Reviewing Employer Engagement in Student projects at the University of Exeter

1. Breaking down the barriers to collaboration with industry ReviewingEmployer Engagement in Student projects at the University of Exeter

2. PROJECTS WITHOUT BORDERS: UNDERSTANDING HOW UNDERGRADUATE PROJECTS DIFFER ACROSS STEM DISCIPLINES Project Aims To improve the quantity and quality of industrial involvement in student projects in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences. Discover the specific barriers to engagement for different types of project. Research best practice to overcome these barriers, both within the university and in the available literature. Build a guide to enable different types of projects to be compared with these best practice examples, and to draw on relevant recommendations. Ensure that this information is easily accessible

3. STUDENT PROJECTS • Rationale for a Review • Employability is high on the University’s agenda and improving links with industry is thought to be a key factor in boosting this. • Student research projects are a key component of most College students’ degrees – many of these have an element of industrial input. • However, projects with a true industry focus in the College are relatively rare outside Camborne School of Mines (CSM). • A review is needed to understand why some this discrepancy exists, and why some projects undertaken in collaboration with industry struggle to succeed. • Using the review to improve the number and quality of these projects will better our students’ chances of engaging with industry during their degree.

4. STUDENT PROJECTS • Review Steps • Determining depth and breadth of review. • Focusing on staff and student perspectives. • Student questionnaires to Engineering students. • In depth interviews with Engineering students. • In depth interviews with Engineering staff who had supervised industry-linked student projects. • In depth interviews with Tremough campus staff to discuss the approaches to projects at CSM. • Interdisciplinary forum-style meeting to determine common student project issues across the disciplines within the College.

5. STUDENT PROJECTS • Results from Student Questionnaires • The majority of students who have had involvement with industry are positive about their experience. Some reasons include: • Improved employability. • Good relationship with the industrial partner. • Good general experience. • Enjoyable/something different. • Learnt new skills. • Some challenges students said they faced were: • Difficulty in obtaining assistance from the industrial partner when • they needed it. • Difficulty in initially engaging a business to collaborate on a • project. • Small sample – while we had a 50% response rate to the • questionnaire, only 11% of those surveyed identified a clear industrial • link in their research project.

6. STUDENT PROJECTS • Results from Student Interviews • A good relationship with an industrial partner can help motivate the student. • Communication between the student, academic supervisor and industrial partner needs to be sustained for the project to be successful. • Students are unsure about their intellectual property rights in terms of the work they produce as part of the project. • Hands-on activities , such as using specialised equipment, are valued by the students as a learning opportunity but also found that it made the project more enjoyable.

7. STUDENT PROJECTS • Results from Staff Interviews • Discrepancies between project timings and industry timings can lead to problems. • Much engagement relies on “repeat business” after a good experience. • If employers have a bad experience with a student project, they will be more reluctant to engage in future. • Established links with industry – through research etc. – sometimes lead to further collaboration through student projects. • Maximising engagement with existing industrial partners is seen to be very important. • Intellectual property rights and nondisclosure agreements (or lack of) have caused problems for many student projects. • Not all employers see the value in engaging with a student project.

8. STUDENT PROJECTS • Results from Interdisciplinary Meetings • Employers are sometimes unsure which year group would be most appropriate for their needs. • Intellectual property, nondisclosure agreements and difficulties publishing due to sensitive data are experienced in student projects across the disciplines, particularly in Computer Science. • Staff from all College disciplines that more support and advice in establishing and maintaining relationships with industry partners would be beneficial. • Camborne School of Mines (CSM) • Have high engagement levels with industry due to a large alumni network and a clear definition of the particular skills required for mining • Staff feel that better communication between the Exeter and Cornwall campuses would be beneficial for improving industry relationships across the South West.

9. STUDENT PROJECTS • Challenges in Conducting the Review • Relatively small number of students who had undertaken a project remained within the university to survey. • Small sample size of the questionnaire meant that in depth interviews were needed to improve our understanding of student experiences, but few students responded to this opportunity. • Difficulties in finding convenient times for meetings with staff, particularly those based in Tremough. • A small number of people showed an unwillingness to discuss their interaction with industry due to privacy concerns.

10. STUDENT PROJECTS • Overall Findings from the Review • In the survey and interviews, students focused more on the project • structure - including timeliness of deadlines -and motivation. • Staff members generally raised more concerns about intellectual • property and building relationships with industrial partners through • student projects. • All participants in the review felt that industry-linked student projects • required improvement in some way, • Most staff felt that more support from College management was • required, but emphasised the importance that this did not lead to an • increase in bureaucracy!