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The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual viewpoint which proposes the use of the post graduate Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) approach to learning in undergraduate education and practice‐based training.

This is an examination of the KTP approach and how this could be used effectively in undergraduate education and training to encourage and increase practice‐based learning and employer engagement. The methodology consists of a literature review, and a case study of the KTP approach. The literature reviewed examines the KTP approach, employer engagement in education and strategic government approaches to stimulate investment in knowledge and skills for workforce development, and the development of practice‐based learning in the UK. The KTP provides a case study to illustrate a successful model of employer engagement, which benefits all parties to it, and assists with the strategic development required by successive governments.

The suggestions are based on the authors’ investigation and their understanding and experience of: the KTP approach; practice‐based learning; undergraduate education; and learning and teaching approaches. The paper suggests that the KTP approach (normally a post‐graduate model) could be extended to undergraduate education to provide sustainable practice‐based learning that fits well with the strategies and ideologies of government, employers and academia.

Barriers to employer and academic engagement, such as that linked to the confused terminology used to describe practice‐based learning, and competing political ideologies, should be researched further to gain a better understanding of how to mitigate these in order to make the KTP approach in undergraduate education successful. The implications are that synergistic development of the KTP approach in an increased range of academic and workplace partnerships needs to be done before a fully tested model could be agreed.

The originality is the idea of utilising a well acknowledged post‐graduate model of learning within an undergraduate environment. The value is to increase the awareness of the benefits of the KTP and how the approach could be adapted for use in undergraduate environments for the eventual benefit of students, academics, employers and policy makers.

The chapter evaluates the value of practice-based teaching and learning on a UK postgraduate unit and describes the development of conceptual models for the student practice-based experience.

Student experience is explored through the use of an in-depth case study. Student understanding is explored through an exit survey of students.

Student experience of the unit was positive and negative. Positive experiences stem from good client communications, a motivated student team, and the buzz of a real project. Positive experiences appear to lead to a perception of pride in outcomes and personal transferrable skills. Negative experiences stem from the lack of life experience, language difficulties, client unavailability, lack of subject knowledge, and literature gaps which left students feeling ill-equipped to deal with the international group context. Negative experiences lead to stress and poor group development.

The study is based on a single simple case. The methodology has sought to reduce problems with internal validity and bias. The data collection and analysis methods are repeatable and we encourage other academics to test our conceptual models and conclusions.

Conceptual models for positive and negative experience are proposed.

The study suggests there is a balance to be sought between providing a positive student experience and practical learning. Practice-based learning adds significant value to the student in terms of improved understanding of hard and soft tools, but may need to be based upon positive and negative experience.

The purpose of this paper is to present the methodology and results of practice-based learning in the Business School of a higher education institution (HEI) in Mexico, with a focus on students’ participation and learning experience.

This research is a descriptive and qualitative analysis of six team experiences within a larger project developed through university–business partnership with the aim of helping develop organizational capabilities of small and medium enterprises within the Tequila industry in Mexico.

Participation of students in project-based learning, in genuine scenarios alongside professional consultants, is an effective way to develop learning and to apply prior knowledge. Learning occurs at several levels, including developing professional knowledge, teamwork, leadership and communication skills, and to some extent consulting skills. Client organizations also develop learning in work-based learning (WBL) projects.

The research methodology does not allow for generalization of the results on a large scale.

This research shows a successful instance of project- and practice-based learning that may be helpful for HEIs seeking to implement this learning methodology.

There is research evidence that more students are expecting to get practice-based skills as part of their higher education training. This paper supports the argument that HEIs can develop wide scale WBL programs that have impact on students’ learning and skills development as well as on the development of host organizations.

The instance of WBL described in this research paper is unique within HEIs in Mexico.

Development activities at work require the use of abilities that include a range of methodological knowledge. This research seeks to develop and promote these abilities into the curriculum.

The paper analyses information from a variety of subject areas about the teaching and learning of practitioner‐led research and development projects. An action research approach was used in which staff across one university were asked to draw on best practice and expertise.

Differing approaches to practitioner‐led research were identified. A web‐based resource to facilitate the understanding of methodology in the practitioner‐led projects of students on work‐based and work‐related university programmes was developed.

