involves students in problem-solving investigations, and allows students to work autonomously, to integrate concepts across disciplines, to apply principles to real life scenarios, and situations and practices. This article looks at the incorporation of PBL into a Statistical Quality Control Course. The incorporation of projects synthesizes information that the students have been presented via formal/traditional lecture. Also the use of projects serves to solidify and expand students' understanding of the covered material.

The movement of the health care and education professions from an apprenticeship model in the early half of the century to the tertiary education sector has brought an awareness of the key role field experience or practicum plays in professional development. The literature has demonstrated that field experience during teacher education and clinical education is a valuable part of preparation for entry into the teaching and nursing professions. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the perceptions of final year students from three distinct undergraduate field experiences. Queensland University of Technology students from adult and workplace education, secondary education, and nursing participated in the study. Data were collected through a series of focus group interviews with groups of five to nine participants across the three discipline areas. Students described their expectations of the practical side of their learning and the learning outcomes that eventuated during the practicum.

Reports and discusses the findings of an investigation that examined the efficacy of guided learning in the workplace. The investigation comprised the trialing of guided learning strategies and an analysis of the learning occurring in five workplaces over a period of six months. The guided learning strategies selected for investigation were questioning dialogues, the use of diagrams and analogies within an approach to workplace learning emphasising modelling and coaching. Throughout the investigation, critical incident interviews were conducted to identify the contributions to learning that had occurred during these periods, including those provided by the guided learning. As anticipated, it was found that participation in everyday work activities (the learning curriculum) was most valued and reported as making effective contributions to learning in the workplace. However, there was also correlation between reports of the frequency of guided learning interactions and their efficacy in resolving novel workplace tasks, and therefore learning. It is postulated that some of these learning outcomes could not have been secured by everyday participation in the workplace alone. Further, factors associated with the readiness of enterprise and those within it were identified as influencing the likely effectiveness of guided learning at work. © 2000, MCB UP Limited