Citizens are increasingly are provided with choice and
customization in public services and this has now also become a key
feature of higher education in terms of policy roll-outs on personal
development planning (PDP) and more generally as part of the
employability agenda. The goal here is to transform people, in this
case graduates, into active, responsible citizen-workers. A key part of
this rhetoric and logic is the inculcation of graduate attributes within
students. However, there has also been a concern with the issue of
student lack of engagement and perseverance with their studies. This
paper sets out to explore some of these conceptions that link graduate
attributes with citizenship as well as the notion of how identity is
forged through the higher education process. Examples are drawn
from a quality enhancement project that is being operated within the
context of the Scottish higher education system. This is further
framed within the wider context of competing and conflicting
demands on higher education, exacerbated by the current worldwide
economic climate. There are now pressures on students to develop
their employability skills as well as their capacity to engage with
global issues such as behavioural change in the light of
environmental concerns. It is argued that these pressures, in effect,
lead to a form of personalization that is concerned with how
graduates develop their sense of identity as something that is
engineered and re-engineered to meet these demands.
[1] S. M. Davis, Future Perfect. MA: Addison-Wesley, 1987.
[2] R. Barnett, " Graduate attributes in an age of uncertainty" . In P. Hager
& S. Holland (Eds.) Graduate Attributes, Learning and Employability.
Drordrecht: Springer, 2006.
[3] A. Petersen, A. "Authentic self-realization and depression".
International Sociology, vol. 26 no. 1, pp. 5-24, January 2011.
[4] S. C. Barrie, "A conceptual framework for the teaching and learning of
generic graduate attributes.". Studies In Higher Education. Vol. 32, no.
4, pp. 439-458, July 2007, p.444)
[5] Global University Network for Innovation, Higher Education at a Time
of Transformation: New Dynamics for Social Responsibility,
[6] A. Fejes, A. "Discourses on Employability: Constituting the Responsible
Citizen". Studies in Continuing Education, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 89-102,
July, 2010.
[7] B. Lambier, and S. Ramaekers, S. "The Limits of ÔÇÿBlackboard- are the
limits of my world: On the changing concepts of the university and its
students" E-Learning and Digital Media, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 544-551,
2006.
[8] J. Moir, J. " Personal Development Planning in Higher Education:
Localised Thinking for a Globalised World" In J. M. Resende. & M. M.
Vieira (Eds) The Crisis of Schooling? Learning, Knowledge and
Competencies in Modern Societies. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge
Scholars Press, 2009.
[9] P. Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 1970.
[10] D. Otter, D. "Globalisation and sustainability. Global perspectives and
education for sustainable development in Higher Education." In E. Jones
& S. Brown (Eds.), Internationalising Higher Education, London:
Routledge.
[11] M. Tennant, C. McMullen, and D Kaczynski, Teaching, Learning and
research in Higher Education: A Critical Approach. Abindon, Oxon.
Routledge, 2010 (Ch.4)
[12] Mezirow, J. (1991) Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
[1] S. M. Davis, Future Perfect. MA: Addison-Wesley, 1987.
[2] R. Barnett, " Graduate attributes in an age of uncertainty" . In P. Hager
& S. Holland (Eds.) Graduate Attributes, Learning and Employability.
Drordrecht: Springer, 2006.
[3] A. Petersen, A. "Authentic self-realization and depression".
International Sociology, vol. 26 no. 1, pp. 5-24, January 2011.
[4] S. C. Barrie, "A conceptual framework for the teaching and learning of
generic graduate attributes.". Studies In Higher Education. Vol. 32, no.
4, pp. 439-458, July 2007, p.444)
[5] Global University Network for Innovation, Higher Education at a Time
of Transformation: New Dynamics for Social Responsibility,
[6] A. Fejes, A. "Discourses on Employability: Constituting the Responsible
Citizen". Studies in Continuing Education, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 89-102,
July, 2010.
[7] B. Lambier, and S. Ramaekers, S. "The Limits of ÔÇÿBlackboard- are the
limits of my world: On the changing concepts of the university and its
students" E-Learning and Digital Media, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 544-551,
2006.
[8] J. Moir, J. " Personal Development Planning in Higher Education:
Localised Thinking for a Globalised World" In J. M. Resende. & M. M.
Vieira (Eds) The Crisis of Schooling? Learning, Knowledge and
Competencies in Modern Societies. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge
Scholars Press, 2009.
[9] P. Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 1970.
[10] D. Otter, D. "Globalisation and sustainability. Global perspectives and
education for sustainable development in Higher Education." In E. Jones
& S. Brown (Eds.), Internationalising Higher Education, London:
Routledge.
[11] M. Tennant, C. McMullen, and D Kaczynski, Teaching, Learning and
research in Higher Education: A Critical Approach. Abindon, Oxon.
Routledge, 2010 (Ch.4)
[12] Mezirow, J. (1991) Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:61535", author = "James Moir", title = "Students, Knowledge and Employability", abstract = "Citizens are increasingly are provided with choice and
customization in public services and this has now also become a key
feature of higher education in terms of policy roll-outs on personal
development planning (PDP) and more generally as part of the
employability agenda. The goal here is to transform people, in this
case graduates, into active, responsible citizen-workers. A key part of
this rhetoric and logic is the inculcation of graduate attributes within
students. However, there has also been a concern with the issue of
student lack of engagement and perseverance with their studies. This
paper sets out to explore some of these conceptions that link graduate
attributes with citizenship as well as the notion of how identity is
forged through the higher education process. Examples are drawn
from a quality enhancement project that is being operated within the
context of the Scottish higher education system. This is further
framed within the wider context of competing and conflicting
demands on higher education, exacerbated by the current worldwide
economic climate. There are now pressures on students to develop
their employability skills as well as their capacity to engage with
global issues such as behavioural change in the light of
environmental concerns. It is argued that these pressures, in effect,
lead to a form of personalization that is concerned with how
graduates develop their sense of identity as something that is
engineered and re-engineered to meet these demands.", keywords = "students, higher education, employability,
knowledge, personal development", volume = "6", number = "4", pages = "640-5", }