Professional artefacts: embodying ideas in work-based learning

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present and examine the addition of a "professional artefact" to the course requirements for the BA Honours Professional Practice ( BAPP) ( Arts) programme at Middlesex University. Design/methodology/approach - This paper takes a case study approach using reflection, indicative theories and consideration of student work to evaluate the introduction of the "professional artefact" into the BAPP ( Arts) curriculum. Following pragmatist and phenomenological descriptions of the lived experience as embodied (Dewey et al., 1989; Merleau-Ponty, 2002) and using learning models based on experience in the workplace (Boud and Garrick, 1999), the paper's methodology takes the work-based principle of "experience as knowledge" to examine the impact of the professional artefact on students learning. Findings - The professional artefact has proven to be a useful way for the learners on the course to reflect on the purpose of their own study and the ways in which work- based learning can be incorporated into their practice through embodied "ideas". Practical implications - The paper suggests that the inclusion of a professional artefact to the curriculum provides a flexible means for bridging academic and workplace learning. The inclusion of the professional artefact could be recommended as a strategy for other work-based learning programmes. Originality/value - The added value for professional practice is that the professional artefact provides a flexible and creative means of communication for emerging and establishing workplace professionals.