Integrating Employability into Degree Programmes Using Consultancy Projects as a Form of Enterprise

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 459-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon O'Leary

This paper reports on an assessment of how enterprise initiatives develop graduate employability attributes, exploring the use of client consultancy projects as a platform for such enterprise provision in higher education. The study was based on reviews of recent literature and an appraisal of an institutional initiative using live projects as an alternative to the more traditional final dissertation. Enterprise initiatives exist in many forms and the final semester postgraduate students in this research are shown to enhance their understanding of client needs, their individual confidence and their team-working abilities. After five years of the programme, and with 60% of students choosing the consultancy project option, the study is offered as a platform for other higher education institutions to use as a basis for enhancing graduate employability and the student experience. It is argued that enterprise activities, in addition to enhancing the student experience, are also of substantial value to higher education institutions themselves and their associated funding bodies.

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.38) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Nataliya Petrovna Gavrilyuk ◽  
Yana Vladimirovna Kryucheva ◽  
Svetlana Nikolaevna Semenkova

The article covers the issues related to the process of training students for professional activity. The authors introduce a new term "professional integrity". This term is presented by three interrelated structural components: cognitive, communicative, and behavioral. The psychological and pedagogical basis of professional activity is theoretically justified. Diagnostic tools for the problematic area of professional activity are verified empirically. The sources of difficulties and problems faced by a person in professional activity are found out. The authors identify a correlation among the sources of difficulties of a person in the important life spheres. Psychological and pedagogical recommendations on solving problems related to the formation of professional activity at higher education institutions are developed. The findings can be attractive for teachers, psychologists, postgraduate students interested in problems of starting professional activity.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 9543
Author(s):  
Nicolás Matus ◽  
Cristian Rusu ◽  
Sandra Cano

Students’ experiences have been covered by a large number of studies in different areas. Even so, the concept of student experience (SX) is diffuse, as it does not have a widely accepted meaning and is often shaped to the specific purposes of each study. Understanding this concept allows educational institutions to better address the needs of students. For this reason, we conducted a systematic literature review addressing the concept of SX in higher education, specifically aiming at undergraduate students. In this work, we approach the concept of SX from the perspective of customer experience (CX), based on the premise that students are users of higher education institutions’ products, systems and/or services. We reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2021, indexed in five databases (Scopus, Web of Sciences, ACM digital, IEEE Xplore and Science Direct), trying to address research questions concerning: (1) the SX definition; (2) dimensions, attributes and factors that influence SX; and (3) methods used to evaluate the SX. We selected 65 articles and analyzed various SX definitions, as well as scales and surveys to evaluate SX, mainly relating to satisfaction and quality in higher education. We propose a holistic definition of SX and recommend ways to achieve its better analysis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
BOHDAN ANDRUSYSHYN ◽  
OLHA TOKARCHUK

The article deals with the study of the Ukrainian scientists’ activities in one of the largest and most notable centres of Ukrainian political emigration since the early twenties of the 20th century – in the Prague one. It has been pointed out that the Ukrainian intellectuals in foreign countries did not abandon their thoughts about the restoration of a united sovereign state. The Ukrainian state and legal thought development were associated both with the functioning of the Ukrainian Free University as well as other higher education institutions and with the broad involving of European democratic traditions during the emigration period. The professors had to solve such important and difficult tasks as: to create independent university courses on many disciplines for Law Department which programmes had already been significantly expanded in Prague. Having a complicated scientific and methodological work the Ukrainian scientists performed a responsible task successfully; dozens of legal courses were compiled and partially published, most of the specializedcourses differed in originality and made a significant contribution to the development of legal thought and science. Regarding the teaching activity of scientists in emigration, and in the past many of them were lawyers-practitioners and statesmen, we should note that their reports and lecture materials are characterized by deep preparation, content, thoughtfulness and consistency of the basic idea development. The training of Ukrainian youth in higher education institutions in Czechoslovakia was completely saturated not only with European worldview and methodological approaches, but also retained progressive national-state traditions. The forced situation, in which legal scientists got, brought them to such a theoretical and practical level of training of legal staff, to which we are only approaching today. This stage was viewed by young people as temporary and did not even imagine that they would remain in the West forever; prepared to “return home not empty-handed”. Thus, modern legal education and science need advanced more thorough research on the legal refinement of legal scholars in exile. University students and postgraduate students should take an active part in events where scientists and students of law faculties of Ukrainian higher schools in Europe are popularized. It is advisable to organize discussions about state-legal, socio-political views, cultural activities of figures. It is also necessary to intensify the individual search for the scientific activities of Ukrainian emigration in certain areas of law.


