Employer perspectives of the current and future value of STEM graduate skills and attributes: An Australian study

Graduate employability has become increasingly contentious as employers call for greater development, evaluation and benchmarking of student skills and capabilities in university courses. However, the increasing range of graduate attributes and competencies demanded by industry is further pressuring an Australian higher education sector already stretched by greater student numbers and declines in government funding. Given these circumstances, there is a need to better understand employer perspectives of the current and future value of vocational, interpersonal and generic attributes of STEM graduates. A survey of STEM graduate employers showed that vocational skills, such as graduates' abilities to contextually apply and develop knowledge, together with generic skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, were valued most highly. Conversely, self-confidence and independence, along with numeracy and related skills, were valued least by the employers. However, attributes such as flexibility / adaptability, self-confidence, personal planning and organisation and developing knowledge relevant to the position were all predicted to become significantly more valuable in a decade's time. The results of this study suggest that Australian undergraduate STEM curricula, which commonly focus on knowledge acquisition, be redesigned and restructured to provide students with opportunities to apply such knowledge more often, and in real life, industry-based contexts, such as WIL and IBL programs. Through such initiatives, together with greater dialogue and collaboration between academics and employers, employability skills and attributes can be better inculcated in undergraduates, to the benefit of graduates and society as a whole

Foundation biology students’ critical thinking ability: Self-efficacy versus actuality

Critical thinking (CT) is a highly valued skill, based on feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, and thus academics have long sought to embed CT into undergraduate curricula. In this study, we investigated foundation biology students’ self-efficacy of their CT skills (including three CT sub-elements), and whether such self-efficacies changed over a year of study. We also assessed students’ actual CT ability, and whether there were differences in self-efficacy and actual ability between male and female students. While students’ self-efficacy of their overall CT ability increased over the course of the year, this value was significantly lower than each of the CT sub-element efficacies, at both commencement and completion of the study. Conversely, students’ actual CT skills did not change over the year, although females scored higher than males in the one of the two units of study. We conclude that (i) there is a disconnect between our students’ self-efficacy of, and actual, CT ability; and (ii) there is a gender-based difference in their self-efficacy and actual CT ability. We recommend interventions to enhance foundation biology students’ understanding of CT and through this, improve the concordance between their self-efficacy of their CT skills and their actual CT ability

Modelling Ecosystem Structure and Energy Flow in a First Year Environmental Biology Practical: Not a Complete Waste of Energy

The modelling of energy flow through ecosystems is conceptually difficult, and has been shown to be complicated to teach, at both the secondary and tertiary levels. Endeavours to integrate such modelling into a first year environmental biology curriculum are thus likely to pose considerable challenges. This paper reports on efforts to quantitatively model energy flow through a simplified, paper-based ecosystem in a first year environmental biology unit. In addition to curriculum-related objectives, the broader aims of the initiative were to enable students to apply concepts and processes introduced in lectures and readings, enhance learning through collaboration and discussion about energy flow and ecosystem trophic structure, and develop student skills in oral or visual communication. Although some aspects of the project, such as collaborative learning and class presentations, were moderately successful, student deficiencies in quantitative skills, together with the simplistic nature of the ‘paper ecosystem’ meant that numerical analyses were complex and subjectively made. One misconception was that a complex ecosystem, conveniently divided into trophic categories, could be simplified in terms of energy flow from source to sink. Following revision and the inclusion of more structured guidelines, the project was reintroduced to the biology program. The revised project was more successful in terms of student consistency and accuracy in modelling energy flow and also with regard to their overall satisfaction with the project. Nevertheless, after considerable deliberation, it was decided that a hands-on, field-based project would provide a more true-to-life experience in the context of the first year environmental biology curriculum

A Review of the Value of Prior Learning in First Year Biology

Differences in the levels of prior learning of biology among commencing university students is a common and potentially problematic issue for students and academics alike. Amongst concerns is the requirement for extra support and/or provision of supplemental learning activities for students lacking biology knowledge. Such students often have lower levels of confidence in terms of academic achievement and generic skills, with consequently higher levels of study anxiety and rates of withdrawal compared to students with prior biology learning. Students with adequate prior biology knowledge generally achieve higher grades for coursework assessments and assignments, for at least a major part of the teaching semester. This review examines issues associated with disparities in the levels of prior knowledge among students entering undergraduate biology subjects. Enrolments in such subjects have increased dramatically over the past two decades, generating increased cultural, socio-economic and demographic-related diversity. The review also investigates best practice in ameliorating problems associated with different levels of prior learning, and discusses these issues in the context of future planning and practise in biology education. Finally, an examination is made of the factors that will likely impact on the future teaching and learning of undergraduate biology, such as the potential of information and communication technologies, the nature of blended learning approaches, and increasing connectedness of student learning

