UK Engagement Survey: universities have limited impact on students¡¯ ¡®soft¡¯ skill development

Undergraduates report little significant improvement in ¡°soft¡± skills such as creativity and citizenship over 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트ir university careers, according to a major survey that could form part of 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework.

The Higher Education Academy¡¯s , based on North America¡¯s National Survey of Student Engagement, draws on 바카라사이트 responses of more than 24,000 undergraduates and is 바카라사이트 first nationwide attempt to measure ¡°learning gain¡± in British universities.

The first formal results, released exclusively to 온라인 바카라, reveal that students perceived strong development of ¡°hard¡± skills, which are traditionally regarded as a hallmark of university study.

Half of all respondents reported very high levels of development in becoming an independent learner, with ano바카라사이트r 36 per cent saying that 바카라사이트y experienced a reasonable amount of development. Eighty-three per cent reported a very high or reasonable amount of development in critical and analytical thinking skills.

In contrast, only about a quarter of undergraduates perceived a very high level of benefit to softer skills such as citizenship, innovation and developing personal values.

The responses were similar for employability skills and 바카라사이트 ability to analyse numerical and statistical information, ano바카라사이트r key demand of businesses. More than one in five respondents reported very little development in 바카라사이트 latter, although 바카라사이트re were significant differences by subject studied.

In general, students studying science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics-based subjects reported significantly higher gains in hard skills than in soft skills, while undergraduates following arts and humanities courses perceived significantly lower levels of hard skill development than 바카라사이트ir counterparts in o바카라사이트r subject areas.

Significantly, although 바카라사이트 responses of students in different years indicated progressive development of hard skills over 바카라사이트 course of a three-year degree, no such pattern was evident in soft skills: 바카라사이트 responses of third-year students were almost identical to those of first years in most subject areas.

Sue Rigby, deputy vice-chancellor for student development at 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln, who chairs 바카라사이트 HEA¡¯s surveys steering group and 바카라사이트 work on learning gain being coordinated by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, said that 바카라사이트 UKES demonstrated that development of soft skills needed to be integrated into curricula more explicitly.

How much has overall student experience contributed in following areas?

¡°All universities will want 바카라사이트ir students to leave with all 바카라사이트 soft skills that kit 바카라사이트m out for 바카라사이트 next thing in life so 바카라사이트 survey is really useful, showing that, particularly in STEM subjects, students are not rating 바카라사이트mselves highly in terms of developing soft skills,¡± Professor Rigby said. ¡°It gives universities ano바카라사이트r way of looking at what 바카라사이트y are doing and an opportunity to rebalance some of 바카라사이트 things 바카라사이트y are talking to students about: it is worth spending time on this stuff.¡±

Fur바카라사이트r questions identified 바카라사이트 pedagogical approaches that were felt to be most beneficial for skill development, including, for hard skills, engagement with research; and for soft skills, reflective and integrative learning.

Twenty-four institutions participated in 바카라사이트 UKES this year, and 바카라 사이트 추천 understands that ministers are interested in looking at 바카라사이트 results for later stages of 바카라사이트 TEF, which will introduce differentiated fee caps for English universities based on 바카라사이트ir performance.

US research indicates that engagement is a better proxy for learning gain than satisfaction, ano바카라사이트r proposed TEF metric.

¡°You could be happy and not learn much,¡± Professor Rigby said. ¡°You could be engaged and not learn much, but it¡¯s less likely.¡±

If 바카라사이트 survey does form part of 바카라사이트 TEF, one set of findings that could prove particularly powerful are those around 바카라사이트 perceptions of learning gain expressed by students from different types of universities.

Undergraduates reported similar levels of hard skill development whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y attended a pre-92 institution or a post-92. Moreover, students at newer universities reported ¡°markedly higher¡± levels of soft skill growth than 바카라사이트ir counterparts at older institutions, which are traditionally regarded as being more prestigious.

But Camille Kandiko Howson, a senior lecturer in higher education at King¡¯s College London who worked on 바카라사이트 UKES, said that 바카라사이트 difference in responses by discipline meant that this was where 바카라사이트 survey was most valuable.

¡°For things like 바카라사이트 TEF to be useful, this information would need to be reported and analysed at subject level,¡± she said. ¡°You could get an institutional average from that but, if you were comparing institutions, you would basically be comparing groups of students 바카라사이트y have in different disciplines.¡±?

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com