Industry Mentors Research Articles

Civil engineering employers’ engagement in work-integrated learning

In this paper, two case studies of enhancing undergraduate students’ learning through work-integrated learning are presented. Both interventions involve university–industry partnerships with local and regional civil engineering employers. Industry Mentoring (2010–2024) is a curricular activity with an authentic assessment. Third-year student mentees (n = 1130) were mentored by 298 practising civil engineers, representing 80 employers. Civil Engineering 4 Real (CE4R, 2012–2024) is a co-curricular hybrid programme of problem/project-based evening workshops (n = 133), attended by 594 students with around 2867 student attendances, supported by 218 engineers, representing 76 employers. Industry Mentoring and CE4R support students to network with employers, enhance their employability skills, and shape their professional identity. Through their free assistance, employers have established a talent pipeline, recruiting students for summer placements and graduate jobs. For employers, their engagement provides evidence of enacting their corporate social responsibility through providing a social value contribution to a local university.

Enhancing academic outcomes through industry collaboration: our experience with integrating real-world projects into engineering courses

This research investigates the integration of industry projects and mentorship into academic curricula, aiming to enhance student learning and professional readiness. By incorporating real-world projects and pairing students with industry mentors, this approach seeks to provide a unique blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, the study captures both quantitative and qualitative data to assess the educational outcomes of this innovative model. Quantitative metrics include final grades, attendance rates, participation rates, placement rates, project grades, and professional skills ratings, while qualitative feedback is gathered from students, mentors, and faculty. The study is set against the backdrop of two courses that have been redesigned to include elements of industry collaboration. The findings are expected to shed light on the effectiveness of this approach in preparing students for the demands of the modern workforce, offering insights into how industry mentorship and project-based learning can enhance academic curricula and better equip students for their future careers.

Industry Mentoring Program: Empowering External Degree Students for Career Success – Case Study from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

In today's interconnected world, open distance education has become widespread, granting students the flexibility and accessibility to pursue higher education through external degree programmes. Despite the increasing feasibility of delivering knowledge and skills online, a significant hurdle remains in ensuring that participants are adequately equipped for the demands of the professional world of work. Traditionally, exposure to industry standards and practical experiences is gained through activities like industry visits, guest talks, meetups, and workshops, which are often absent in online distance education programs due to their remote nature. This dearth of industry-preparedness and practical skills presents a formidable obstacle for graduates as they transition into the workforce. Thus, bridging the gap between academic learning and industry expectations becomes imperative to enhance students' employability and career readiness, ultimately fostering their success in the workforce. This case study delves into the solution to this challenge through a meticulously crafted programme aimed at cultivating industry-ready graduates. Leveraging available technology, the program provides immersive experiences within the online learning environment. The paper details the Industry Mentoring Program (IMP), which employs technology to simulate real-world experiences, assesses stakeholder perceptions of the programme's value, and offers insights for future enhancements. This programme was conducted targeting the final year students of the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) External Degree programme of the University of Moratuwa. This study investigates the experiences and viewpoints of students taking part in the IMP using surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions. Four student cohorts who have undergone the programme have provided their feedback both quantitatively and qualitatively. Across all groups the student satisfaction was totally positive with over 80% of the participants indicating their satisfaction at 4 or 5 on a Lickert Scale of 5 indicating very satisfied. Students’ perception of their preparedness for the workforce after participating in the IMP also is extremely positive. The findings indicates that the IMP significantly improves the career opportunities of BIT students. Feedback obtained from other stakeholders such as potential employers, resource persons and administrators also validate the effectiveness of the programme. The feedback and suggestions are incorporated to enhance the programme. University has decided to incorporate this programme into the curriculum with the 2024 curriculum revision of this open distance degree programme of BIT.

