In order to direct the dynamics of higher education institutions in meeting future needs of society and humanity we need to research how best to diminish the knowledge-behaviour gap? We will be using an interdisciplinary approach, blending the lines between marketing, advertising and psychology.
Research in our hub focuses on effective message construction for behaviour change. It takes an information processing approach, which identifies, classifies and examines cognitive (e.g., knowledge, confidence, trust, values) and affective (e.g., pride, fear, disgust) factors that influence individuals’/consumers’/employees’ decisions and choices after exposure to campaigns/messages/interventions, and translate knowledge acquisition to behaviour change/formation.
By engaging in various research to address evolving needs of HEIs, a community of academics and students with highly valued competencies would emerge.
Voices of Academia During Covid-19
This project aims to capture the different experiences of staff employed in UK universities throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this part is to understand the experiences of the staff relating to the pivot to online teaching and how this has continued throughout the pandemic period, with a particular focus on learning lessons about online and digital teaching to take forwards in the future. Developing the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value and inclusive economies. The project aims to research the sustainable value objectives in authentic assessment development and capabilities of students to include SDGs in decision making. Digital literacy This research will aim at the information and digital literacy that is required by students and staff across all departments. The results of this research will enrich the importance of digital literacy across all departments within the university and HE institution.
Minimising the degree awarding gap
The study investigates the lived experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups on the degree awarding gap. The findings revealed that there is a high level of aspiration amongst our sample of Black, Asian and minority ethnic students to achieve an upper-second- or first-class degree. Also, Black, Asian and minority ethnic students seek to optimise targeted employment support/activities. It was concluded the curriculum should be inclusive to support Black, Asian and minority ethnic students’ aspiration of achieving their desired degree. It was recommended that HEIs should prioritize targeted employment support to lower Black, Asian and minority ethnic graduate employment figures. Staff would need to be reflective on their teaching practice to foster students’ engagement.
Large schools drawing their cohorts from local areas and on business education
This research is applicable in all HE and FE institutions, with a particular focus on large schools drawing their cohorts from local areas and on business education. It can also be impactful in organisations where staff are prone to burnout and disconnect, and where self-reflective practice is needed or desired.
Importance of IT skills in securing Apprenticeship
The research will aim to gather information recognising the importance of IT skills prior to applying for accounting / business apprenticeship and the employers expectation of students prior knowledge. This research will be useful for the design of apprenticeship programmes for the HE and FE sector. This research will also be presented for publication in one of the educational journals and at educational conferences to bring awareness among HE Colleges about the importance of IT skills prior to starting of apprenticeship.