Industry-based learning

Research from the fields of adult learning, workplace education, professional development, organisational learning and co-operative education are drawn on to identify elements that should be considered in the design, implementation, management and sustained improvement of co-op programs. Each work placement is unique meld of stakeholders, the job and the organisational context. Key factors that promote learning in the workplace include the engagement of the work place supervisor in the student's professional development; the learning environment within the organisation; and the student's own motivation, abilities and learning orientation: It is proposed that information systems delivering co-op programs need to manage: (a) the development and performance of industry partnerships, (b) the relationships between key stakeholders; and (c) the professional skills development and learning. © 2009 Springer-Verlag US.

Challenges to providing work integrated learning to international business students at Australian universities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a three-year Australian study of international business and accounting students and the transition to employment. For international students seeking to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive global labour market, foreign work experience is now an integral part of the overseas study “package”. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is seen to provide critical “employability” knowledge and skills, however, international students have low participation rates. The high value placed on WIL among international students poses challenges for Australia as well as opportunities. Understanding the issues surrounding international students and WIL is closely linked to Australia’s continued success in the international education sector which has broad, long-term, social and economic implications.Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on 59 interviews with a range of stakeholders including international students, universities, government, employers and professional bodies. Central to the paper is an in-depth case study of WIL in the business and accounting discipline at one Australian university.Findings – Providing international students with access to discipline-related work experience has emerged as a critical issue for Australian universities. The study finds that enhancing the employability skills of internationals students via integrated career education, a focus on English language proficiency and “soft skills” development are central to success in WIL. Meeting the growing demand for WIL among international students requires a multipronged approach which hinges on cooperation between international students, universities, employers and government.Originality/value – This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap by advancing theories in relation to international students and WIL. While there is a significant body of research in the fields of international education and WIL, there is an absence of research exploring the intersection between the two fields. The study will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in both fields by exploring the emerging issue of WIL and international students.

ePortfolios in business education: a national study of ePortfolio implementation 2013 to 2015

To be launched in March 2016, this study explores the transformative potential of ePortfolios in business education. Educators and higher education institutions are increasingly looking for innovative ways to enhance learning outcomes through technology. Given their potential to aid in the development of engaged, reflective lifelong learners, and develop and showcase employability skills, ePortfolios are increasingly being used around the globe.

This study shares the experience of, and lessons learned from, the implementation of ePortfolios in one general business management course and three accounting related courses at three higher education institutions. The recommendations and principles proposed provide benchmarks for best practice and practical guidance for embedding ePortfolios into business curricula.

Developement and evidencing achievement of graduate learning outcomes in Deakin University's enhanced mooc

There is now a plethora of Massive Open On-line courses (MOOCs) offered worldwide. Whilst many MOOCs focus on discipline-specific content, little attention has been paid to how MOOCs can explicitly help participants develop generic employability skills such as communication, digital literacy, global citizenship and the like. Similarly little attention been paid to explicitly assuring the quality of MOOCs with respect to alignment with regulatory body standards. Deakin University's first MOOC, DeakinPrimer, is an introduction to humanitarian responses to 21st century disasters. It has been designed to assist participants to explicitly evidence generic or employability skills, some of Deakin's eight Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) including communication, digital literacy, critical thinking and global citizenship. Other key features of DeakinPrimer include opportunities for networking with fellow participants and experts within the humanitarian field, and the opportunity to apply for credit towards the Graduate Certificate in International Community Development (level 8 in the Australian Qualifications Framework [AQF]) and for those with a prior Bachelor degree, the Masters in Humanitarian Assistance or the Masters of International Community Development (level 9 in the AQF). DeakinPrimer is designed as a test bed for a learning innovation, particularly micro-credentialing GLOs using digital badges to enable self and peer endorsement of evidence of learning. Badging is integrated in two ways. Firstly, DeakinPrimer participants build portfolios of learning artefacts associated with learning activities, then assess their work against a set of holistic, generic learning outcomes standards rubrics. If they judge their evidence as meeting the required standard, they can claim a badge (self endorsement) associated with particular GLOs. Secondly, participants can request and provide peer feedback and endorsement (using peer badges). The integration of self and peer review in the assessment tasks helps participants develop important employability skills, the ability to critically self-reflect on their own work and critically analyse the work of others and provide evidence-based feedback. DeakinPrimer is scheduled to commence in July 2013. This paper explains the way in which the course curricula has been designed to use technologies to enable participants to curate evidence of learning, and self and peer endorse such learning against defined standards.

Responding to student evaluation of teaching : closing the loop

Our undergraduate curriculum focuses on preparing students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, and knowledgeable, responsible information technology (IT) professionals. Students often question the relevance of core subjects which are designed to introduce and develop these attributes; such units regularly perform poorly in student evaluation of teaching. Although these subjects are strongly grounded in meeting industry expectations regarding employability skills, students do not value the learning as the curriculum is deemed non-technical and not worthy of inclusion in an IT qualification. As these are core subjects, improving student perceptions and learning outcomes is of critical importance. Simply responding to student feedback received via student evaluation of teaching had not resulted in any improvement; so a holistic approach was adopted. A workshop was organised to explore the issues and develop a strategy to improve outcomes and perceptions of these subjects. Rather than addressing student feedback specifically, the underlying issues that led to students’ negative perceptions were identified and addressed. Recommendations were implemented in 2014 resulting in improvements in student evaluation for relevant subjects. In this paper, we will discuss the process that was adopted to respond effectively to student evaluations, and explore the impact that this had on them.

