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New report explores building higher education curricula fit for the future

Published: 24 October 2018 at 14:28

“This fourth industrial revolution is of a scale, speed and complexity that it is unprecedented… It will disrupt nearly every sector in every country, creating new opportunities and challenges for people, places and businesses to which we must respond.” (Her Majesty’s Government, Industrial Strategy, p.32)

A new report by researchers from the Centre for Innovation in Higher Education (CIHE) has been published by Advance HE (formerly HEA). Dr Simon Pratt-Adams and Dr Emma Coonan were commissioned in May 2018 to undertake the study, which explores the ways in which Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are responding to the UK’s Industrial Strategy.

The research informs the sector’s understanding about how the vision detailed in the UK’s Industrial Strategy is articulated through approaches to learning and teaching in HE and contributes to policy debates in this area around academic, technical and vocational qualifications.

The report features responses from Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors from a range of HEIs showcasing innovative learning, teaching and curriculum design approaches supporting employability development. Dr Ben Brabon, Academic Lead for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Advance HE, said:

The project report reveals that HEIs have a high level of awareness of the challenges set out in the Industrial Strategy and are responding through the ongoing development of their approach to learning and teaching so that it is more active, participatory and work-integrated. At the same time, the report raises significant questions about how best to develop life-long learning to meet the regional and national skills and employment requirements in the future, as well as highlighting that it is essential for Higher Education to develop a complex range of skills, abilities and personal attributes across discipline areas.

Read the full report and visit the project’s dedicated page on the CIHE website to find out more.