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Creating the reasonable adventurer: the co-evolution of student and learning environment

Version 2 2023-06-23, 10:52
Version 1 2023-05-25, 22:23
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-23, 10:52 authored by C Jones
Purpose – This paper seeks to address the issue of how graduate skills are developed. The focus is not on which skills, but rather what type of learning environments are required within higher education to support the development of skills valued and demanded by SMEs within Australia. Design/methodology/approach – This paper takes a step back to consider the underlying issue of how an individual student’s habits of thought are altered. In doing so, the past works of Morgan, Dewey, Whitehead, and Tyler are synthesized with the modern work of Baxter Magolda, Heath, and Biggs. Findings – It is argued that that without the development of a student-centred learning environment, most graduates will not develop the types of skills demanded by SMEs in a meaningful way. The failure to treat knowledge and skills as equal drivers of curriculum design will result in an imbalance that relegates skill development to a secondary learning outcome. Practical implications – By removing the distraction of what skills should be developed, a clearer focus is possible regarding how educators should assist students to develop a broad array of generic graduate skills. From this perspective, skills can be viewed as an essential element of the educational process, rather than a new element that must be squeezed in between content. Originality/value – This paper extends recent discussion of skills development through the use of an evolutionary perspective. Viewed as a process of creating social change, education becomes increasingly connected to a world that lies beyond institutional boundaries, thus promoting the notion of developing graduates for the world that awaits them.

History

Publication title

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

Volume

14

Issue

2

Article number

2

Number

2

Pagination

228-240

ISSN

1462-6004

Department/School

Management

Publisher

Emerald Group Publishing Ltd

Publication status

  • Published

Rights statement

Definitive version is available at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/info/journals/jsbed/jsbed.jsp

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

169999 Other education and training not elsewhere classified

UN Sustainable Development Goals

4 Quality Education