An assessment of work-integrated learning for public relations in an open distance learning context

Public Relations Review 40 (2014) 387–396

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Public Relations Review

An assessment of work-integrated learning for public

relations in an open distance learning context

Christelle Swart ∗

University of South Africa (Unisa), Department of Communication Science, PO Box 392, Unisa 0003, South Africa

a r t i c l e i n f o

Keywords:

Public relations (PR)

Public relations diploma

Distance learning

Open distance learning (ODL)

Work-integrated learning (WIL)

a b s t r a c t

Education institutions are increasingly required to ensure the employability of their stu￾dents through quality and relevant educational programmes. Organisational change, in

response to current global challenges, is not a new occurrence and impacts on all levels

and functions of the organisation. This is of particular relevance to the field of public rela￾tions as an organisational function and itis therefore essentialto match theoretical learning

with practice, to ensure that the function operates effectively in the broader organisational

context. It, moreover, re-establishes the need for the continuous assessment of educational

programmes to ensure competent and employable public relations students.

Against this background, the questions underlying this study are whether the public

relations students of the University of South Africa (Unisa), as prospective public relations

practitioners, possess the necessary skills to add value to organisations in their attempt

to meet the challenges they face today, and what is the contribution of work-integrated

learning in acquiring the necessary industry skills.

© 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Constant changes in the global economy, culture and society compel organisations to review and reposition themselves

on a wide front and at all levels and functions of the organisation, to ensure survival and growth (Goodman in Swart, 2012b;

Yeo & Sriramesh, 2009). It is evident that the current educational landscape is similarly challenged to operate and survive

in a changing world and a modern society (Daugherty, 2011; UNESCO, 2002; Van Rooijen, 2011). The view exists that the

university, as traditional custodian of knowledge, could be one of the most recent casualties of worldwide corporatisation

which capitalises on the free-market philosophy (Swanson, 2011; Weinberg & Graham-Smith, 2012), and which also has an

impact on the education sector. This shift towards corporatisation points mainly to an increase in intensity to satisfy grow￾ing consumer demands and to maximise large-scale profits (Van Rooijen, 2011; Weinberg & Graham-Smith, 2012; Wolf,

2008). Within an economy-based and service-oriented society,the challenge for the university is to augmentits value-added

activities and thus acknowledge the economic advantage of knowledge that is embedded in all its academic endeavours.

Furthermore, recognition of such a market-oriented focus calls for the processing of information into knowledge that will

be applied in work contexts. This validates the continuous and scrupulous assessment of public relations educational pro￾grammes to ensure the relevance of the work-integrated learning (WIL) activities in the National Diploma: Public Relations

Management of Unisa.

A study by Nethersole (Weinberg & Graham-Smith, 2012, p.73) argued that South African universities, at that point in

time, were in the process of transforming themselves into businesses – dissociating themselves from institutions historically

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0363-8111/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2013.10.008