The opportunities and challenges for employability-related support in STEM degrees
Journal article
O'Leary, S. 2016. The opportunities and challenges for employability-related support in STEM degrees. New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences. 11 (1).
Authors | O'Leary, S. |
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Abstract | This research explores the opportunities and challenges for incorporating employability related support into STEM (Sciences; Technology; Engineering; Mathematics) degree programmes, based in part on recent research (O’Leary, 2016a) outlining that significant variations in employability-related support exist across the STEM disciplines. These issues were highlighted at a recent conference on STEM pedagogy (O’Leary, 2016b) and this paper explores them in more depth. While O’Leary (2016a) finds that Engineering and Sciences are performing relatively well on employability-support matters, in comparison with Social Sciences and Humanities, there is still room for improvement across STEM programmes. The research suggest that students’ employability can be enhanced through a combination of the content of the curriculum and the development of key student capabilities and characteristics. To achieve this, it is necessary to address several issues: the development of academic staff, the use of external speakers, the provision of business and management expertise, cross-disciplinary approaches and the integration of professional services into the curriculum. In addition, the most effective gains from a cross-Faculty viewpoint may exist in what may seem unlikely liaisons; for effective employability-related support, the Sciences and Humanities think along the same lines, while Social Sciences & Engineering think along another line. Therefore, improvements to the provision of such support may be better achieved by such non-traditional cross-Faculty partnerships. An approach based on the “3E’s” is suggested: Enhanced Learning & Teaching; Employer-engagement; and Embedding into the Curriculum. |
Keywords | Opportunities; Challenges; Employability; STEM; University degrees; Higher education |
Year | 2016 |
Journal | New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences |
Journal citation | 11 (1) |
Publisher | University of Leicester |
ISSN | 2753-4138 |
Official URL | https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/new-directions/article/view/567/555 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 29 Mar 2023 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | Published |
https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/94305/the-opportunities-and-challenges-for-employability-related-support-in-stem-degrees
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