Enterprise in the Humanities Curriculum

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Enterprise in the Humanities Curriculum

• Val Butcher

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Enterprise In the Humanities Curriculum

• What?
• Why?
• Whether?
• How?

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What?

• Philosophy
• History of Art

• The ability to work with and in relation to
  others through the presentation of ideas and
  information and the collective negotiation of
  solutions.
• Apply knowledge and experience so as to make
  appropriate decisions in complex and incompletely
  charted contexts

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What?

• Drama
• Religious Studies

• Manage personal workloads and meet deadlines
  under pressure with flexibility, imagination,
  self-motivation
• and organisation
• Ability to gather, evaluate and synthesise
  different types of information.

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Reference

• Student Employability Profiles 2002 2006
• Higher Education Academy Subject Centres and
  Council for industry and Higher Education
• http//www.cihe-uk.com/publications.php
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/learning/employ
  ability/disciplines

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WHY?

• Student dont recognise they are developing these
  attributes
• The Leitch report challenging the validity of
  non-vocational higher education?
• As traditional pathways proportionately shrink,
  new opportunities are emerging

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Leitch on Enterprise

• An environment that encourages enterprise and
  supports people who take opportunities and risks
  is a crucial ingredient of productivity
  improvement.  A strong entrepreneurial base is an
  essential driver of growth and prosperity in a
  modern economy. New and more dynamic businesses
  increase competitive pressures in markets and
  facilitate the introduction of new ideas,
  technologies and more efficient working
  practices.

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Whether?

• Its just a political game it will pass
• This isnt what higher education is about
• I dont have enough time
• The students arent interested
• Graduates in my discipline are trained for a job
  they dont have to set up a company.
• I dont know how to do it

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How?

• An Enterprise Audit is a good way to
  initiate discussion and development on an issue.
  It enables you to make clear the range of
  activities which may contribute to the issue and
  the process can reassure colleagues that quite a
  lot of work may already be developed in the area.
• The process can also recognise departmental
  autonomy, within an institutional frame-work, and
  can
• Encourage development of a departmental, School
  or Faculty strategic plan to clarify how
  enterprise and entrepreneurship can be developed
  in relation to their own disciplines.
• Identify how far and in what area each
  department, School or Faculty would wish to
  develop
• Give recognition to, and disseminate, existing
  work.

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How?

• An Enterprise Matrix can be supplied to
  students as part of their course handout for the
  year and could be discussed during the personal
  tutorials sessions and/or within PDP.
• It can enable students to identify,
  articulate and evidence their learning.
  Specifically, it can
• help students identify what elements of their
  course relate to enterprise
• help students identify where they are taught and
  practice elements of learning which contribute
  toward enterprise and to reflect on their
  performance in these
• help staff identify enterprise elements which
  are present or absent in their courses.

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Reference

• ftp//www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/Resources/ent
  erpriseaudit.pd
• ftp//www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/events/repfor
  um06/matrixfilled.pdff
• Ian Hughes, Director Bioscience Subject Centre
  2006

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How?

• What do I mean by enterprise?
• In the context of
• My discipline
• My students expectations and aspirations
• My institutions policies and practice
• My values
• What do I want to help to happen?
• What methods and materials are available? How can
  I find them?