Abstract:

The extent to which there is a significant demand for data skills in the UK is well-documented in the literature. In Human Resource Management (HRM), where expertise in data skills has become gradually more important, especially due to the increasing use of big data, a distinct skills gap is notable. The Government argues that universities should shoulder some of the responsibly for supplying the UK workforce with hard data skills; yet, as we argue, this is problematic when students are actively choosing not to engage with data skills in their modules, especially in postgraduate dissertations.

This developmental paper discusses the example of a master’s degree programme at a UK University, where the programme team has redesigned the capstone project module to better support HRM students to work with data, as well as to reflect the rise in the number of international students who struggle to conduct self-directed, empirical research.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Knowledge and Learning

Keywords: challenges of learning,Higher Education Institutions,student learning,management education