From left: Prof Elmarie Sadler (Acting Executive Dean: CEMS); editor-in-chief, Prof Melinde Coetzee (Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology); and Mr Wilhelm Crous (MD: Knowledge Resources Publishing)
There is a dearth of academic literature in the higher education and talent development spheres addressing the theoryand practice related to developing student graduateness and employability, and this is especially true in the African context. Launched on 5 September 2012 at the first Unisa international Open Distance Learning conference, the comprehensive publication entitled Developing student graduateness & employability: issues, provocations, theory and practical guidelines will undoubtedly go a long way towards filling this gap.
A transdisciplinary project under the auspices of the Open Distance Learning (ODL) Research Flagship in the College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS), the publication was edited by Prof Melinde Coetzee (Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology), Ms Jo-Anne Botha (Department of Human Resource Management), Prof Neil Eccles (Institute for Corporate Citizenship), Prof Natasja Holtzhausen (Department of Public Administration and Management) and Prof Hester Nienaber (Department of Business Management).
Speaking at the launch event, Prof Elmarie Sadler (Acting Executive Dean of CEMS) lauded the efforts of both the editors and the large team of Unisa contributors across all disciplines. “In addition to being a major contribution to Unisa’s ODL effort, this publication is a first for Africa in terms of content, concept and context,” she said.
Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the contributions, the publication is aimed at academics, educators, talent developers and course designers. It is a compendium of diverse views, philosophies, and creative and innovative approaches to learning, teaching and assessment design that cultivates student graduateness and employability in the higher education context.
Among the many themes explored in the publication are managers’ expectations of employees in the 21st century, cultivating mindful and soulful graduates, and the contribution of learner support to improving graduateness. The book is available from Knowledge Resources Publishing.
* Written by Philip van der Merwe
