Abstract:

Background:
Over recent decades, lifelong learning has been established as a fundamental prerequisite for individuals to navigate an increasingly dynamic labour market. The growing complexity of work, the acceleration of digitalisation, and the continuous shifts in competences that follow create a need for educational programmes not only to teach in subject knowledge, but also to design for the development of students’ own abilities to learn, unlearn, and relearn over time. Higher education needs to develop structures and activities that make lifelong learning visible, concrete, and meaningful already during students’ study life.

Purpose:
This project aim to operationalise key research concepts and create learning activities that strengthen students’ metacognitive abilities, professional identity development, and improve their understanding of the learning logics that characterize a future working life.

Theoretical Framework:
The model is grounded in three complementary theoretical research fields:
Workplace learning draws on theories of situated learning, communities of practice, and workplace learning environments. These perspectives emphasise that professional competence is shaped through participation, experience, and ongoing knowledge development. Professional development and identity, this field focus on how students develop and understand their professional role, how identity is shaped in relation to future work tasks and skills, and how reflection serves as a driving force in identity formation and Design for learning and metacognitive strategies, takes its stand on design-theoretical perspectives and research on metacognition.

Method and Implementation:
The research project includes two phases: a pilot study and a follow-up study. Firstly, four pedagogical components in three courses at different levels are implemented to ensure progression:
Research-informed reflection tasks , students engage in reflection activities on learning in and for work. Progression in metacognitive competence, the activities are designed to support students’ gradual development of skills to analyze their own learning processes. Authentic work-related assignments, students engage with real or simulated workplace situations where theory and practice are intertwined. Learning resources that link research and practice, digital resources, seminars, and workshops are used to maintain a continuous link between research, education, and working life.
The follow-up studies (after 6 months and 2 years) aim to examine the sustained effects of the model. It will investigate: Students perceived preparedness for lifelong learning, use of metacognitive strategies in the workplace, perceived relevance of educational elements linked to professional development and potential changes in work identity and learning strategies.

Implications:
This contribution presents proposals for how higher education institutions can strengthen their programmes by creating clearer links between research and practice, and by working more systematically and long-term with students’ metacognitive development. The model may serve as a foundation for future programme development and contribute to preparing students for a working life in which learning is a continuous and essential part of a professional practice.

Keywords:

Educational design, professional identity, student learning, curricula.