Abstract

Background and objective: Work-integrated learning (WIL) programs operate across academic institutions, workplaces, and labour markets. Coordination across these boundaries determines placement quality. When coordination fails, students experience poor placements and institutions struggle to ensure consistent outcomes. This program of research examines coordination challenges through three studies.
Studies and findings: Study A conducted an integrative literature review of 82 articles. Study B surveyed 99 students about 159 placements. Study C interviewed 12 coordinators from six universities. Findings show researchers working in disciplinary silos, 49% of placements self-organized without institutional support, and marginalized coordinator expertise.
Discussion and conclusions: These patterns reveal a common problem: WIL requires coordination across organizational boundaries, but institutions treat coordination as peripheral. The Boundary Spanning Framework for Work-Integrated Learning (BSF-WIL) addresses this gap. The framework identifies four dimensions where fragmentation occurs and two mechanisms that undermine coordination effectiveness. This provides institutions with diagnostic tools to enhance placement quality and clarifies where further research is needed.