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

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

Team and group work:a student perspective of assessment and management

Group and team work is an integral part of programme delivery at Abertay. It is however the single are which attracts the most negative comment from student feedback surveys, with students highlighting perceived unfairness in the assessment of coursework. A team of students taken from across the university have developed criteria to evaluate examples of team and group work assessments. They have applied their criteria to a range of different models. Their insight will inform improvements in our practice