Pedagogy For Employability

This guide, produced by the HEA, constitutes a revised and updated version of the Pedagogy for Employability publication first published in 2006. The publication has been updated with the practitioner in mind – those teaching in the classroom and those engaging with policy and student interactions in other ways, such as careers guidance and learning development workers. Practitioners are our focus, as we discuss the policy and institutional context that frames the environment within which people work. The early sections of this publication are intended to illuminate the possibilities and constraints that operate in different national, institutional and departmental situations, having a direct impact on the way that teaching and learning takes place between practitioners and students. Case studies of learning and teaching that support the development of student employability, in the classroom, through distance and part-time learning and in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, are provided throughout the publication. In the later sections of the publication we focus particularly on the curriculum and learning and teaching practice

Designing and using informal learning spaces to enhance student engagement with mathematical sciences.

By helping create a shared, supportive, learning community, the creative use of custom designed spaces outside the classroom has a major impact on student engagement. The intention is to create spaces that promote peer interaction within and across year groups, encourage closer working relationships between staff and students and support specific coursework activities - particularly group work. Such spaces make better use of time since students are motivated to stay and work during long gaps in their timetable, provide a sense of 'home' within the institution and can lead to a cohesive community of practice. We describe how this has been achieved and currently delivered in Mathematics at Sheffield Hallam University and provide evidence for its success

The role of informal learning spaces in enhancing student engagement with mathematical sciences

By helping create a shared, supportive, learning community, the creative use of custom-designed spaces outside the classroom has a major impact on student engagement. The intention is to create spaces that promote peer interaction within and across year groups, encourage closer working relationships between staff and students and support specific coursework activities – particularly group work. Such spaces make better use of time since students are motivated to stay and work during long gaps in their timetable, can provide a sense of ‘home’ within the institution and can lead to a cohesive community of practice. In this paper, we describe how this has been achieved and currently delivered in Mathematics at Sheffield Hallam University and provide some detailed analysis of the student usage of the space

Using virtual and physical learning spaces to develop a successful mathematical learning community, both for on-site and distance provision

This paper considers learning space and its relationship to student belonging and becoming. Student engagement, satisfaction and academic success are outcomes of a supportive learning community which can flourish in a culture of expectation and behaviour created by providing suitable support structures and by considering the effective use of physical and virtual learning spaces. We describe our innovative use of discipline-specific virtual and physical spaces to develop successful mathematical learning communities, in both a UK university where activities are principally face-to-face, and at a South African university where they are mainly virtual. By comparing our practices and spaces, we explore the ‘equivalence of place’ and the roles of academic staff in fostering the development of professional learner identities through each context. Based on evidence from our respective practices, we make recommendations for designing new learning spaces and for making effective use of existing learning spaces. Although this study focuses on mathematics, many of these suggestions can benefit all disciplines

The potential of recreational mathematics to support the development of mathematical learning

A literature review establishes a working definition of recreational mathematics: a type of play which is enjoyable and requires mathematical thinking or skills to engage with. Typically, it is accessible to a wide range of people and can be effectively used to motivate engagement with and develop understanding of mathematical ideas or concepts. Recreational mathematics can be used in education for engagement and to develop mathematical skills, to maintain interest during procedural practise and to challenge and stretch students. It can also make cross-curricular links, including to history of mathematics. In undergraduate study, recreational mathematics can be used for engagement within standard curricula and for extra-curricular interest. Beyond this, there are opportunities to develop important graduate-level skills in problem-solving and communication. The development of a module ‘Game Theory and Recreational Mathematics’ is discussed. This provides an opportunity for fun and play, while developing graduate skills. It teaches some combinatorics, graph theory, game theory and algorithms/complexity, as well as scaffolding a Pólya-style problem-solving process. The assessment of problem-solving as a process via examination is outlined. Student feedback gives some indication that students appreciate the aims of the module, benefit from the explicit focus on problem-solving and understand the active nature of the learning

Developing employability in engineering education: a systematic review of the literature

In this systematic review of the research literature on engineering employability, curricular and pedagogical arrangements that prepare graduates for work in the twenty-first century were identified. The research question guiding the review was: Which curricular and pedagogical arrangements promote engineering students’ employability? The particular focus of the study was on how authors prioritised engineering knowledge and professional skills. The review drew on a theoretical framework that differentiated between engineering knowledge and professional skills to explain how employability could be included in engineering programmes. Data was obtained from research studies over the period 2007–2017. We found an interdependent relationship between engineering knowledge and professional skills that enabled engineering graduates to attain employability. The com of engineering problems require students to master engineering knowledge, while the ability to work with others across contexts requires professional skills. Both are necessary for deep understanding of engineering principles and a focus on real world problem