Exploring the role and purpose of hospitality higher education under neo-liberalism: Perspectives from hospitality academics

This study aims to examine neo-liberalism and its ideological influences in the design and delivery of hospitality higher education in the United Kingdom. The study is underpinned by a qualitative approach, with semi-structured interviews employed as the method for data collection, with thematic analysis as the method for data analysis. Fifty-five hospitality academics working in nine universities were interviewed regarding their perceptions of being a hospitality academic teaching hospitality-related subjects in higher education. Findings were explored and analysed in relation to the broader influence of neo-liberalism on higher education and three key themes emerged, which are: restrictive conception of hospitality as the commercial hotel sector, issue of academic identity, and corporatized institutional leadership. Under the backdrop of neo-liberalism, the higher education sector has prioritized graduate employability as one of its primary responsibilities. Subsequently, hospitality higher education is predominantly viewed akin to a form of professional training programme for the commercial hotel sector, and being a hospitality academic is mainly perceived as an industry mentor, educating students with industry-relevant skills and professional practices. Institutionally, the increasing corporatization of higher education has created an environment which hospitality programmes are positioned to satisfy market demands and secure student recruitment. Informed by these findings, the current study draws the conclusion that there is a strong presence of the neo-liberal ideology reinforcing a vocational ‘filter’ on the design and delivery of hospitality higher education, which legitimizes certain educational values and practices while neglecting and undermining others. This article proposes that greater interdisciplinary engagement with other academic subjects, more recruitment of academics with a broader understanding of hospitality, and institutional leadership that appreciates and encourages alternative pedagogical approaches, are keys to creating possibilities to incorporate a more critical and humanistic underpinning in the academic development of hospitality.

NSF S-STEM Program - Supporting Undergraduate Cohorts of Career-Ready Engineering and Science Scholars (SUCCESS) Project at WVU Tech – Year 3 updates

The SUCCESS project at WVU Tech aims to recruit, retain, and graduate low-income STEM students with high motivation and entrepreneurial mindset, enhancing their likelihood of employment in technology-based businesses or creating start-up ventures. This report provides updates for Year 3, focusing on the recruitment and retention efforts. Currently, there are 20 scholars in the program, with Cohort 1 comprising seven students and Cohort 2 comprising 13 students. The program has seen some changes in Cohort 2 structure, with three Computer Science (CS) students dropping out in Fall 2023, and four new sophomore students including one Computer Engineering (CpE) and three CS students being admitted. Scholars have engaged in various activities, including completing entrepreneurship courses, attending career fairs, and working on research projects with faculty. The project team is actively collecting and analyzing feedback from scholars to ensure necessary improvements are implemented. Major activities during Year 3 included faculty mentor meetings, IEEE/ACM student branch engagements, and industry mentor interactions. Looking ahead, the project aims to continue supporting scholars in their academic and career pursuits, with a focus on enhancing industry mentorship and peer-to-peer relations. Additionally, the project has diligently explored opportunities to expand its impact to all eight existing engineering programs at WVU Tech and has recently submitted a Track 2 proposal to the NSF S-STEM program. The updates conclude with a discussion on the project's impact on student outcomes and the broader STEM community.

重新思考新闻与传播专业硕士人才培养的“差异化”

At present, the difference between the training of academic master’s and professional master’s in journalism and communication is not obvious, and the main reason is that the teachers in the school are solidified and the role of industry mentors is insufficient. From the curriculum to the dissertation, the “professional master” is transforming into a low-profile version of the “master’s degree”, and its differentiated training should be concentrated in the curriculum and practical teaching, etc., and the subjective initiative of the industry mentors should be actively exerted, so as to truly cultivate innovative, applied and compound high-level journalism and communication talents who master the “eighteen kinds martial arts” of new media communication.

Entrepreneurship education through sustainability orientation – exploring a project initiating and structuring industry mentors

