Introduction
One statement that can be made with reasonable certainty is that every work based learning project will be different. The desired outcomes, intrinsic values, individual contexts and driving forces affecting each project team, even teams within the same organisation vary, which is why a custom designed, work based approach to learning can be such an effective professional development strategy. Despite the inevitable uniqueness of each project, it is possible to generalise about a set of discrete stages that work based learning teams, particularly LearnScope teams, are likely to encounter in the course of their projects. In this resource we will describe these and outline features and key points that we have noticed about each. This information is based on observations of LearnScope teams across Australia during 1998 and 1999. Broadly, we have labelled the stages as:

• Planning
  
• Learning
  
• Application of Learning
  
• Critical Analysis
  
• Evaluation

When designing a work based learning project understanding these stages can help guide your planning processes and assist you to shape the project.

Planning
Effective planning is perhaps the most crucial component of any work based learning program. This stage is where decisions are made about:

• which product, function or process to focus on, based on the overall strategic imperatives driving the organisation
  
• measureable outcomes you hope to achieve
  
• selection of participants (including the project manager and learning facilitator)
  
• budget and resource allocationslearning model(s), strategies and tools anticipated timelines and key milestones
  
• information gathering instruments and processes
  
• evaluation strategies
  
• reporting mechanisms and other accountabilities.

The project plan, used as a living document, provides an ongoing framework from which to work. It helps you monitor progress and can act as a motivating force during the more challenging phases of the project. The clearer the plan, the more room there is for creativity and movement within the overall framework.

A well developed plan also enhances project participants understanding of the "the bigger picture" and orients them within this larger context.

Learning
How do you eat an elephant? One mouthful at a time. Learning is similar, but ideally it does not give you heartburn.

Feedback from LearnScope project teams consistently shows that the time needed for skills development is usually underestimated. Like any learner, teachers need to become comfortable with the new tools, technologies or themes they are exploring, the learning model being used and need time for practice and reinforcement. In the learning stage you need to:

• allow enough time. Different learners progress at different paces.
  
• provide access to the equipment, tools, people, resources and other support required to develop the skills, knowledge or attitudes targeted in this stage.
  
• give "permission" to learners to make mistakes
  
• effective facilitation is important here in building trust and encouraging people to move from their comfort zones incorporate formative and summative assessment, feedback and reinforcement.
  
• release the funds needed to achieve this learning, including replacement costs and other resources allocated to this stage of learning.
  
• acknowledge incidental learning (see Learning from LearnScope: Incidental Learning: can you learn without knowing it? resource) be tolerant of changes in direction, the more you learn, the more you realise what you really needed to know.
  
• take one step at a time.

Application of Learning
This stage can be very motivating for participants as they become more comfortable with the individual skills and understandings they have developed and start to synthesise and apply their learning to their "real" work. Issues during this hands on stage include:

• "Time out" needs to be recognised here learning will not be as visible to outsiders (especially colleagues and supervisors) and care needs to be taken to ensure that time is made available for participants to consolidate and apply their learning. Ideally, this will have been addressed in the project plan and strategies developed to maximise opportunities for application of learning.
  
• Facilitation needs to focus on contextualising the earlier learning and helping participants to explore the pedagogical applications of these skills, understandings and attitudes. This is often when teams will commence running pilots and finding other opportunities to apply technology in context.
  
• Budget allocations in this stage may include replacement costs, visits to other sites, conferences with colleagues and/or mentors and costs associated with running pilots.
  
• Formal assessment is not critical in this stage and progress will often be monitored via reflective journals, transcripts of chats or forums, meeting minutes and other qualitative methods.

Critical Analysis
By now learners will have applied their learning to their individual contexts, which may have included conducting pilots or developing modules. The critical analysis stage is where learners start to step back a bit and consider the "so what" of their learning. This will include gaining insights into their own experiences as a learner, how their learning connects with and supports the bigger picture and "where to from here". In this stage:

• Learning becomes more critically reflective, incorporating deeper metacognitive dimensions
  
• Outcomes and reflections are consciously analysed against individual contexts, project outcomes, organisational directions and the larger VET picture The incidental learning that has occurred is recognised and documented
  
• The need to "learn how to learn" becomes more conscious - this is where they may start thinking about their ongoing professional development
  
• Their role in encouraging the development of colleagues and others in the organisationfuture implications and planning requirements.

The implications of what has been learned (in terms of how it affects their teaching and learning practices) is a primary focus during this stage.

Evaluation
Whilst this stage is relatively short, it is critical if the learning achieved is to result in ongoing benefits to the organisation. In this stage:

• Outcomes of the project are measured and reported on.
  
• Processes used to achieve the learning (ie the work based learning strategies and framework) are evaluated and findings are used to shape the planning and development of future learning models.
  
• Outcomes, achievements and recommendations are disseminated to stakeholders and/or published.
  
• Distilled learnings and other outcomes are used to inform future planning processes, strategies and policy development as appropriate.
  
• Reporting accountabilities are addressed, including measureable outcomes, budget expenditure and learning.
  
• Achievements are celebrated and the project concludes.

Final thoughts
In short, be aware that:

• Work based learning is an "organic" sort of process, often resulting in meaningful, "un-planned for" learning that could not otherwise have been achieved. However, this does not negate the need for careful planning. If anything, it emphasises the need to develop a clearly defined framework to work within. Work based learning is hard work.
  
• Acknowledge and celebrate each stage reached by the team. Facilitation and learning issues will be different at each stage. Refer to the project plan regularly to make sure the project is on course and/or make modifications as required.
  
• Document each phase in the process as it occurs. This is important because documentation will often promote reflection and inform subsequent stages. It is difficult to "remember" all the insights you experience as a learner, important information will be lost if you fail to capture these as they occur waiting until the end of the project to piece everything together, make recommendations, generate insights and comply with reporting requirements is not fun. Trust us. Deal with resource issues the whole time. Good luck.