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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of academics, senior university managers and employer representatives on the design and implementation of an innovative work-based learning (WBL) programme in UK higher education. Design/methodology/approach – The research project draws upon case study research and utilizes data from semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis of policy papers. The experiences of university staff and employer representatives were analysed methodologically using the organisational story-telling framework. Findings – The paper exposes voices which are rarely heard in the public domain and provides insights into the challenges involved in introducing new practices within higher education. The themes that have emerged are: the intensity of the learning experience; tensions amongst academics delivering the programme; and, academic support for students, particularly in relation to the importance of face-to-face contact. Originality/value – The paper addresses key gaps in the WBL literature, most notably a dearth of critical accounts of practice within WBL programmes from the perspective of university staff and employer representatives. This type of research is also needed given the increased priority by governments in relation to forging links between business and higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of using several commercial tools in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects for enterprise education at Newcastle University, UK. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; The paper provides an overview of existing toolkit use in higher education, before reviewing where and how tools are used across science and engineering disciplines. Feedback was collated from Newcastle educators and students to determine whether the projected enterprise learning outcomes were achieved. STEM learning outcomes were also mapped to the NCEE entrepreneurship learning outcomes framework. Findings |!|#8211; The paper investigated the use of three key enterprise toolkits across the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering and the Faculty of Medical Sciences, where the focus is on innovation and product/service development, rather than on the desire to |!|#34;be an entrepreneur|!|#34;. This reflection on practice evaluates the benefits and student perceptions of workshop tools for enterprise, decision making and teamwork. It makes comparison between the perceived employability needs of these students, and addresses the intended and actual outcomes of these tools. Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; Evaluating toolkit use within a single university is constrained by common internal workings, however as exemplars of good practice this is of value to other UK higher education institutions. Practical implications |!|#8211; Consideration is given to entrepreneurial support and development, and whether using existing tools should be used for summative or for formative assessment. It also questions whether tools are fit for purpose. Originality/value |!|#8211; This paper reveals patterns of tool use and their effectiveness across science and engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – International postgraduate education in business-related subjects has grown substantially in the UK. Both MBA and specialist Masters' programmes increasingly offer entrepreneurship as a core or option. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in meeting the expectations and motivations of international postgraduate students. Design/methodology/approach – The authors explored four questions through a survey of international students participating in entrepreneurship courses in two Business Schools: What is the typical profile of the international students' prior education and work experience? What do students expect from studying an entrepreneurship PG course in the UK? What are their experiences of, and learning outcomes from, the entrepreneurship course? What benefits regarding their skills and knowledge do they perceive result from participation? Findings – The results confirm that career development is a major motivator for international study in the UK. Entrepreneurship can help to address cultural tensions between postgraduate students' expectations and their experiences of UK business education. Practical implications – Suggestions are offered for educators on the effective design and delivery of entrepreneurship for international students in the rapidly changing and competitive postgraduate market. Social implications – Cultural integration, learning effectiveness and linguistic capability need to be addressed in designing learning programmes for international students. Originality/value – The paper contributes new evidence to the debate on meeting the career expectations and motivations of international postgraduate students participating in entrepreneurship education, especially in the light of new curricular guidance and UK government regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to discuss the proposal that curriculum designed for and about enterprise education can be sustained via a cyclical model of evaluation. Such an approach takes into consideration an important aspect of enterprise education which is |!|#34;context|!|#34;, a significant aspect overtly linked to the differing subject disciplines offering such curriculum. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; The design of this research project was driven by the authors|!|#39; suggestion that to evaluate the impact of enterprise education pedagogy different factors to those that are currently prescribed need to be taken into consideration. Current evaluation practice is to take a global, generic approach, often utilising quantitative techniques, but the authors argue that evaluation of enterprise education should consider local, contextual factors only |!|#8211; key contextual factors being subject discipline, along with the lecturer|!|#39;s own context, teaching and learning materials and implicit and explicit notions of enterprise education. The research utilised two different modules and approaches to evaluation: first, a questionnaire designed using module materials such as learning descriptor and module outcomes which produced quantitative data that could be linked directly to the module learning and teaching inputs as well as lecturer|!|#39;s approach; and second, a focus group-type approach undertaken with students on a completely separate and distinct module returning qualitative data, The former module was explicitly enterprise education and the latter module had a very implicit nature in relation to enterprise education. The students for the latter module were not aware of the enterprise connotation of the module. Findings |!|#8211; The authors|!|#39; notion that contextual evaluation has real value was upheld in each case. Both lecturers used the data collected to improve and make productive changes to their module content and teaching and learning materials for the following cohorts of students. Practical implications |!|#8211; It is the authors|!|#39; belief that contextual evaluation offers enterprise education pedagogy the opportunity to be evaluated in a more useful and practical forum, with results not only illustrating the impact on students but also on the module content and how this has been instrumental in the students|!|#39; progress. Originality/value |!|#8211; Those wishing to embed and sustain enterprise education by keeping the topic up to date on an annual basis will find this case study useful and, upon request, may have access to the evaluation methods used by the authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]