It is difficult to learn how to become a successful practitioner researcher outside of the “real‐time” contexts of the work environment.

To manage successful developments at work, students need to become “practitioner‐researchers”. The web‐based resource provides searchable examples of projects undertaken at work in placements and by part time students in their full time work. Practice‐based project information on a generic template cuts across the disciplines and uses a range of different methodologies. The practitioner‐led projects result in change or recommendations for change in professional practice.

This paper focuses especially on the methodological approaches used by undergraduate students. This kind of understanding is normally expected in the postgraduate curriculum where students are more likely to have work‐based experience. Data represented various and differing standpoints regarding research paradigms, different disciplinary practices and different practices between the Professions.

The modernisation agenda in health and social care is concerned with providing an integrated service for patients/clients and their carers. This paper focuses on the nature of practice‐based learning environments that support the development of students as effective interprofessional practitioners for the modernised health and social care services.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a practice‐based entrepreneurship education programme which enhances collaboration between educational institutions and the small business community as a means of producing a more employable, well rounded and skilled graduates.

A case description of the business consulting programme operated at the University of Limerick.

The findings highlight how a practice‐based learning module brings real business learning into the classroom and simultaneously attends to the needs of different internal and external stakeholders by producing a more flexible and employable professional graduate. Furthermore, it creates a more meaningful relationship between education institutions (knowledge producers) and industry (knowledge users).

Educators need to evaluate the benefits of practice‐based learning programmes from the external stakeholder perspective as a basis of identifying more innovative practice‐based learning options.

The paper draws attention to the need for, and suggestions on how educational institutions can be more outward focussed and responsive to the needs of industry when designing educational programmes.

The purpose of this paper is to explore creativity and how it changes over time among engineering students in practice-based entrepreneurship in higher education. This change was examined in students over a one-semester course in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship courses that use creativity tools for practice-based learning are expected to develop creativity as a learning outcome. This study discusses the extent to which some learning outcomes are more easily developed than others.

This research uses a longitudinal design by applying a pre- and post-test survey. The student population consists of engineering students enrolled in an entrepreneurship course with practice-based learning involving creativity tools. The course includes team-based idea generation and business model development. To measure actual changes in students’ creativity, two measures were used to reflect different aspects.

The results show that students’ ability to perform creative tasks increased, while students’ willingness to engage in and their enjoyment of creative tasks decreased as a result of the course. Non-significant differences in changes were found between the two measures, but a difference was found in how the two measures changed during the course. In line with the research question, the results suggest that education may influence ability to a greater extent than willingness.

The research used two different creativity measures to explore the extent to which engineering students experienced a change in creativity over a one-semester entrepreneurship course. In this way, the research contributes to the discussion on what could be learnt and by what means.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the evolution of academic and information literacy (AIL) teaching initiatives in a first-year core social work course at the University of Auckland. It traces the development of AIL teaching, support and assessment activities over a 10-year period as part of a collaborative project involving librarians, learning advisors and an academic staff member. The paper clearly outlines the challenges arising because of the rapidly evolving and complex information environment in which tertiary students find themselves, as well as the student-centred pedagogical approaches which can assist them in navigating this environment and developing resourcefulness and resilience in undertaking research.

The case study presented in this paper outlines the evolution over a 10-year period of AIL teaching and activities taken to specifically develop AIL integration for the first-year core course, Sociology for Human Services, for the degree of Bachelor of Social Work. At its core, this case study demonstrates the application of reflective practice on the part of library staff, academic staff and student learning advisors with a view to implementing AIL initiatives which not only addressed information needs for assignment completion at university but also took a holistic view of students’ lives, recognising the importance of AIL in their civic, social and work lives. Reflection involved challenging key assumptions about the teaching of AIL initiatives and what constituted success and failure; gaining a better understanding of new and developing information environments in which students currently operate; and identifying existing and emerging AIL frameworks which could best equip students to survive and flourish in these environments. The paper focuses on the drivers, challenges, successes and impact of implementing and adapting AIL activities as well as the learning design and pedagogical approaches implemented to scaffold and develop initiatives with the whole three-year degree structure in mind. Special reference is paid to the application of new and emerging AIL frameworks, including the Research Skills Development Framework (Willison and O’Regan, 2006) and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2015). The paper also outlines how mapping to graduate attributes, learning outcomes and core practitioner competencies can strengthen AIL and assessment activities.

