ABSTRACT
Increasingly the higher education establishment seeks to support continuing professional development by offering postgraduate qualifications that recognise the contribution of work-based practice. This case study, presented by Terrell and Zoubir, reports on the successes of one such programme over an 8-year period. Central to the design of the programme is an approach to learner-designed and learner-controlled research projects conducted in the participants' workplace that are reliant on technology-mediated remote tuition supported by rich online collaboration. But for all the richness of design the programme has revealed tensions between the needs of the individual and the needs of the establishment. The case employs a mix of quantitative and qualitative data in presenting the experiences of the tutors and the participants on the programme. Readers engaged in building or delivering accredited work-based programmes will find the chapter full of practical advice that points to the challenges of online collaborative professional development and points to key enablers of success.
