Using reflective, authentic assessments to embed employability skills in higher education

Abstract

PurposeReflection on performance and progress prepares students for workplace environments where self-management is expected, and yet this is something students are not often required to do formally in higher education (HE). This paper explores this gap in students' ability and seeks to address it through a reconsideration of summative assessment practices which, particularly in light of COVID-19, must align with the needs of graduates and their employers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws from data collected from the summative reflective assessment reports that degree apprentices (DAs) submitted during the final year of their Business Management degree while undertaking a problem-based module. We undertook a document analysis of these reports and used thematic analysis where we systematically looked for repeated themes in students' reflections.FindingsStudents problematise the skills needed during COVID-19, and beyond, both in their academic studies and the workplace. Authentic assessment provides opportunities for students to work on skills and projects which are relevant to them. Through reflective accounts of skills they developed, students were able to bridge academic and professional practice and identify areas of convergence. Students engaged with academic theories in a constructive and meaningful way which suggests that authentic reflective accounts as part of assessment have the potential to maintain academic rigour.Originality/valueSkills development can bring the workplace into HE in a meaningful and systematic way and this article provides guidance for those looking to introduce reflection on skills to other courses. We suggest how this model can be utilised across modules which do not have work-integrated learning in their delivery.

Lecturers' perceptions of authentic assessment in times of COVID-19 pandemic: a case of Indonesian universities

“…The analysis shows that 23.75% of the participating lecturers strongly agree with the assessment task, 65% agree and 11.25% neutral. Importantly, most lecturers agree that the assessment task is to prepare students to enter the workplace and develop relevant skills or competencies for the future workplace (Brown et al ., 2022; Miller and Konstantinou, 2022).…”

“…Third, authentic assessment serves as a key role to prepare students to enter the workplace. It can assist students to develop skills or competencies applicable to the future workplace (Brown et al, 2022;Miller and Konstantinou, 2022), demonstrate skills that will be used in the workplace (Schultz et al, 2021), meet the needs of industrial work and academic requirements (Jopp, 2020), allow students for the practice to experience and develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to succeed in their professional careers, which aims to replicate jobs and standard performance found in the workplace (James and Casidy, 2018;Villarroel et al, 2020), and help students turn classroom knowledge into learning opportunities that go beyond higher education in the real world, such as with internship programs. Given the importance of employability as an educational goal, authentic assessments are salient to prepare students for the unpredictable workplaces, and consideration is needed to redesign the assessment and its application (Tai et al, 2018;Villarroel et al, 2018).…”

Exhibiting entrepreneurial behavior at work: a lived experience of a millennial entrepreneur

“…It would be of significant importance if studies in the future quantitatively tested the model we proposed. Irrespective of these limitations, the study remains relevant because it gives results that are premised on the actual context of the study (Miller and Konstantinou, 2022).…”

Editorial

“…The first is the reminder that learning through practice provides one of the most fruitful spaces to learn the skills that can create real impacts at work (Miller and Konstantinou, 2022), and that technology continues to provide positive ways to value and appreciate the acquisition of such capabilities over time (Holtzman et al , 2022). The workplace is not just a site of skill acquisition but impact, where work-based research can often drive change at an organisational or industry level (Pepper et al , 2022).…”

“…Although this issue is a general issue, there are resonances with how applied methodologies can help transition to new spaces and places which embrace inclusion and peace. Rather than an editorial which summarises the key points of the articles presented, I would like to sketch out some of the resonances which I think are important for societal transitions right now.The first is the reminder that learning through practice provides one of the most fruitful spaces to learn the skills that can create real impacts at work (Miller and Konstantinou, 2022), and that technology continues to provide positive ways to value and appreciate the acquisition of such capabilities over time (Holtzman et al, 2022). The workplace is not just a site of skill acquisition but impact, where work-based research can often drive change at an organisational or industry level (Pepper et al, 2022).…”