From ivory towers to factory floors

Many people now agree that work‐based learning has an important part to play in the development of learners. Structured Industrial Practice Studies (SIPS) is an example of a work‐based learning approach in which students complement their instructional studies at university with short, structured periods in industry as part of their ongoing weekly activities. Describes this process which has been applied in the subject areas of applied physics and chemistry, the business element of manufacturing engineering and engineering in general. The SIPS model consists of three elements: a briefing (students develop an approach towards the achievement of predetermined learning outcomes during a visit to industry), a visit to industry and a debriefing (students review their learning and prepare a report on the learning experience).