The perceived employability of ex-prisoners and offenders

A large-scale study was conducted to examine the perceived employability of ex-prisoners and offenders. Four participant groups comprising 596 (50.4%) employers, 234 (19.8%) employment service workers, 176 (14.9%) corrections workers, and 175 (14.8%) prisoners and offenders completed a questionnaire assessing the likelihood of a hypothetical job seeker's both obtaining and maintaining employment; the importance of specific skills and characteristics to employability; and the likelihood that ex-prisoners, offenders, and the general workforce exhibit these skills and characteristics. Apart from people with an intellectual or psychiatric disability, those with a criminal background were rated as being less likely than other disadvantaged groups to obtain and maintain employment. In addition, ex-prisoners were rated as being less likely than offenders and the general workforce to exhibit the skills and characteristics relevant to employability. Implications for the preparation and support of ex-prisoners and offenders into employment are discussed, together with broader community-wide initiatives to promote reintegration.

Bridging the gap : competencies students should focus on during their cooperative experience to enhance employability

Cooperative education programmes aim to prepare students for the workplace by developing both generic and specific competencies that will enhance  employability. Researchers have investigated the competencies relevant to business, science and technology graduates (Coll & Zegward, 2006; Hodges & Burchell, 2003). However, there is little published research on the perceptions of the skills or graduate competencies that employers desire of sport and recreation graduates entering the workforce.

The aims of the study were to identify key competencies needed by third year sport and recreation degree students entering their cooperative placement as well as to identify the difference between student and graduate competencies. An online survey of sport and recreation industry supervisors was conducted. For comparison the survey was also completed by academic supervisors from AUT University. Supervisors were asked to rate the importance of specific competencies (adapted from Coll & Zegward, 2006) for the cooperative student and for the graduate.

To enhance employability in the sport and recreation industry, academic programmes within a university need to ensure that students are provided with opportunities to facilitate the development of competencies including the ability and willingness to learn, the use of initiative and personal organisational skills. Cooperative education experiences should be designed to provide opportunities for students to develop in the areas of relationship building as well as teamwork and cooperation in order to increase their likelihood of employment as graduates. It is important to identify and communicate to the tertiary education providers the needs of the industry in order to create successful cooperative education partnerships.

Potential utilisation of assessment centre methodology to enhance student placement outcomes, experiences and employability

Background: Placements are of particular importance due to the richness of learning associated with placement experiences and the wider links they represent to industry and the community. Students often refer to placements as the most significant, productive and memorable component of their training. Importantly, placements also provide the opportunity for students to become work ready, i.e., integrate their knowledge into a new set of employable skills and personal qualities. There is now increased emphasis on employability by employers and universities alike; in fact, it now represents a critical performance measure for Australian universities. Despite these key points, there appears to be inconsistencies in approaches to maximising work placements across and within Universities. Assessment centre methodology may represent a useful approach to standardise and optimise work placements for all stakeholders. Assessment centre methodology has been used successfully for selection purposes in industry for the past 50 years. However, their use as a developmental tool is less prominent. Furthermore, their application in the higher education setting, particularly in the context of placements and student development appears under researched.
Overview of issue: Only one published study was found that reported the use of a developmental assessment centre with a post-graduate sample. That study took place over 10 years ago when the concept of employability was still gaining recognition and work placements were less common. The current paper reviews this unique concept in the context of the existing literature and the current needs of Universities, employers and students.
Discussion: It is argued that the reconsideration of assessment centre methodology for development represents an innovative approach to consistently maximising work placement outcomes, experiences and employability.
Conclusions: Given the importance and increased use of placements, the application of assessment centre methodology within the placement curriculum warrants further research. This methodology represents a standardised approach for implementation within a range of placement programs to enhance student development, placement outcomes and employability.

The acquisition of generic skills of culturally-diverse student cohorts

The changing nature of higher education and the structure of graduate labour markets have increased emphasis on employability and graduate outcomes. Universities have responded to this changed environment by embedding generic skills in the curriculum. This paper examines the generic skills that students perceived they acquired in their accounting studies in preparation for graduate employment. Given the changed background profiles of students studying accounting degree in Australia, and the employment difficulties they encounter on graduation, the study specifically addresses the perceptions of students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The findings demonstrate that, overall, students believed that their accounting course assisted in developing generic skills, while differences in perceptions were identified between different cultural cohorts. The research highlights the need to develop educational practices which embed generic skills development in the curriculum in a way that maximises the opportunities for culturally-diverse student cohorts to enhance their employment outcomes on graduation.

