From Global Thinker to Innovative Mind: An equity and quality roadmap through personalised learning and assessment

Abstract

<p>Every year, thousands of young graduates leave university without having a clear idea for their future employment/career pathways. Higher education's role in preparing students to be well-rounded and ready for the workforce is becoming a mounting concern, yet few data are readily available to indicate how teaching (course content), employer needs, and additional learning and assessment needs work together to prepare graduates for the world of work. Arguably, the alignment between education and employment is important if not vital for students being future-ready for the workforce. The value proposition of a higher education degree begs the question of the "global thinker" and what that may entail. Notwithstanding the concern of what jobs will exist in 5 to 10 years, students and prospective employers are actively seeking out what specialized skills they will need to possess for the foreseeable future.</p><p> Similarly, there have been a number of concepts proposed throughout the years that address the "innovative" mind. But instead of building a well-rounded and strong liberal arts background using the familiar works of leading scholars in the disciplines, the emphasis is shifted toward the development and application of skills over time. Learning analytics to date have yet to consolidate and synthesize knowledge and experience through themes, patterns of development, and approaches.</p><p> This book chapter begins by exploring emerging themes and patterns associated with sociocultural perspectives of the global thinker and innovation. It is believed that personal attributes such as creativity, communication, problem-solving, analytical thinking, and reflective thinking help to construct paradigmatic dimensions of human potential that identify and define the "global" and the "innovative" mind using a sociocultural lens. The exploration then presents a case study analysis of undergraduate and postgraduate students in China and Australia in an attempt to capture a comparative sample of social and cultural engagement in the classroom and community-at-large. These case studies contribute to a stream of evidence demonstrating how certain attributes provide a coherent and consistent theme or pattern that reflects how innovation is interpreted within localized contexts. The case studies are used to frame the tensions and dilemmas arising in defining and compartmentalizing expansive learning theory that incorporates development of global thinking and innovation.</p>