Context
• “There is increasing recognition that universities must
demonstrate how they prepare graduates for the employment
market” (Tholen, 2014) – Alignment to TEF
• “Employment prospects are frequently cited by students as a
foremost motivation for pursuing a university degree course”
(Wharton et al 2014)
• “Despite emphasis on developing employability skills research
continues to suggest that graduates are not considered to have the
requisite skills for the modern workplace” (Cumming 2010)
• Student Feedback – Pointed towards meaningful outcomes for
their careers – Why do we need to do X.
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Auntenticity
?
Shaffer, D.W. and Resnick, M., 1999. " Thick" Authenticity: New Media and Authentic
Learning. Journal of interactive learning research, 10(2), p.195.
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Typology
Real Environment
The Craft of Filmmaking
Placement Opportunities
Individual Projects
Simulated Problem
Web Security
Real Problem
CLE; Team
Project etc.
Non-Real Environment
3
Benefits / Issues
• Substantial positives
linked to Student
Experience and
networking potentials
•Assessment –
Balancing Real World
Perspectives against
Academic Outcomes
(Feedback Provision)
• Delivery –
Expectations
• Intellectual Property
concerns - (Student /
Staff input)
• Complexity – Business
Problem Scope
• Risk – Connections /
Safety
4
Small Changes
• Movement from assessment, which is positioned ‘outside’ to
assessment ‘inside’ the sector.
– Craft of Filmmaking (Movement from delivering a film, to
delivering a film for a film contest).
• Movement from problems positioned ‘outside’ to problems
‘inside’ the sector.
– Essay on Web Security to a consultant report on the
security of a particular organisation.
• Engagement of outside influences
– Not just as guests in sessions, but as drivers of
assessment.
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References
• Cumming, J (2010) Contextualised performance: Reframing the
skills debate in research education. Studies in Higher Education
vol 1, no 15, iFirstArticle
• Tholen, G (2014) Graduate employability and educational context:
a comparison between Great Britain and the Netherlands, British
Educational Research Journal vol 40, no 1, pp 1- 17
• Wharton, C Y Goodwin, L J Cameron, A J (2014) Living up to our
students’ expectations: Using student voices to influence the way
academics think about their undergraduates learning and their
own teaching. International Journal of Higher Education 3(4):
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v3n4p72
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