The book addresses the needs of two main audiences, which have an overlapping interest in the nature of professionals’ working knowledge and the reform of professional education.
The first audience consists of academic researchers, including research students, whose interests focus on understanding:
- contemporary workplaces
- the nature of (multidisciplinary and inter-professional) knowledge work
- the nature of professional knowledge and its role in solving novel and recurrent problems in professional practice
- the integration of personal and situational resources in professional problem-solving
- the strengths and limitations of programs of professional education.
The cross-disciplinary nature of these issues means that the book will be of interest to researchers from a variety of fields, including those researching in the learning sciences, higher education, workplace studies and organizational studies.
The second audience consists of those who have a leadership responsibility for programs of professional education in universities and elsewhere. The book will be of value to those considering major changes in such programs – from curriculum, assessment, accreditation, learning and teaching perspectives. It will also be useful to university teaching staff, workplace mentors and others who have responsibility for the successful running of professional education and personnel development programs, including the design and management of work-based learning experiences.
Although the empirical work reported in the book has been conducted in Australia, the book forges strong connections with research and practice in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The book will be of interest to an international audience.
epistemic fluency 