Embedding professionally relevant learning in the business curriculum through industry engagement

This paper reports on preliminary findings from an ALTC funded project on how to build curriculathat meet the needs of business students and employers of business graduates. The project grew outof an Australian Business Deans Council Teaching and Learning Network scoping study whichidentified widespread concern among industry, academic and professional associations about the lackof engagement with real world problems by business graduates. In the paper we discuss the need forindustry engagement, define professionally relevant learning, and outline the study objectives andmethodology. We present a typology of industry engagement in the curriculum that emerged from ourfieldwork, and tools that business faculties can use to embed professional learning. Finally, wesuggest directions for future research

Quality: reality, rhetoric and the locus of control in taught masters degrees in Hong Kong

published_or_final_versionEducationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph

Hunters and gatherers: strategies for curriculum mapping and data collection for assurance of learning

Assurance of learning is a predominant feature in both quality enhancement and assurance in higher education. Assurance of learning is a process that articulates explicit program outcomes and standards, and systematically gathers evidence to determine the extent to which performance matches expectations. Benefits accrue to the institution through the systematic assessment of whole of program goals. Data may be used for continuous improvement, program development, and to inform external accreditation and evaluation bodies. Recent developments, including the introduction of the Tertiary Education and Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) will require universities to review the methods they use to assure learning outcomes. This project investigates two critical elements of assurance of learning: 1. the mapping of graduate attributes throughout a program; and 2. the collection of assurance of learning data. An audit was conducted with 25 of the 39 Business Schools in Australian universities to identify current methods of mapping graduate attributes and for collecting assurance of learning data across degree programs, as well as a review of the key challenges faced in these areas. Our findings indicate that external drivers like professional body accreditation (for example: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)) and TEQSA are important motivators for assuring learning, and those who were undertaking AACSB accreditation had more robust assurance of learning systems in place. It was reassuring to see that the majority of institutions (96%) had adopted an embedding approach to assuring learning rather than opting for independent standardised testing. The main challenges that were evident were the development of sustainable processes that were not considered a burden to academic staff, and obtainment of academic buy in to the benefits of assuring learning per se rather than assurance of learning being seen as a tick box exercise. This cultural change is the real challenge in assurance of learning practice

Building sustainable and effective assurance of learning process in a changing higher education environment

In a study of assuring learning in Australian Business Schools, 25 Teaching and Learning Associate Deans were interviewed to identify current issues in developing and measuring the quality of teaching and learning outcomes. Results indicate that for most institutions developing a perspective on graduate attributes and mapping assessments to measure outcomes across an entire program required knowledge creation and the building of new inclusive processes. Common elements of effective practice, namely those which offered consistently superior outcomes, included: inclusive processes; embedded graduate attributes throughout a program; alongside consistent and appropriate assessment. Results indicate that assurance of learning processes are proliferating nationally while quality of teaching and learning outcomes and in the processes for assuring it is increasing as a result

Strategies to engage academics in assuring graduate attributes

Assurance of learning (AoL) is a predominant feature in both quality assurance and quality enhancement in higher education. The process may be used for program development, and to inform external accreditation and evaluation bodies. However, there is an obvious challenge in trying to get academic staff to buy into the benefits of the AoL process. This project conducted an audit across 25 Australian Business Schools. The majority of those interviewed stated that academic staff considered AoL to be extra work and viewed the process as a box ticking exercise for external bodies rather than sound educational practice. A change management process is required to promote the necessary cultural change to embed AoL into practice. This paper showcases some of the educational leadership strategies that have been successfully implemented across Australia to foster staff engagement in the AoL process. These include: strong senior management commitment and leadership demonstrating a constant and high level drive for staff engagement until AoL becomes an institutional norm; developing leadership and champions among unit and program level staff, to share practices and promote the benefits that come from engaging in the process; providing professional development opportunities to discuss and resolve difficulties and tensions around AoL; demonstrating success and effectiveness by selling staff on the evidence that AoL makes a difference; and making the process inclusive with academics collaborating in the development and implementation of the process

Tools for professional learning in business education

Professional learning is widely used by business schools to develop students’ discipline and generic management skills. In this paper we define professional learning and describe its identified benefits and key characteristics. We overview our nation-wide study of 37 Australian business schools together with industry consultations which elicited the empirical data used to frame the professional learning typology presented in this paper. We outline our findings on teaching approaches, good practice principles and enablers and impediments. Finally, we discuss how professional learning experiences that expose students to a professional environment and global and local business practices can provide an effective opportunity for critical review and reflection and enhance the transition from learner to professionally astute and responsible practitioner

Professional learning in the business curriculum: Engaging industry, academics and students

Professional Learning has become a feature of business curricula in universities around the world. The term “professional learning” (PL) is often used to encapsulate dimensions of educational programs that highlight contemporary industry issues explicitly linked to industry and professional bodies. PL encompasses the skills, qualities and attributes that are required by industry and the processes through which those skills are acquired. It encourages deep learning in relation to the student’s future profession, and includes industry engagement, work-integrated learning and authentic learning environments. This paper describes a typology of approaches to PL derived from a national study of good practices in business faculties in Australian universities. It identifies the enablers and impediments to the successful adoption of PL, and discusses the challenges associated with industry engagement in PL for academics, students and business organisations

Assurance of learning - are academics and senior leaders singing from the same hymn sheet?

Assurance of learning (AoL) is an important process in quality education, designed to measure the accomplishment of educational aims at the core of an institution’s programs, whilst encouraging faculty to continuously develop and improve the programs and courses. This paper reports on a study of Australian business schools to investigate current AoL practices through semi structured interviews with senior faculty leaders followed by focus group interviews with groups of senior program leaders and groups of academic teaching staff. Initial findings indicate there are significant challenges in encouraging academic staff to commit to the process and recognise the benefits of assuring learning. The differences in understanding between the various leaders and the academics were highlighted through the different focus groups. Leaders’ stressed strategic issues such as staff engagement and change, while academics focussed on process issues such as teaching graduate attributes and external accreditation. Understanding the differences in the perspectives of leaders and faculty is important, as without a shared understanding between the two groups, there is likely to be limited engagement, which creates difficulties in developing effective assurance of learning processes. Findings indicate that successful strategies developed to foster shared values on assurance of learning include: strong senior leaders’ commitment; developing champions among program and unit level staff; providing professional development opportunities; promoting and celebrating success and effectiveness; and ensuring an inclusive process with academics of all levels collaborating in the development and implementation of the process