David Laughton

Why was the QAA Approach to Teaching Quality Assessment Rejected by Academics in UK HE

This article will review and evaluate the response of academics working in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK to the experience of teaching quality review. It will do so by gathering the viewpoints and opinions of academics from a particular source over a specific time period: the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) between January and August of 2001. Before presenting and then evaluating these viewpoints, the paper will discuss the development of teaching quality assessment methodologies in UK HE within the context of the increasing importance and embededness of quality assurance and enhancement values and processes within the practices of HEIs. It is argued that this is both a recent and contested phenomenon. The article finds that the concerns of academics with the teaching quality review exercise fall under a number of headings: (1) administrative/cost burden; (2) grade inflation/gamesmanship/ organisational learning; (3) elitist bias within the system; (4) system impact of quality review; (5) reliability of the system; and (6) philosophical objections to the system. The implications of these concerns are discussed. The articles conclusion is that if academics are not convinced of, or do not actively support, the values and methodologies associated with teaching quality review, then there is little chance that these will either produce accurate or meaningful assessments of teaching quality, or act as a spur to the quality enhancement of this aspect of individual and institutional activity. This is an important point within the context of the recent review of the Quality Assurance Agencys Subject Review methodology, and the new institutional audit methodology.

Laying Foundations for Effective Learning from Commissioned Projects in Business Education.

Examines the nature of commissioned projects in business education and the value they hold for key stakeholder groups: students, tutors and clients. Identifies the essence of commissioned projects as being a unique fusion of vocational and pedagogic (problem‐based learning) perspectives. Describes the structure of commissioned projects and argues that this is a necessary but not sufficient condition for their success. Argues that the key to their successful utilisation is the establishment of effective foundations. Identifies these as a strategy for curriculum support; a commitment to the integration of skills and knowledge; a negotiated approach to the specification of learning outcomes; a recognition of the importance of process issues; the development of a framework for applying learning; and an emphasis on the concept of reflective practice.

Developing cross‐cultural capability in undergraduate business education: implications for the student experience

Draws on relevant academic literature to explore the nature of cross‐cultural capability and goes on to consider its implications for the student experience in British undergraduate business education. Some of the key issues concerning the design of mechanisms and strategies for integrating cross‐cultural capability within the curriculum are highlighted and discussed with a view to informing what needs to be done to prepare undergraduates for the international business world of tomorrow

Core skills in higher education: the student perspective

Although BTEC has considerably refined its approach to the development and embedding of common skills (core skills) within its Higher National Programmes in recent years, argues that there are still a number of problems associated with the practical operation of this strategy and obstacles to a deeper acceptance of the common skills pedagogy within a higher education context remain. From a survey of students who completed a Higher National Diploma at Sheffield Business School in 1993 the crucial issues in this respect were seen to be the complexity of the common skills strategy, difficulties in the area of assessment, the value placed on subject knowledge by students, the lack of an acceptance of a common skills profile when applying for jobs, interviews, and further study, the fact that students thought some skills to be more important than others, and the fact that the development of skills was not undertaken with sufficient reference to probable future contexts where they could be utilized.

East Meets West: Using Multi-Cultural Groupwork to Develop the Cross-Cultural Capability of Tomorrow's International Managers.

Abstract The increasing globalization of business means that those responsible for educating tomorrows managers must give priority to the development of “cross-cultural capability,” comprising an awareness of, and sensitivity towards, cultural differences; cross-cultural business skills; and international management competence. Using multi-cultural groupwork for this purpose on the MSc in International Business course at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, indicates that it can result in enhanced capability, but may also lead to the reinforcing of cultural stereotypes. Successful implementation depends upon tutors confronting the challenges involved. These relate to the discourse of groupwork; group formation; consciousness raising; the handling of cross-cultural disagreements; and the fostering of reflective practice.

The Development of International Business as an Academic Discipline: Some Implications for Teachers and Students.

Abstract This article reviews the emergence of international business (IB) as an academic discipline through an examination of IB research, curriculum, and location within the organisational structures of universities and business schools. A selective review of the literature on IB education is used to identify different approaches to the formulation of the IB curriculum and its constituent parts and principal features: internationalisation of business functions; integration of constituent subject areas; multidisciplinary and strategic orientation. This is used to derive a number of pedagogic implications for both teachers and students of IB: sequencing and ordering of the curriculum; revealing the ontology and epistemology of IB; breadth versus depth in the curriculum; emphasising a study of or for IB; locating and structuring IB within a modular programme; class room practice for delivering the IB curriculum.