Entrepreneurship education (EE) is about developing students’ ability to create economic, social, or cultural value. For sustainable development and achieving the SDGs, collaboration and new alliances will be of key importance. Collaboration can drive and enable innovative practices that bring benefits to the environment, society and organizations. A fully circular economy (CE), aiming to keep resources in economic cycles as long as possible, is required according to the European Green deal. In this paper the connection between sustainability, collaboration, and mentoring in entrepreneurship education has been strengthened. Two theoretical positions have been selected: (1) Entrepreneurship, sustainability and collaboration; and (2) Entrepreneurship education anchored in experiential learning and collaborative orientation in universities’ Third Mission. EE and entrepreneurial pedagogy lay out student centered principles for experiential learning, aiming to develop students’ creativity, opportunity orientation and innovation skills. Mentoring is an experiential learning concept, regarded as fruitful in higher education and widely used in the business industry. Student teams are often challenged with real-world problems. We explore a collaborative project initiating and structuring industry mentors. The educational setting is two courses at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) with partially common educational activities. The course challenges come from organizations in the region and are rooted in sustainability and CE. During 2019 industry mentors were assessed in a pilot-project and implemented after proving the viability of the idea. Initiating industry mentors shows positive outcome, and the three main findings are: (1) Industry mentors seems to cover an important function and role the professors do not cover; (2) Engaging industry mentors confirms the perceived need for structure and a collaboration network; and (3) Applying industry mentor service can lead to more outward and practice-oriented professors and university. Sustainability orientation and external collaboration by industry mentors’ entails promising possibilities for experiential learning, knowledge development, networking, value creation, and educational re-directing in line with the Third Mission of Higher Education (HEI). A deeper understanding of entrepreneurial mentoring and the role of industry mentors is achieved. There is a need for further empirical examination.

Research on the optimization strategy of matching the structure of vocational education and industrial development in Hubei under the background of big data

Abstract There is a certain gap between the current situation of matching vocational education graduates and regional industrial development letters in Hubei Province, which needs to be dealt with by the efforts of vocational education institutions, the government, industrial frontiers, and graduates themselves. Aiming at the current problems of Hubei Province that the match between vocational education and industrial development structure is not high enough and the level of cooperation between industry and education needs to be improved, this paper puts forward the optimization strategy of matching between industry and education in vocational education institutions that contains five suggestions. After designing the hierarchical analysis and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to construct the evaluation index system, the C1 vocational education institutions that carried out the optimization reform of industry-industry matching according to the strategy of this paper were compared with the remaining two ordinary vocational education institutions. It is found that the overall level of industry-education matching of C1 institutions, 87.489, is the highest among the three institutions and is excellent, and the scores of the first-level indexes are 87.095, 90.216, and 85.371, respectively. The satisfaction levels of faculty, curriculum construction, and enterprise benefit are 0.91, 0.9, and 0.95, thanks to the fact that C1 colleges and universities have introduced off-campus industrial mentors under the guidance of the strategy of optimizing the matching of production and education increased the number of applied skills courses, expanding school-enterprise cooperation and other initiatives have had obvious effects. The employment rate of graduates in their specialty counterparts has steadily increased from 69.4% in 2018 to 88.5% in 2023, and the degree of structural matching between vocational education and industrial development has significantly increased. This paper makes useful thinking and innovative strategies for achieving better matching between vocational education and industrial structure, and promoting industrial development and economic transformation and upgrading in Hubei Province.

Trials and Triumphs of Running Cross-Year Experiential Modules: Blending Theory and Practice to Advance Student Professional Development and Academic Practice.

This paper aims to evaluate the impact of two innovative cross-year experiential modules operated jointly between undergraduate Stages 3 and 4 on the professional development of students and the advancement of academic practice at Robert Gordon University in Scotland. Drawing upon pedagogy, including active and experiential learning and qualitative data collected from Stage 3 and 4 student focus groups and academic staff interviews, this paper aims to analyse the opportunities and challenges presented by cross-year experiential modules in relation to student engagement and professional development, and lessons learnt with implications on academic practice. These modules, designed to simulate a real-world Digital Marketing Agency, are a distinctive part of the BA (Hons) Digital Marketing course. They provide collaborative learning problem-solving opportunities through cross-year group work involving Stage 4 students taking on leadership roles in strategic planning over Stage 3 students, in operational roles, who develop related campaign materials in response to the requirements of live clients. This is reflected in the application of two distinct sets of criteria to assess the students’ coursework in accordance with stage-specific learning outcomes. Each group is supported by an academic and industry mentor for the duration of the modules.