Big Data ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 1717-1735
Author(s):  
Paul Prinsloo ◽  
Sharon Slade

Learning analytics is an emerging but rapidly growing field seen as offering unquestionable benefit to higher education institutions and students alike. Indeed, given its huge potential to transform the student experience, it could be argued that higher education has a duty to use learning analytics. In the flurry of excitement and eagerness to develop ever slicker predictive systems, few pause to consider whether the increasing use of student data also leads to increasing concerns. This chapter argues that the issue is not whether higher education should use student data, but under which conditions, for what purpose, for whose benefit, and in ways in which students may be actively involved. The authors explore issues including the constructs of general data and student data, and the scope for student responsibility in the collection, analysis and use of their data. An example of student engagement in practice reviews the policy created by the Open University in 2014. The chapter concludes with an exploration of general principles for a new deal on student data in learning analytics.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Kanwar

Abstract In India there are many higher education institutions and with growing population the number is incrementing day by day. Before taking admission in an institution student analyse the facilities and standard of the institution from the website and by taking peer opinions. Student contentment and feedback is gaining larger importance with mushrooming higher education institutions in India. This paper illustrates a method to analyse student feedback obtained from undergraduate and postgraduate students to assess the Student Satisfaction Index. The feedback is taken on overall infrastructure facilities, academic environment, services offered by the college, additional activities for overall development, quality of experiences and outcomes. This paper gives detailed information about the methodology, calculation and outcome of the exercise utilizing Likert scale analysis. With the recent emerging trends, this innovative method offers flexibility to integrate more parameters, group certain parameters to get feedback on a particular issue and transmute the type of questions with changing environment and structure. The analysis is done using a statistical method. The sample result directly highlights the importance and flexibility of method to evaluate overall satisfaction, satisfaction cognate to a single parameter and satisfaction for questions grouped together underlining some paramount aspects of higher education.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Cheng ◽  
Olalekan Adekola ◽  
JoClarisse Albia ◽  
Sanfa Cai

PurposeEmployability is a key concept in higher education. Graduate employment rate is often used to assess the quality of university provision, despite that employability and employment are two different concepts. This paper will increase the understandings of graduate employability through interpreting its meaning and whose responsibility for graduate employability from the perspectives of four key stakeholders: higher education institutions, students, government and employers.Design/methodology/approachThere are two stages to this literature review which was undertaken across bibliographic databases. The first stage builds a conceptual understanding of employability, relating to definition and how employability can be achieved and enhanced from the perspective of stakeholders. A structured search employing Boolean searches was conducted using a range of terms associated with key stakeholders. The second round of review drew on documentary analysis of official statements, declarations, documents, reports and position papers issued by key stakeholders in the UK, available online.FindingsIt reveals that responsibility for employability has been transferred by the UK government to higher education institutions, despite clear evidence that it needs to be shared by all the key stakeholders to be effective. In addition, there is a gap between employers' expectation for employability and the government's employability agenda.Originality/valueThis article highlights that solely using employment rate statistics as a key indicator for employability will encourage the practice of putting employers' needs above knowledge creation and the development of academic disciplines, with the consequence that higher education will become increasingly vocation driven.


Author(s):  
Beatrice M Tucker

Welcome to Volume 3 of the Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability. This web-based journal is an open access publication of peer-reviewed publications disseminating research and best practice in higher education teaching and learning for graduate employability. In response to contemporary global trends, higher education institutions are exploring innovative ways to transform teaching and learning. These trends include the rapid increase in the availability of interactive learning technologies and development of new frameworks for credentialing skills and achievements gained by learners outside formal educational institutions. Learners are increasingly embracing independent learning opportunities through free, online educational offerings. New approaches to teaching and learning will need to be developed to connect the learner across settings, technologies and activities. Innovative approaches and pedagogies will ensure that higher education institutions achieve their aim to transform students by providing them with the skills and abilities to actively contribute to our rapidly changing world. Graduate employability will continually be a priority for universities and higher education providers, employers, professions, students and graduates. New solutions will enhance and change the way students learn and undoubtedly, the way graduate capabilities are developed within and beyond the formal curriculum. Universities and higher education providers are focusing on assuring and evidencing their institutions' espoused capabilities in their graduates. The development of agreed minimum standards graduates need to achieve to be employable, and how these standards are measured, continues to be a priority and source of much debate in the sector. New challenges include the assurance of credentials and academic integrity in the rapidly changing technological environment that includes Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Key to these challenges are how we evidence and assure student achievement, and much of this is strongly related to how we assess students. There is general acceptance within the sector that the development and assessment of graduate capabilities is most effective when contextualised within the discipline. Numerous approaches to assessment have been proposed including: exit interviews, capstone assessments, an outcomes-based approach using portfolios, standardised tests such as the Collegiate Skills Assessment and performance based assessment tasks. Increasingly e-assessment technologies are being proposed to facilitate the submission, workflow and marking of assessments and for diagnosing plagiarism. Nevertheless the challenges related to academic integrity, whilst not new, are likely to be greater when learning occurs online and assessments are not invigilated. It is likely that the design of valid authentic assessments to enable successful learning and for assuring graduates capabilities lies with the pedagogy rather than the technology. On behalf of our editorial board, the journal's editor, Professor Beverley Oliver, and our administration officer Ms Linda Lilly, I encourage you to participate, through this journal, in scholarly communication, debate and scholarship in learning and teaching for effective graduate employability. Beatrice Tucker Deputy Editor


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