Real estate employability : differing perceptions of graduates from undergraduate and postgraduate courses

Purpose – Employability is likely to be at the forefront of any degree applicant's mind in England and Wales due to an impending large increase in the cost of tuition. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a Centre for Education in the Built Environment-funded project which has investigated real estate graduate competencies and employability. The paper concentrates on significant differences in emphasis by graduates from undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses.

Design/methodology/approach – Following an extensive literature review, 72 competencies have been identified and the Confederation of British Industry classification of knowledge, skills and attributes has been adopted. An online survey of 639 graduates (half UG and half PG) asked respondents to complete five-point Likert attitude scales to rate how their course enabled development of the 72 competencies. Themes developed from the results of the questionnaire study have been explored in greater detail with five real estate education providers and the human resource managers of four large London employers.

Findings – Rather surprisingly, UGs rated their gaining of the vast majority of the competencies more highly than PGs. This finding seems to be at odds with the impression given by the educators and employers, both of whom perceive a preference for the greater maturity and commercial awareness of graduates from PG courses.

Originality/value – Real estate course providers can use the results of this study to ensure that their programmes of study adequately address what is likely to become the crucial factor in the choice of any future programme of study – employability.

Developing graduate knowledge and skills for the world of work: The case of the translation curriculum in Vietnam

National and global challenges have given rise to the need to prepare Vietnamese graduates for effective adaptation to the increasingly changing professional field, their community, their society and the globalised world. The tertiary education curriculum thus needs to take into account the employment market, socio-cultural demands and students’ individual needs in order to develop highly educated populations for the world of work and for the current knowledge economy.

Based on a case study of the translation curriculum in a B.A. (Bachelors of Arts) language program, this paper addresses the mismatch between the demands of the translation employment market and the curriculum within the context of Vietnamese tertiary education. It raises a number of important issues related to the tensions between the centralised curriculum, learner-centred education, the actual demands of the employment market as well as the issue of capacity building in response to the socialist-oriented market economy and the changing workplace context in Vietnam. Implications are drawn not only for the translation curriculum, but also for the reform of the Vietnamese tertiary education curriculum as a whole, in order to enhance graduate employability.

Building resilience: developing a resilience toolkit for employability in built environment graduates

Upon graduation from University many students lose access to support structures such as peers, academic mentoring, etc. This may lead to tension, stress and failure to perform effectively in new workplaces, especially if the workplace itself is stressful. This is particularly the case for graduates who move into work within construction, as this industry provides a uniquely stressful environment where the development of resilience is imperative for success. The ability to cope and draw on resilience skills provides answers for built environment graduates. The development of resilience skills is not included as learning outcomes within courses, units of study or programs of learning within the built environment discipline. This dilemma, from a student's perspective, draws us to the rationale of the proposed research and its aim to show the development of a resilience toolkit for built environment students. There is considerable evidence that incorporating resilience skills into undergraduate curricula in built environment disciplines will have positive outcomes. Outcomes from an initial review of 3 participating University undergraduate programs, devised to determine resilience training for undergraduates is presented. A compilation and collection of noteworthy examples where resilience learning and teaching exists in undergraduate curricula will also be identified.

Strategies to develop divided attention skills through video game training

Research .over the past two decades has confirmed the learning opportunities that video games can offer. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the ability of video games to enhance divided attention skills and compare these skills based on individuals' level of expertise in video game playing. Female participants aged between 17-25 years categorised as experts or novices, were divided into experimental and control groups. All participants completed the pre and post-test of divided attention between which only the experimental group received video game training. Results indicate that participants who received video game practice achieved an increase in their dual-attention skills compared to those who did not receive any training, with novices displaying a greater
enhancement in perfonnance. Implications include the provision of video game training to enhance divided attention skills in air pilot training, driving, and heavyequipment operation apart from other tasks necessitating dual-task efficiency.

Comparing alternate teaching styles to teach computing skills to girls in their English classes

Low female participation rates in computing are a current concern of the education sector. To address this problem an intervention was developed — computing skills were introduced to girls in their English classes using three different teaching styles: peer tutoring, cross-age tutoring and teacher instruction (control). The sample comprised 136 girls from Years 8 and 10 from a single-sex government school. A pre-test post-test quantitative design was used. To describe the students perspectives, qualitative data were collected from six focus groups conducted with 8–10 students — one from each of the six classes. It was predicted that cross-age tutoring would yield more positive effects than peer tutoring which, in turn, would yield more positive effects than traditional teacher instruction as assessed by achievement on class tasks and attitudes towards computing. The hypothesis was not supported by the quantitative analysis, however in the qualitative data cross-age tutoring was appraised more favourably than peer tutoring or teacher instruction. The latter was the least preferred condition due to: (1) inefficiency; (2) difficulty understanding teachers' explanations; and (3) lack of teacher knowledge. Problems with the implementation of the intervention identified in the focus groups were teacher differences, system failures, missed classes, lack of communication, and selection of computing activities. Practical suggestions were provided relevant to the introduction of cross-age tutoring and the use of computers within secondary level English classes.