Analysing the Impact of Emerging Technology Course on Student Satisfaction by Exposing Freshmen to Dynamic Industry Trends

Abstract : Technology is an inescapable necessity; it dominates almost every aspect of human existence. Emerging technol ogy hel ps to unl ock new possibilities for connecting things/people. At the same time, technological advancement changes industrial trends and the demand for engineering graduates' expertise. Hence, it becomes necessary for the students to imbibe the skills of continuous learning and understand the emerging trends, right from the inception year of engineering education. Also, with an amendment to the national education policy (NEP), the Indian Government has shown its clear intention to promote a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to technological developments through engineering education. Therefore, to accomplish this, it is critical to bridge the gap between industry and academia. The proposed course in this article is an initiative taken by Chitkara University Punjab to bring industry mentors and first-year students face-to-face and promote holistic learning amongst themselves. A total of 1000freshman engineering students took part in this course and participated in the post-course survey to express their satisfaction level with the course thus introduced. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient α = 0.957 shows the high Reliability of data obtained through a survey questionnaire. Students expressed high motivation levels after completion of the course. The survey shows that the course gave the students clarity about the attributes required by the industry, which can help them decide their action points towards their career development. In the future, a hybrid model of teaching-learning can be employed to provide an added advantage of industry mentor interaction with students in live physical space. Keywords:Emerging-technology, NEP2020, Reliability, Engineering, Student-satisfaction, Motivation.

Industry Linked Projects as Tools for Improving Employability of Budding Engineers

Abstract: Technology is an ever-advancing field at par with scientific and technological innovations. Technical higher education policy always tries to adopt and implement these changes in their scheme and curriculum in line with industry requirements. The present paper briefs about the latest indications on the teaching/learning methods and technical change in academia of countries on the path of development, and its effects in the applying the enhanced employment of students in core industries. Here the tool for successful enhancing of employment in related industry over the years is discussed. Exploration of the corporate working environment with focused design orientation is addressed through specific industry guided projects. The proposed plan of industry supported (Prakalp) projects are implemented at our institution, starting from pre-final year to final year UG scheme over past three years. Key benefits observed through the implementation of the proposed scheme are enhanced employment of students in related industries, improved skill development of the students and peer learning among student fraternity through group discussions. Industry guided projects can help to reduce the technological gap between industry and academia. Teaching fraternity can communicate in progressive and meaningful way with team of students and industry mentors for the implementation of set objectives of the projects. Keywords: Core industries, Employment enhancement, Prakalp, Best Practices, VLSI

Developing an Undergraduate Career Conference: Leveraging Mentorship to Promote Career Discovery

Are students ready for jobs when it comes time to graduation? This is a common question, and one that is often addressed in the media (e.g., Collie, 2019). Despite psychology being one of the most popular degree plans for undergraduate students (e.g., Higher Education Research Institute, 2008), many students in undergraduate psychology programs fail to see the relevance and value of their degree (Borden and Rajecki, 2000). In this work, we designed, delivered, and assessed a career conference for students in psychology. Intentionally different from a career fair where students seek jobs, this event applied a mentorship-based conference model. In this conference model, in addition to professional development training, industry mentors who work in professional fields related to psychology were invited to provide personal insight on their careers in a small-group format. Critical to this model, students were encouraged and able to ask questions that may not be appropriate for a job fair where hiring is happening. Further, this career model involved intentional connections with our Career Services office, allowing for programmatic delivery of career-based content within the domain-specific event. We provide early empirical evidence that this method of career development supports students in learning about career paths that psychology can lead to, identifying skills that will assist them in finding a career, feeling confident in their ability to network effectively, and feeling more connected with professionals in careers related to psychology. We suggest that this model may be beneficial across disciplines.

Research on the Training Path of Live E-commerce Talents Oriented by Industry Development

The growth of user scale and application popularization of live streaming e-commerce promote the transformation of live streaming stores to store live streaming, live streaming scene to scene live streaming, and the transformation of web celebrity staff to staff web celebrity. The stock talents of live streaming e-commerce can no longer meet the development of the industry. Long-term training of applied talents in higher vocational colleges can provide human resources to the industry and promote the development of local industries. However, the rapid development of live-streaming e-commerce industry leads to the shortage of industrial development and talent supply, the dislocation of industrial demand and talent training, the disconnect between practical training conditions and training requirements, and the lack of complementarity between higher vocational teachers and industries. According to the new in April 2022, the revision of "vocational education law" requirements to promote enterprise depth to participate in vocational education, education fusion is live electricity talent training, talent training to adhere to the industry development, post, class, competition, and training process, college teachers and industry mentor complementary development, jointly promote live electricity talent training.