Educational adaptation and evolution: A case study in microbiology

Educational innovation and curricula reform in undergraduate science often occur, in metaphorical terms, as revolutions, rather than as evolving, longer-term programs. However, arriving at the correct balance of pedagogical components, including application of knowledge and concepts, skills development, and critical thinking, together with valid and reliable modes of assessment, is not easily achieved. Further, foundation year biology subjects are often large enrolment and thus encompass considerable student diversity, including many who lack prior learning and related technical skills in the discipline. The development and refinement of technical skills is an important objective for many undergraduate biology and biomedical disciplines, including immunology, genetics, molecular biology and microbiology. For the study of microbiology, inculcation of a broad range of technical skills can be made in the context of microbial evolution and diversity, and the structure, function and pathogenicity of these organisms, using the human body as a suitable model to illustrate host and habitat specificity. An emphasis on technical skills development may lack inculcation of skills such as inquiry, problem-solving and deductive reasoning, which are highly valued attributes. This paper reports on the development, implementation, evaluation and longer-term revision of a problem-based learning activity in microbiology, framed within a contemporary scenario

Written Reflection Influences Science Students’ Perceptions of Their Own and Their Peers’ Teamwork and Related Employability Skills

The impact of written reflection on tertiary students’ self-efficacy, and corresponding evaluation of their peers’ abilities, is often imprecise and lacking in clarity. This study thus sought to assess the effects of a written reflective diary on science undergraduates’ teamwork-related and other employability skills. Employability skills, in particular students’ teamwork-related skills, are crucial to students’ career development and progression. Assessment was carried out using a series of pre- and post-reflection online surveys, the TeamQ assessment rubric, and student focus groups. Participants identified five key teamwork skills, the importance of which remained constant over time. Written reflection had a significant, positive effect on students’ self-efficacy of their oral communication skills. Students’ written reflections were also important in shaping their perceptions about the domain of fostering a team climate, both in terms of their own self-efficacy and perceptions of their peers’ abilities. This study has interesting implications for future research into science students’ teamwork and other employability skills

The Nexus Between STEM Qualifications and Graduate Employability: Employers’ Perspectives

A science education is an important element of a literate, advanced and modern society, and the teaching of science is mandatory through to mid-secondary schooling. Despite this, and notwithstanding the range of skills and capabilities provided by a science degree, a straight bachelor’s degree (BSc) does not guarantee a science-related career. In fact, recent evidence indicates that only a moderate proportion of BSc graduates obtain science-related employment immediately upon leaving university. Reasons for this include the general nature of a science degree and the diversity of jobs possible for such graduates. A considerable gap in the literature pertaining to science graduate employability is the lack of employer perspectives on the comparative value of various tertiary qualifications (e.g. BSc, Masters, PhD). Insight into such perspectives, and the linking of this to the skill sets provided by different qualifications, may provide a basis to better inform students about their study choices and considerations regarding postgraduate study, framed against their longer-term career aspirations. This information can also enable university educators to refine science curricula to better inculcate the skills most highly valued by employers, thus providing greater leverage for students as they progress through their university studies. This paper reports on such a study, and articulates the potential synergies that may arise from strengthening the dialogue and collaboration between science educators and STEM graduate employers

Strategies that challenge - Exploring the use of differentiated assessment in highly diverse cohorts

Australian academics are familiar with the issues arising from teaching large and highly diverse classes––particularly in first year––and the inevitable effect this has on promulgating teaching and assessment practices to ‘middle of the distribution’, thus ignoring the distribution extremes. While the literature documents a range of strategies for supporting students who experience difficulties to meet the required performance standard, very little work has been reported on catering for more capable students who may feel frustrated and poorly challenged in large classes. Alternative assessment tasks were introduced at the authors’ institution into several first year science units of study during 2010, with the aim of providing more challenging learning opportunities for high performing students. The opportunity to choose an alternative and more challenging assessment task was well received by students, even though no additional marks were available nor special credit recognition given for completing the alternative task. This presentation will outline the rationale and the context for the differentiated assessment approach, and it will provide a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of this approach, as seen from students who took the opportunity to complete a more challenging assessment task as well as those who did not

The Use of Peer-Assisted Learning to Enhance Foundation Biology Students’ Understanding of Evolution

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) promotes improved skills across a variety of disciplines, and may enhance students’ understanding of conceptually difficult ideas. The effect of group size in promoting learning of such concepts, either in quantitative or qualitative terms, is also an area of interest. This study aimed to investigate the comparative value that foundation biology students placed on paired versus quad PAL activities, and both their perceived and actual understanding of plant and animal evolution, following such activities. The activities were structured and scaffolded over a four week period, with paired groups (dyads) merging into quads, and with students being surveyed over that period. Students reported that discussions with their lab partners helped improve their understanding of plant and animal evolution, and the majority valued quad over dyad PAL. Additionally, the PAL intervention had a positive impact on students’ examination results, compared to the previous year’s baseline cohort. Our findings indicate that in the design of group learning activities, particularly those related to threshold concepts, educators should give due consideration to several factors. These are group size, activity scaffolding and sequencing, and the structure and types of post-activity questions that seek to catalyse reflection, discussion and the development of deep knowledge