Prime Highlights
- Thompson Rivers University won two international awards at a major global work-integrated learning conference.
- TRU research focused on student retention, mentoring systems and career-focused education.
Key Facts
- Thompson Rivers University is a public university based in British Columbia, Canada.
- Work-integrated learning combines academic study with practical workplace experience such as co-op programmes and applied research.
Background
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has received two major international honours for its work-integrated learning (WIL) research at the World Association for Cooperative Education International Research Symposium in Auckland, New Zealand, held in April. Winning two awards at the same global event marked a rare achievement for one institution.
TRU student Kris Kadaleevanam won the Emerging Research Poster Award in the graduate student category, despite being an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in economics. His work on student retention in successive co-op educational programs at TRU clearly underscored this.
Only students in co-op programs could actually demonstrate stronger academic persistence. The study showed that this trend resulted in better student engagement, decreased financial stress and improved career path understanding, particularly during students’ mid-academic studies.
Kadaleevanam said presenting at an international platform was humbling and motivating. His research has also been invited for expansion into a full article for the International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning.
TRU faculty member and co-op coordinator Corinna Bartucci received the Best Paper Award for her study on reciprocal mentoring relationships in co-operative education. Her study examined views held by students and industry partners towards shared value and collaboration in a mentorship collaborative setting.
The paper also introduced the REAMICS model, which explains how students, employers and institutions can build stronger mentoring systems within co-op programmes.
Bartucci said the recognition was meaningful and encouraging. She added that the conference also created valuable connections for future international research partnerships. She has been invited to develop her research into a book chapter.
TRU Career and Experiential Learning chair Jamie Noakes said the two awards reflected both individual excellence and the university’s strong global standing in career-focused education.
The recognitions highlight TRU’s growing leadership in experiential learning and student career preparation worldwide.
