Professional skills of postgraduate students – enhancement for a career in business

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Research and Development in Higher Education Vol. 23: Flexible Learning for a Flexible Society

July, 2000, 755 pages
Published by
Lesley Richardson & John Lidstone
ISBN
0908557477
Abstract 

If graduates are to leave university with skills needed for work and a changing work environment, they need opportunities throughout their course of study to develop them. There is general agreement in the literature that such skills are best developed at the same time as disciplinary content and are best taught by the subject teacher. The Curtin Business School (CBS) is currently implementing a project which aims to enhance the skills of its graduates by integrating a set of skills into the 23 majors of the undergraduate program. In line with this larger project, it was decided to teach and assess skills in a post-graduate auditing unit. The skills chosen were those considered most relevant to the professional practice of auditing, namely written communication, team working and decision making.

Data on students’ perceptions of their skill development were obtained at the beginning and end of the unit. Analysis of the data suggests that there were differences in student perceptions of some aspects of each of the skills. We discuss these findings, relate them to the instructional and assessment methods used and the literature on skill development, and consider what changes need to be implemented in future semesters in order to help students to leave university not only with technical expertise, but also with well developed skills.