Embedded Authentic Learning through Job Shadowing: A Pilot Study with International Pre-Masters Students

Abstract

This case study reports on a job-shadowing pilot within an international Pre-Masters EAP-led Research and Critical Analysis unit at a UK arts university. Drawing on experiential learning, Communities of Practice and dialogic pedagogy, the project positioned job shadowing as an authentic encounter linking academic literacies with creative industry practice. Data from tutorials and surveys indicate strong perceived value, with students reporting gains in disciplinary understanding and employability skills, while evidence from EAP outputs suggests emerging ability to translate experiential encounters into academic discourse. Challenges around securing placements, processing technical discourse and linking experiences explicitly to Final Major Projects highlight the need for closer alignment with discipline modules. The study underscores the value of EAP mediation in enabling access to Communities of Practice and demonstrates how authentic professional observation can meaningfully support academic literacies and postgraduate readiness, while also raising questions of scalability, workload, and institutional alignment.