Abertay Enterprise Framework:business awareness beyond subject learning

This paper proposes a new approach to developing business skills more broadly across the graduate cohort in Scotland. The approach has been developed as a response to a previous study of employers1 - particularly SMEs - and through anecdotal evidence from tutors who send students on work placements. This evidence showed a clear gap in the business skillsets of graduates in areas such as marketing, human resource management and leadership. The approach designated Abertay Enterprise Framework has been developed to run from SCQF 7 to 10 (the normal length of a degree programme). Instead of studying business related topics in isolation (e.g. a module on introductory marketing) the topics will be integrated into the students’ cognate area of study in such a way as to show the interconnectedness of these themes and their chosen subject area. This combination allows students to enter and leave the framework at different SCQF levels without requiring prerequisite knowledge

Improving student uptake and understanding of feedback through a dialogue model of assessment

Through the use of questionnaires, focus groups and a pilot study, this research examines student perception of assessment feedback and whether a dialogue model of assessment can aid in improving this perception. The findings of the study are that the dialogue model did improve student perception. It also identified the following recommendations for consideration: Recommendation 1: While a QE approach could be taken where a minimum standard of feedback is determined at University level, the researchers feel this might be restrictive and is better left to subject groups to determine. This minimum level can then be used as a QA check by internal moderators and at Quality Review events. It will be important to ensure that if feedback falls below this subject-determined minimum level that action is taken within the group to bring feedback up to the standard required. Recommendation 2: It should be written into the feedback policy that students have a right to a meeting to discuss feedback. This needs to be clearly expressed to ensure students recognize that this is not an opportunity to negotiate grades (as the researchers have personally experienced) and given in the spirit of helping the student develop. The researchers believe that as educators we should see the value in such meetings and make time for them. If good, constructive, clear feedback is given at the time of the assessment then there will be very few students who need to take up this opportunity. Recommendation 3: Within programme documentation when generic transferable skills are discussed there should be a requirement to show where the team are developing student understanding of the assessment process. Recommendation 4: Staff should be encouraged to include their marking scheme with the assessment brief. Recommendation 5: Monitor the result of the new assessment strategy in terms of student attainment and perception about the fairness of assessment. In particular identify how many modules have gone to single units of assessment and where this happens how students are supported with feedforward. Recommendation 6: Identify is there is a University standard expectation for particular types of assessment instrument at each level. This would help us to communicate lecturer expectations to students

Student-industry co-creation for innovation and skills development

The chapter aims to explore an ongoing approach towards enhancing student’ employability skills and building confidence. This approach draws on literature related to soft skills development and issues surrounding student confidence. It provides an innovative approach involving students, academic faculty and external organisations in a collaborative problem-solving activity known as ‘Innovation and Global Growth week’ (IGG).The outcome of this week of events is realigned with the factual needs of participating businesses and aims at generating creative ideas and innovation in order to address challenges faced by the participating businesses.This approach stimulates contextual skills and knowledge learning for students, faculty and the enterprises involved

Gamification in a learning resource for the study of Human Computer Interaction

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is increasing in relevance as it, in part, concerns the design of digital interfaces such as downloadable apps. Despite the importance of the subject area students frequently find the topic boring, dry and overly theoretical. In order to address this apparent lack of student interest, a gamified learning resource for a HCI module in the second year of University was created. A literature review into the HCI educational requirements was conducted and used to inform the design. A further analysis of the literature on dialogic feedback, simulations and gamification features was conducted and key features were matched to the educational requirements. The resultant gamified learning resource, dubbed the “work simulation”, was evaluated first by a two cohort comparison for module lecture attendance and exam attainment. The results of the first phase of the evaluation showed a statistically significant improvement in both attendance and attainment for the cohort experiencing the “work simulation”. A further evaluation was carried out by means of interviews with students, which suggested that dialogic feedback and the game narrative/fiction, in particular, were useful

Stochasticity and order: studies of keratinocyte proliferation

A central tenet of stem cell biology has been that proliferating tissues are maintained through a cellular hierarchy comprising of self-renewing stem cells at the apex, multiple lineage-restricted short-lived progenitor cells, and post-mitotic differentiated cells. The wide range of colony sizes in cultured human keratinocytes has been taken to support this hypothesis. Contrary to this model, researchers using genetic lineage tracing in mouse epidermis have inferred a single progenitor population for homeostasis, and a quiescent stem cell population activated upon wounding or genetic mutation. To study the proliferative behaviour of human keratinocytes, I used live imaging in vitro at single cell resolution. This shows two modes of proliferation: Type 1 cell division is stochastic with equal odds of generating dividing or non-dividing progeny, while Type 2 cell division predominantly produces two dividing daughters. These two modes are sufficient to explain the entire range of colony sizes seen after 7-12 days of culture and does not require a spectrum of proliferative ability. This insight provides a simple way to study the effects of external factors on cell fate. To exemplify this, I observed the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the Wnt agonist R-spondin on proliferation. Here I find proliferation in type 2 colonies changes by changing the proportion of cells dividing. This has implications for the limited success of EGF therapies in clinical trials following burns. To examine clonal contributions to wound repair, I used the mouse oesophageal epithelium which is exclusively composed of, and maintained by, a single progenitor population. I developed a micro-endoscopic wounding technique that produced localised superficial wounds. Here, I found that these wounds healed by uniform contribution from surrounding keratinocytes, demonstrating that reserve stem cells are not obligatory for wound repair. In summary, my work shows that human keratinocytes in vitro have two, and only two, modes of proliferation: a stochastic mode that is insensitive to external EGF signalling, and a EGF-sensitive exponential mode. Additionally, proliferation during wound repair can occur with stochastically dividing progenitors, and does not obligate stem cell recruitment in vivo

