Engaging industry in curriculum design and delivery in public policy teaching: A strategic framework

Abstract

Public policy is frequently characterised as a sub-discipline of political science which is practically oriented and concerned with what government does and does not do. Further, policy analysis can also be characterised as concerned with either the analysis ‘of policy’ or ‘for policy’. This clearly has implications for the design and delivery of public policy courses. More broadly, higher education in Australia, like elsewhere, faces calls to ensure that students graduate with a range of skills and aptitudes that make them ‘job ready’ and able to engage with ‘real world problems’. One of the ways in which this can be pursued is through industry engagement. However, limited research has been undertaken regarding what this might entail or how it can be pursued. Accordingly, in this paper we explore these issues by: (a) situating engagement within the field of public policy; (b) reviewing how the changing context of higher education, with a particular focus on the drivers and rationale for greater engagement with industry, intersects with the teaching of public policy; and (c) providing a framework which helps to clarify the different modes, potential and risks associated with industry engagement.

Enhancing Student Employability in Collaboration with the Industry: Case Study of a Partnership with Amazon Web Services Academy

“…Therefore, the engagement of industry in curriculum development and enhancement is pivotal for industry-oriented degree programmes. The framework for engaging industry proposed by Manwaring and colleagues [45] indicates that a high level of engagement happens when industry engaged in course curriculum review. In this case, that is what happened.…”

A Responsible Approach to Higher Education Curriculum Design

“…Correspondingly, the curriculum has also been updated for the disciplines. Mcknight et al (2016) have argued that the successful digital conversion of classrooms and society is not just determined by the technology, but instead how the technology enables the teaching and learning process. Technology integration in the curriculum follows a chain effect as it gets transferred to the students, industries and finally society.…”

“…By adopting this approach, the students can be more participatory in the teaching practices and can work for self-directed learning in a collaborative manner. With these practices, the students feel empowered and act responsibly, without affecting the insights of social and economic aspects for sustainable development in the future (Manwaring et al, 2020). The purpose of redesigning the curriculum has been shown in Figure 1.…”

Multilevel design considerations for vocational curricula at the boundary of school and work

“…Curriculum development implies taking into account the interest of all stakeholders involved (government, trade unions, social organizations, educational institutions, students, vocational teachers, curriculum designers), who may have different expectations of the curriculum (Thijs & Van Den Akker, 2009) and different motives for engaging in curriculum design (Manwaring et al, 2020). This challenge of taking into account the interest of all stakeholders is especially evident in vocational education, where stakeholders are found to have different viewpoints (Sappa & Aprea, 2014;Tyson, 2016), and where stakeholders from the 'world of work' have a considerable interest in the curricula that are designed to prepare and develop their (future) workforce (Choy, 2018).…”