Equipping Students as Changemakers Within a Health Sciences Capstone Course at the University of Waterloo

Abstract

This paper explores the research question, “How does classroom-based work-integrated learning influence health science students’ personal and professional development?”. Co-instructors from the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo designed and delivered the course in collaboration with United College’s GreenHouse, a social impact incubator; the Centre for Career Development; and eight partner organizations, including KidsAbility, featured as a case example in this paper. The course assignments were designed with learning outcomes that aligned well with the four key competencies outlined in the University of Waterloo’s Future Ready Talent Framework. Students, guided by course instructors, incubator, and career development staff, engaged in reflections about their development throughout their undergraduate degree as well as a design sprint featuring social innovation challenges identified by health organizations. Students were supported by design-thinking workshops as they actively engaged in understanding their social innovation challenge and developed solutions to pitch to their organization. The case example illustrates how this WIL opportunity motivated and engaged students to see themselves as changemakers, improved their future-ready skills, and engendered a feeling of optimism about achieving success in their future fields. In addition, perspectives are provided on the benefits to the various partners from engaging in collaboration with each other to deliver the WIL experience.