What Social Supports Are Available to Self-Employed People When Ill or Injured? A Comparative Policy Analysis of Canada and Australia

Self-employment (SE) is a growing precarious work arrangement internationally. In the current digital age, SE appears in configurations and contours that differ from the labor market of 50 years ago and is part of a 'paradigm shift' from manufacturing/managerial capitalism to entrepreneurial capitalism. Our purpose in this paper is to reflect on how a growing working population of self-employed people accesses social support systems when they are not working due to injury and sickness in the two comparable countries of Canada and Australia. We adopted 'interpretive policy analysis' as a methodological framework and searched a wide range of documents related to work disability policy and practice, including official data, legal and policy texts from both countries, and five prominent academic databases. Three major themes emerged from the policy review and analysis: (i) defining self-employment: contested views; (ii) the relationship between misclassification of SE and social security systems; (iii) existing social security systems for workers and self-employed workers: Ontario and NSW. Our comparative discussion leads us toward conclusions about what might need to be done to better protect self-employed workers in terms of reforming the existing social security systems for the countries. Because of similarities and differences in support available for SE'd workers in the two countries, our study provides insights into what might be required to move the different countries toward sustainable labour markets for their respective self-employed populations

Self-employment, work and health: A critical narrative review

BACKGROUND: Self-employment (SE) is a growing precarious and non-standard work arrangement internationally. Economically advanced countries that favor digital labor markets may be promoting the growth of a demographic of self-employed (SE’d) workers who are exposed to particular occupational diseases, sickness, and injury. However, little is known about how SE’d workers are supported when they are unable to work due to illness, injury, and disability. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to critically review peer-reviewed literature focusing on advanced economies to understand how SE’d workers navigate, experience, or manage their injuries and illness when unable to work. METHODS: Using a critical interpretive lens, a systematic search was conducted of five databases. The search yielded 18 relevant articles, which were critically examined and synthesized. RESULTS: Five major themes emerged from the review: (i) conceptualizing SE; (ii) double-edged sword; (iii) dynamics of illness, injury, and disability; (iv) formal and informal health management support systems; and (v) occupational health services and rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: We find a lack of research distinguishing the work and health needs of different kinds of SE’d workers, taking into consideration class, gender, sector, and gig workers. Many articles noted poor social security system supports. Drawing on a social justice lens, we argue that SE’d workers make significant contributions to economies and are deserving of support from social security systems when ill or injured.The authors acknowledge the support from the SSHRC/CIHR Healthy Productive Workforce Partnership Grant, Grant number: 895-2018-4009

Le retour au travail dans un contexte de barrières linguistiques : Une étude comparative des politiques et des pratiques d’indemnisation des victimes de lésion professionnelle au Québec et en Ontario

La façon dont les régimes d’indemnisation des victimes de lésion professionnelle doivent tenir compte des barrières linguistiques est d’une importance capitale à la lumière de la diversification linguistique croissante du Canada. S’appuyant sur des entrevues menées auprès de travailleurs accidentés et d’informateurs clés, cette étude est la première à examiner, de manière empirique, les politiques et les pratiques du retour au travail sous l’angle des barrières linguistiques. En comparant les juridictions du Québec et de l’Ontario, l’étude met en lumière des similitudes et des différences touchant les accommodements linguistiques ainsi que les politiques et les pratiques du retour au travail qui déterminent les expériences des travailleurs accidentés ayant des besoins linguistiques. Elle fait valoir que les lacunes à cet égard, qui sont plus marquées au Québec, contribuent à un faible retour au travail pour ces travailleurs dans les deux provinces.The question of how workers’ compensation systems should account for language barriers is of increasing importance given Canada’s growing linguistic diversity. This study is the first to empirically examine, based on interviews with injured workers and key informants, return-to-work policies and practices through the lens of language barriers. By comparing two jurisdictions, Quebec and Ontario, the study highlights similarities and differences in language accommodation and return-to-work policies and practices that shape the experiences of injured workers with language needs. It argues that gaps in this regard, which are more pronounced in Quebec, contribute to poor return-to-work outcomes for these workers in both provinces