Work-Based Learning Versus Work-Related Learning—An Exploration of the Possibilities of Work-Related Learning Through a Review of the Venture Matrix at Sheffield Hallam University, UK

The role of work-based learning (WBL) in the development of student employability skills is well researched. Although universities have responded positively to both the opportunities and challenges of WBL, there is still a sense that demand outstrips supply for WBL opportunities in higher education. Many institutions, therefore, are offering work-related learning (WRL) as a substitute for WBL. An interesting question is to what extent WRL can generate similar learning outcomes to WBL, given the role of WBL in bridging the gap between higher education and the workplace and providing real world authentic learning experiences. This chapter will review an approach to WRL within the “Venture Matrix” (VM) at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, and compare and contrast student learning outcomes with those identified in the WBL literature. The chapter will reflect upon the common approaches to WRL in business education, the nature of knowledge and skills development in these approaches, and the extent to which WRL can be used as a substitute for WBL.

What Type of Knowledge Is Required in the Business Curriculum? Pedagogic and Curriculum Response to the “New Knowledge”

This chapter argues that one of the key criticisms of contemporary business education relates to its approach to knowledge construction, and the prioritising and privileging of disciplinary-based propositional knowledge in the core curriculum. It is suggested that, in general, business education has been slow to respond to the changing conditions and nature of knowledge creation outside of the academy, and it is posited that a recognition of this “new knowledge” is crucial when developing the skills and attributes identified as being important in the workplace. It is further argued that, although project and work-based learning opportunities should be expanded within the higher education (HE) curriculum as a way of making learning more relevant to the business world, of equal importance is how this knowledge is fused with disciplinary-based propositional knowledge within the majority of modules or educational experiences a student is exposed to. By way of illustration, the findings of a small scale research project examining student learning from a “live” company project will be examined. It is concluded that by incorporating authentic learning approaches more extensively within the curriculum, which expose students to or enable them to develop aspects of the “new knowledge”, and then leveraging these broadly across the curriculum, business educators can forge a knowledge synthesis and support skills development that will go some way to bridging the expectations gap between universities and business.

CETL for employability: identifying and evaluating institutional impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the aims, objectives and approach to change adopted by the e3i CETL for Employability at Sheffield Hallam University and illustrates the impact of change via three thematic case studies and an organising framework for understanding the locus of change with respect to work‐related learning: module curriculum and pedagogy (micro level), Faculty and Departmental strategies and operations, course design, structure and delivery (meso level), and institutional policies and processes (the macro level). These experiences are distilled to formulate recommendations for a modus operandi for those interested or involved with transforming higher education institutions (HEIs) to create a greater emphasis on and enhanced opportunities for students to engage with work‐related learning.Design – A case studies approach is utilised to illustrate the work of the CETL in practice and generate insights.Findings – Findings suggest that HEIs can successfully embrace the WRL agend...

Developing Corporate Leadership Skills in a Cross-Cultural Setting: The Contribution of Action Research

Abstract The development of corporate leadership skills is seen as a crucial ingredient of management education programmes in higher education. Moreover, with the increasing globalisation of business activity, the education of those who will ultimately occupy positions of authority within organizations must take into account cross-cultural differences in the interpretation and conceptualisation of leadership. A key task for educators in this respect is to design and deliver programmes that facilitate an understanding and enhanced competence in the exercise of relevant skills that are sensitive to the complexity of the notion of leadership in a cross-cultural environment. The manner in which such objectives have been pursued on the full-time MSc in International Business and Management course, jointly run by Sheffield Business School, United Kingdom, and the International Business School at Groningen in the Netherlands, is the theme of this article. Working within an action research paradigm, the tutor responsible for the International Management Competencies module has sought, through three cycles, to plan and hone an approach designed to help students develop a cross-cultural perspective on corporate leadership. The nature of the challenge is analysed – specifically the generic nature of the treatment of leadership skills in much of the literature and the difficulties students face in relating what they learn to their own experiences. The three cycles are described. Consideration is also given to the lessons learnt both in terms of the treatment of leadership as a concept and as an international management competence and of further potential refinements in the learning and teaching process.