Quality Enhancement And Employability In Higher Education

The worldwide marketization of higher education has resulted in a growing pressure on universities’ accountability, particularly in terms of more tangible learning outcomes directly related to paying higher tuition fees. Covering globally diverse perspectives, Innovate Higher Education to Enhance Graduate Employability uses a range of international case studies to help practitioners and researchers review, reflect on and refresh their ability to bridge the gap between university and industry. A timely response to the need to improve the quality of higher education in order to build work readiness in students, this book: Adds a critical, global dimension to this topical area in higher education as well as society’s concerns Provides a number of practice-based case studies on how universities can transform their programmes to enhance graduate employability Acts as a source of practical suggestions for how to improve students' sufficient employability including their skills, knowledge and attitudes Provides insights from theory, practices and policy perspectives. A crucial read for anyone looking to engage with the global issue of graduate employability, Innovate Higher Education to Enhance Graduate Employability covers both theoretical frameworks and practical models through an exploration of how universities around the world are using innovative techniques to enhance employability.

Anyone with a responsibility for curriculum development or policy making within higher education who wants to advance learning and promote employability amongst their students will find this book absolutely essential reading.

What is assessed gets attention: what is not assessed does not. When higher education is expected to promote complex achievements in subject disciplines and in terms of 'employability', problems arise: how are such achievements to be assessed? In the first part of the book, it is argued that existing grading practices cannot cope with the expectations laid upon them, while the potential of formative assessment for the support of learning is not fully realised. The authors argue that improving the effectiveness of assessment depends on a well-grounded appreciation of what assessment is, and what may and may not be expected of it. The second part covers summative judgements for high-stakes purposes. Using established measurement theory, a view is developed of the conditions under which affordable, useful, valid and reliable summative judgements can be made. One conclusion is that many complex achievements resist high-stakes assessment, which directs attention to low-stakes, essentially formative, alternatives. Assessment for learning and employability demands more than module-level changes to assessment methods. The final part discusses how institutions need to respond in policy terms to the challenges that have been posed. The book concludes with a discussion of how institutions can respond in policy terms to the challenges that have been posed. Assessment, Learning and Employability has wide and practical relevance - to teachers, module and programme leaders, higher education managers and quality enhancement specialists.

Interest in the quality of higher education provision has been steadily increasing over the last twenty years. This has been driven largely by the international creation of explicit policies and reporting requirements to review, audit and evaluate provision. The interest is associated in many countries with the granting by governments of greater autonomy to higher education institutions. This, crucially, comes bound with increased requirements for accountability in the exercise of such power. Enhancing provision, promoting innovation, cultivating exploration and adopting information-led approaches to practice are at the very heart of higher education. As such quality enhancement comes in many guises and is under constant scrutiny. Enhancing Quality in Higher Education looks critically at recent developments in higher education, taking snapshots of changing practices around the world and analysing the varied theoretical perspectives of quality enhancement that are emerging. The opening section draws upon this theoretical base, whilst the second section contextualises it through the analysis of a diverse range of international case studies. The concluding section considers future prospects for the enhancement agenda in the light of the international pressures facing all systems of higher education in the future. Policy will inevitably be shaped by the historical contexts within which national systems are located. The book draws on a wide range of international case studies, examined by a host of contributing experts. The movement towards quality enhancement can be seen as stimulating action at the grassroots of the academy to self-generate improvement. It is a counter to the prevalent view that change in higher education is essentially about the institutional response to increasing societal pressure and state control and, as such, is a welcome contribution to the literature. This comprehensive volume is essential reading for anyone involved in higher education and educational policy.

Providing an analysis of the relationship between Internationalization and Employability in Higher Education, this book considers the perspectives of both students and employers to illustrate how to reach positive employment outcomes for all stakeholders. Through a wide range of international case studies, this book delivers some key messages, including: The articulation of the link between internationalization and employability; The need for higher education institutions to communicate the benefits of an internationalized higher education beyond the academy; The need to ensure equity of graduate outcomes through enhanced internationalization at home; The impact of immigration policy on national benefits of internationalization of higher education; International study as a route to employability for migration purposes and building knowledge-based economies. Considering the skills developed by students through mobility experiences, while exploring the need for enhanced internationalization of the curriculum at home, Internationalization and Employability in Higher Education will be a key resource for any higher education policy makers or university staff associated with careers, employment, and integrated learning. It contains important messages for employers and recruiters.

This book discusses the topic of graduate employability from the premise that in this era of ‘massification,’ economic austerity, and political uncertainties, higher education (HE) no longer guarantees a clear ‘work place advantage.’ Divided into three sections, the book offers theoretical and philosophical discourses on the ‘HE quandary,’ whilst taking into account – and critiquing - political, temporal, and national contexts. It culminates in an investigation into specific discipline areas. It offers insights into the way that institutions, decision-makers, academics, and professional support staff can work together towards ensuring that our graduates are able to cope with the varied demands and challenges of modern job markets. It harnesses arguments and reflections on the breadth and depth of the functions of HE, such as social transformation, promoting principles of social justice, and providing opportunities. It grounds these in a triadic model for enhancing student engagement and holistic learning, namely, the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural aspects. As an anthology, it is forward-gazing in terms of the sustainability debate, whilst still offering evidence-based, research-grounded, practical suggestions to readers looking for tips and tools of the trade.

This book is the first to show how to integrate Personal Development Planning (PDP) activities into teaching in higher education. It is packed with activities, exercises, lesson plans, resources, reflective questionnaires, skills audits and case studies, and with suggestions for how these may be customized to suit different groups of students in different subject areas. By embedding activities into the curriculum, students are encouraged to engage with the PDP process to help them: gain a better understanding of what and how they are learning improve study skills gain a clear idea strengths and areas for development improve ability to explain and discuss skills and abilities with prospective employers, with the evidence to support your claims become a more effective, independent and confident self-directed learner. Personal Development Planning will help all staff and educational development professionals, teachers in HE, and advisers and support staff in careers services enable students to build up a personal development record to improve their ability to relate their learning and achievements to employers' interests and needs and, ultimately, gain employment.