Education Commons^™

The research team has identified eleven themes emerging from the survey data. These themes are currently being pursued through interviews and focus groups with students, graduates, employers, higher education teachers and career development professionals. A minimum of 40 interviews / focus groups will be reported in the next version of the report. The results, interpretations and recommendations may change through the next phase of the report on the basis of these interviews and focus groups. For this reason, this version of the report is to be considered as DRAFT.

The graduate employability themes being addressed through interviews / focus groups …

Substituting the words higher education for the word elephant reveals a similar state of affairs. The very existence of university and college campuses is threatened by the rise of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and industry-designed and operated vocational training. Would-be prospective students are questioning the value of higher education. There are no guarantees that university (as opposed to TAFE) education will lead to careers that are more satisfying and with higher salaries. Universities are often accused of perpetuating ivory tower thinking that leaves students ill-prepared for work. Large-size long lectures are less engaging than watching short videos, surfing websites …