NSF S-STEM Program - Supporting Undergraduate Cohorts of Career-Ready Engineering and Science Scholars (SUCCESS) Project at WVU Tech – Year 2 updates

The SUCCESS project’s main goal is to recruit, retain, and graduate low-income STEM students at WVU Tech and this abstract contains updates for Year 2. The recruitment activities started in early 2021 and continued during the summer of 2021 to form Cohort 1 and during the summer of 2022 to form Cohort 2. Currently, there are 19 scholars/students in the program. 12 new students (10 Computer Science (CS) and 2 Information Systems (IS) majors) were accepted in Fall 2022 and these 12 students are forming Cohort 2. 6 students were accepted into Electrical Engineering (EE) (4), Computer Engineering (CpE) (1), and CS (1) programs in Fall 2021. 2 EE and 1 CS students entered the program in Spring 2022. Two students (both EEs) stopped out of school for mainly their personal issues. These 7 students are forming Cohort 1. So far, scholars have completed at least one entrepreneurship course, attended career fairs, met with industry mentors, and attended senior design presentation events. Some of the scholars work with faculty on research projects. Students are actively engaging with the IEEE/ACM student branches and some of the scholars took leadership positions in these organizations. The SUCCESS team is regularly collecting and analyzing feedback from scholars to ensure that the necessary improvements are implemented. Every semester, scholars’ feedback is collected through pre-, mid-, and post-surveys. These surveys provide insights into scholars’ course/program performance, career updates, and also the level of persistence toward their program of study and entrepreneurship minor.
 This project is funded by NSF DUE S-STEM Program from 2021-2026.

Barriers to global pharmacometrics: educational challenges and opportunities across the globe.

Barriers to global pharmacometrics: educational challenges and opportunities across the globe.

A review of large-scale renewable energy partnerships with Indigenous communities and organizations in Canada

In this paper, a review of Indigenous engagement in renewable energy projects is conducted and the main elements of energy partnerships between stakeholders and Indigenous partners are discussed. In recent years, Canada has witnessed more significant Indigenous involvement in economic and energy development projects than ever before. For large-scale energy partnerships, the focus is on engagement, financial capital, community buy-in (readiness, and entrepreneurial and business skills), and benefits-sharing with community partners. Equity-ownership, reconciliation, and self-determination intersect with and impact the benefits and sustainability of energy projects, as they are interrelated in the framework of most energy partnerships. This paper illustrates policy disconnects in connection with partnership-making, social outcomes, and decision-making among Indigenous communities. Furthermore, findings from relevant literature explore the nuanced discourse on social implications and capacity challenges that interlink with climate adaptation and reconciliation when promoting large-scale renewable energy partnerships with Indigenous communities. Through a systematic review and a meta-analysis of the literature, we found 80 relevant studies during the screening process, of which 33 were selected for the synthesis. Findings demonstrate that the Crown, energy companies, and community partners need to coordinate and collaborate closely to achieve energy security and sustainable renewable energy. The review suggests that Indigenous engagement in energy partnerships supports positive outcomes for social development and environmental protection among Indigenous communities. The literature suggests that when government and industry mentor in the project implementation process, important positive impacts on energy transitions, and self-sufficiency can be realized.

The nature of entrepreneurs’ engagement with a layered rural context

Rural entrepreneurship has recently been reconceptualised as engagement with contexts. However, our knowledge of the nature of this engagement remains limited. In this paper, we explore the engagement of entrepreneurs hired as part-time industry mentors at regional universities. Using a qualitative approach based on grounded theory and self-ethnography, we interviewed five entrepreneurs in adjunct positions and their academic counterparts at universities in Northern Norway. We also relied on our own experience as academics collaborating with industry mentors. Our findings demonstrate that the entrepreneurs’ engagement encompasses and combines the business, academic and spatial layers of the entrepreneurs’ context and that it unfolds in the form of knowledge-sharing practices. Our study makes several contributions. First, it contributes to the limited empirical research on rural entrepreneurship as engagement with context and gives a novel and detailed account of how this engagement unfolds in practice. Second, it contributes by adding new insight into how entrepreneurs relate to a layered rural context. In particular, we emphasise that the knowledge-sharing practices help in crossing boundaries between the layers. Third, our study offers some practical contributions for rural entrepreneurs, policymakers and actors in regional innovation systems and regional universities.