Application of new and emerging frameworks of research and AIL can enhance both teaching and assessment activities in an undergraduate degree programme. This paper outlines a move away from reliance on teaching of tools and resources to a focus on mastery of threshold concepts and deeper understandings of the importance of information and academic literacy capabilities in study, work and civic life. The approach outlined here fosters the development of informed learners who are resilient and resourceful and who can easily navigate within the complex information environment in which they find themselves. This case study further demonstrates that students appreciate and recognise the value (as well as the transferability) of these capabilities to other areas of their life both at the tertiary level and post academia. In a practice-based course such as this one, the application of key frameworks and an understanding of expected practitioner competencies and graduate attributes can also help address a generally recognised research practice gap common in undergraduate practice-based courses. The paper further outlines the benefits of a collaborative approach to the integration of AIL. Such collaborative initiatives bring the fresh perspectives and deeper understanding; apart from this, they also serve as a springboard to work with other academic staff to develop AIL initiatives at different stages of a degree programme.

This paper focuses on the development of AIL skills in one social work course at the University of Auckland. The information presented here may not be relevant for other disciplines or institutions.

This paper takes both a theoretical and practical approach. Challenges in the development of AIL initiatives are clearly contextualised within relevant pedagogical and AIL theories. Practical solutions for common challenges are clearly outlined. It is hoped that the problem − solution approach outlined in this paper will benefit other information professionals and academic staff who are implementing AIL in the current tertiary environment.

Students find themselves in an increasingly complex information environment. Traditional information literacy (IL) skills may no longer meet their needs in this rapidly evolving environment. This paper outlines how application of current research frameworks, practitioner attributes and a focus on mastery of core threshold concepts can build information resilience and resourcefulness and better equip them to access, evaluate and utilise information both for their study and work and life beyond academia.

Demonstrating clear trends in how IL initiatives have developed over the past 10 years, this paper provides practical examples of how new and emerging research and threshold concept frameworks can be applied to the integration of AIL initiatives in undergraduate degree programmes.

This study aims to focus on key approaches to education for sustainability (EfS) leadership development in the context of Malaysian and Japanese universities. The authors identify key indicators of effective EfS leadership development approaches using both descriptive and inferential analyses, identify and compare the preferred leadership learning methods of academics and examine the impact of marital status, country of residence and administrative position on the three EfS leadership development approaches.

The study is quantitative in approach and survey in design. Data were collected from 664 academics and analysed using the efficient partial least squares (PLSe2) methodology. To provide higher education researchers with more analytical insights, the authors re-estimated the models based on the maximum likelihood methodology and compared the results across the two methods.

The inferential results underscored the significance of four EfS leadership learning methods, namely, “Involvement in professional leadership groups or associations, including those concerned with EfS”, “Being involved in a formal mentoring/coaching program”, “Completing formal leadership programs provided by my institution” and “Participating in higher education leadership seminars”. Additionally, the authors noted a significant impact of country of residence on the three approaches to EfS leadership development. Furthermore, although marital status emerged as a predictor for self-managed learning and formal leadership development (with little practical relevance), administrative position did not exhibit any influence on the three approaches.

In addition to the theoretical and methodological implications drawn from the findings, the authors emphasize a number of practical implications, namely, exploring the applicability of the results to other East Asian countries, the adaptation of current higher education leadership development programmes focused on the key challenges faced by successful leaders in similar roles, and the consideration of a range of independent variables including marital status, administrative position and country of residence in the formulation of policies related to EfS leadership development.

This study represents an inaugural international comparative analysis that specifically examines EfS leadership learning methods. The investigation uses the research approach and conceptual framework used in the international Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education initiative and uses the PLSe2 methodology to inferentially pinpoint key learning methods and test the formulated hypotheses.