How Blended Work-integrated Learning Fosters Students’ Creative Design Competencies

Abstract

Grounded in boundary crossing theory, we developed and examined a Blended Work-Integrated Learning (B-WIL) framework. Guided by an action research design, this study implemented the model in an undergraduate toy design course characterised by a blended ecology, dual-scale mentorship, and student-centred education. Operating as a critical “boundary broker,” the local mentor translated high-level global insights into the material realities of physical practice. 28 group reflection reports were collected and analysed through a dual-track qualitative strategy: (1) deductive process tracing of design episodes and (2) inductive thematic analysis of perceived competency development. Findings suggest that students encountered recurring challenges, including contextual dissonance, interpretive disconnects, prototype failures, and design fixation, yet resolved them through evolving patterns of support-seeking, experimentation, and cross-boundary communication. The local broker emerged as a key figure in mediating cultural misunderstandings, reframing global critiques, and validating physical prototypes that remote experts could not directly assess. Across the two project cycles, students demonstrated a marked behavioural shift: from epistemic dependence on expert authority towards autonomous, peer-driven experimentation and earlier engagement with material prototyping. The thematic analysis points to three emergent trans-boundary competencies cultivated through the B-WIL environment: sociomaterial fluency, contextual agility, and cross-boundary communication. These competencies equip students to navigate the digital-physical divide, reconcile local cultural identity with global market expectations, and synthesise complex knowledge across spatial and disciplinary boundaries. The study concludes that the B-WIL framework reframes the disembodiment risk of virtual WIL as productive boundary friction that accelerates professional growth. It also offers an actionable, scalable blueprint for institutions seeking to integrate global virtual networks with local physical mentorship, helping students remain materially grounded while becoming globally fluent.