This article examines how Finnish universities and other higher education institutes have responded to the challenges posed by rapid changes in the world of work and societies all over Europe, particularly with reference to the development of generic skills. The data were collected by means of individual and group interviews at three Finnish…

Drawing on the findings of a Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) funded, multi-institutional, regional project, "Transitions West Midlands", this paper works with Further Education (FE) students' transition narratives as they look forward to, and back from the move from FE to HE and explores the role of the local,…

This paper addresses the work-integrated learning (WIL) initiative embedded in selected tourism training programs in Vietnam. The research was grounded on the framework of stakeholder ethos. Drawing on tourism training curriculum analysis and interviews with lecturers, institutional leaders, industry managers and internship supervisors, this study…

Despite the ubiquity of staff soft skills programmes, few studies have examined why and how academic and corporate services staff utilise these programmes for self-care/governance. This study reports on findings from an ethnography of soft skills learning and development programmes (LDPs) in a UK university, focusing on interviews with programme…

The present study looks at the skill formation policies adopted by policy makers in Greece in order to create a high-skills society. It examines empirically the demand side of the skill creation process within 300 small enterprises in order to understand how far supply-side measures have influenced the demand for well-trained staff within small…

The goal of this paper is to present a framework of researcher knowledge development in conducting a study in mathematics education. The key components of the framework are: knowledge germane to conducting a particular study, processes of knowledge accumulation, and catalyzing filters that influence a researcher's decision making. The components…

The 21st century will be the site of numerous changes in education systems in response to a rapidly evolving technological environment where existing skill sets and career structures may cease to exist or, at the very least, change dramatically. Likewise, the nature of work will also change to become more automated and more technologically…

To maximize the effectiveness of a decision, it is necessary to support decision-making with integrated methods. It can be assumed that subjective evaluation (considering only absolute values) is only remotely connected with the evaluation of real processes. Therefore, relying solely on these values in process management decision-making would be a…

Liberal arts education is based on a philosophy that uses an interdisciplinary curriculum to cultivate critical thinking, creativity, moral reasoning, analytical skills, and a sense of social responsibility. As China continues to invest in higher education, faculty, administrators and policy makers are aware that a narrow focus on professional and…

Recent years have seen increasing awareness of the wide range of mental health problems faced by students. Gatekeeper training has been shown to have a positive impact on knowledge and attitudes about suicide prevention, although the evidence for skills acquisition is limited. We utilised the STORM® training package in an exploratory study to…

It is necessary to develop digital literacy skills with which students can communicate and express their ideas effectively using digital media. The educational sectors around the world are beginning to incorporate digital literacy into the curriculum. Digital storytelling, one of the possible classroom activities, is an approach which may help…

Within the UK, part-time study is now seen as important in meeting wider government objectives for higher education (HE) and for sustainable economic growth through skills development. Yet, measures to capture the impact of HE may not be wholly appropriate to part-time study. In particular, the continuing focus on tangible, economic measures may…

In contemporary higher education there is a growing demand for academics to increase their publication output. This requirement raises the question of how institutions can best support a sustainable academic writing culture, which is needed to challenge the assumption that all academics know how to write for publication. This case study examines…

This paper reports on an investigation into the value of the contribution of the higher education institution (HEI) context in developing graduates' enterprise skills. The study was an exploration of where graduates develop enterprise skills, examining the impact of the higher education and employment contexts on the development of these skills.…

While research surrounding ePortfolios abounds, few studies make explicit the pedagogical underpinnings of their use. Some suggest that the decision to use new technologies, like ePortfolios, is often made in ignorance of pedagogic evidence. Developed over the course of a two-year national study on the implementation of ePortfolios, this paper…