Mentoring for INnovative Design Solutions (MINDS): Key Design Considerations and Collaborative Teamwork across Universities for Clinical Translation

The main purpose of this paper is to share the Mentoring for INnovative Design Solutions (MINDS) Scholars Program developed by Alpha Eta Mu Beta, the International Biomedical Engineering Honor Society. The program’s goals are to (1) introduce biomedical engineering students to an open-ended design experience as part of interuniversity teams with industry and faculty mentors, and (2) develop the ability to create designs considering clinical translatability on teams with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. MINDS uses an experiential learning approach to (1) enrich student curricular experiences through inter-institutional collaboration, (2) build engineering design skills, including three key design considerations for clinical/commercial success: intellectual property protection, regulatory strategy, and market identification; and (3) emphasize the importance of end-user considerations. From 2015 to 2022, MINDS has involved 131 students from 50 universities and 22 faculty and industry mentors. Pre- and post-program surveys show statistically significant improvements in understanding of the design process, regulatory strategy, intellectual property protection, market definition, and key product requirements and features. Students also improved communication and teamwork skills. Many students indicated that MINDS participation made them more likely to choose careers that involve product development and/or entrepreneurship. Students attained a working ability to integrate market needs, regulatory strategy, and intellectual property considerations into the design process. They also further developed soft skills, such as conflict resolution, time management, and effective communication through the challenges of inter-institutional collaboration. Additionally, the program heightened their awareness of how biomedical devices and technologies can benefit society.

Impact of work-integrated learning and co-curricular activities on graduate labour force outcomes

ABSTRACT The explicit linking of institutional funding to in-curricular industry engagement and graduate employment affirms the strategic importance of enhancing graduate employability in Australia. Key strategies to enhance graduate employability and employment outcomes are work-integrated learning (WIL) (where students engage with industry as part of their formal learning and assessment) and co-curricular activities (e.g. volunteering, leadership/award, and mentoring programmes), which are facilitated by the university but not embedded into curricula. While WIL is widely recognised for enhancing different aspects of student employability, the impact of co-curricular activities is less well-known. Further, there is a lack of empirical analysis on the nuanced impact of different forms of WIL and co-curricular activities on graduate outcomes. This research sought to explore the impact of a range of WIL and co-curricular activities on labour force outcomes among new higher education graduates. Findings are informed by national survey data for 51,883 domestic graduates of both coursework and research degrees in Australia. They point to a strong labour market advantage from work-based WIL for Bachelor graduates, while undergraduate participation in co-curricular activities appeared to have less effect on labour force outcomes. However, there were consistent, positive results for industry mentoring and leadership/award programmes for increasing the chances of securing full-time work and reducing the likelihood of perceived overqualification among Bachelor and postgraduate coursework graduates. Implications for stakeholders and practice are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

The impact of entrepreneurship education on tourism students’ entrepreneurial intention in South Africa

ABSTRACT This paper explores the impact of entrepreneurship education on tourism students’ entrepreneurial intention, and insights of the desirability and feasibility of starting a tourism-related business upon graduation. A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 154 randomly selected tourism students in a comprehensive University in South Africa. Data analyses included descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses to address research objectives. The results indicate that entrepreneurship education influences tourism students’ entrepreneurial intentions, including students’ perceptions of the desirability and feasibility of starting tourism-related businesses. The findings further suggest that some respondent profile variables have influences on how tourism students perceive entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial behaviour. The study recommends that the university that is studied implement a variety of reform programmes aimed at increasing employability or self-employment among university tourism graduates. Among them is the addition of a new entrepreneurship track to the undergraduate curriculum. Students, as from their first year of study should be invited to apply for the entrepreneurship education track, which includes business training as well as individualised coaching sessions with industry mentors. This will aid in the formation of professional networks, increased entrepreneurship process knowledge base, and self-efficacy among tourism students who want to become tourism entrepreneurs.