Important mindsets

What is it? 

Resilience is the ability to cope with challenges and adversity; an individual with resilience can bounce back from setbacks and adapt to changing circumstances.    Resilience also means the ability to set realistic plan and to adapt it o changing circumstances. 

Why is it important? 

The labour market is a complex dynamic system full of uncertainty and ambiguity and in order to make successful transitions and adapt to change and uncertainty individuals will need resilience. 

How can you support its development?

Tips:

• Use employers and alumni as guest speakers and in case studies as a way to convey the importance of being able to adapt to changing circumstances and deal with setbacks. Hearing first-hand from others who have done this can motivate students and enable them to understand the importance of resilience
• Encourage your students to experiment and take risks, for example through 'low-stakes' or formative assessments that will enable them to build confidence and learn lessons from setbacks
• Use problem-based learning and case studies as another way to build resilience, by allowing students to experiment with problem solving and testing out solutions  
• Reflection is a useful way to support students in understanding the value of learning from setbacks.  You will find more tips on the reflection page of the curriculum toolkit:

Curriculum toolkit: Reflection

• There is also much overlap with resilience and having an enterprising mindset.  You will find more tips on the enterprise education and mindset page of the curriculum toolkit:

Curriculum toolkit: enterprise education and mindset

Examples:

In the School of Biological Sciences reflection is used throughout as a way for students to reflect on their academic activities and the lessons learned

In the School of Physics and Astronomy problem solving is a core part of the discipline with students working on novel and unseen problems

What is it? 

Motivation means having the drive to achieve a goal and the ability to take action in order to achieve something important and it is driven by an individual’s needs, values and goals 

Why is it important? 

Motivation is needed by both individuals and teams in order to take action and achieve goals, both personal and professional.  Motivated individuals and teams are more productive and produce high quality work. 

How can you support its development?

Tips:

• Create diversity in your teaching strategies and assessment methods as this will help to motivate students 
• Allow time in your teaching when you are not talking to give students space to ask questions and engage in the topic on a deeper level
• Have students create their own case studies and questions so that they have the opportunity to explore a topic that interests in more detail
• Support your students to take your subject further by highlighting relevant opportunities beyond formal learning, for example through resources such as LinkedIn Learning and MOOCs
• Use employers, alumni and other external partners to inspire and motivate students, to help them see the application of your subject in the real world and the range of opportunities open to them
• Help students to see the value of your subject by being explicit about the skills and attributes they will develop.  You will find more tips on this on the employability page of the curriculum toolkit:

Curriculum toolkit: explicit recognition and valuing of employability across the curriculum

Examples:

• The School of Physics and Astronomy use flipped classrooms  which enables students to engage with topics on a deeper level
• In the Business School student taking the 'Strategic Management' Honours module attend an employer panel event where employers discuss the value of the course to them

What is it? 

Self-confidence, or self-belief, is the ability of an individual to trust in their own judgement and abilities and to value themselves.  An individual’s level of self-confidence can affect how others perceive them.  Self-confident people inspire confidence in others.

Self-efficacy is related to self-confidence and is the is the level of confidence an individual has that they can complete a task or achieve a goal and it is widely understood that an individual’s level of self-efficacy will affect whether they complete that task.

Why is it important? 

Self-confidence and self-efficacy are important for individuals to inspire confidence in others, work well with others, achieve goals and complete tasks. With the likely growth of the 'platform economy' and remote teamwork these will be essential mindsets for individuals to secure work and work effectively alongside others.

How can you support its development?

Tips:

• Use problem-based learning and case studies as a way to take students out of their 'comfort zone' and help them to develop confidence in group work and problem solving
• Consider using learning technologies in your teaching to take students outside of their comfort zone and develop their digital literacy and skills in using technology
• Consider whether you have the opportunity to provide students with formative, developmental feedback which can help them to develop a better understanding of their strengths and areas for development and boost their confidence
• Consider whether mentoring can be used in your course, for example peer to peer mentoring or by using employers, alumni and other external partners
• Encourage students to set themselves goals and review these on a regular basis as this will support students with recongising how they are developing
• Self-reflection can also support students with developing confidence.  You will find more tips on the reflection page of the curriculum toolkit:

Curriculum toolkit: Reflection

Examples:

• In the Business School some students work with employer partners on projects and have a project mentor to support them with development and growing in confidence
• In Biomedical Sciences students submit a CV as part of a compulsory course where they track and monitor their development
• In the School of Divinity student participation in tutorials is expected and students then reflect on their contributions and how they have developed

What is it? 

Flexibility in a work context is the ability and willingness of an individual to respond to changing circumstances and to deal with the unexpected.  Adaptability is the ability to change plans or actions as a result of changing circumstances and involves being aware of one’s surroundings and adjusting plans and actions accordingly.   

Why is it important? 

Flexibility and adaptability are crucial skills for navigating a changing world of work including changing business models and to navigate a complex labour market.  

How can you support its development?

Tips:

• Have students work in groups on case studies or in problem-based learning to expose students to different working styles and contexts.  Consider introducing an unexpected element so that students have to adapt their plans part way through an assignment as this will support building these skills
• Support students with setting goals and reviewing these when circumstances change so that they are able to consider how plans need to be adapted in light of change 
• Have employers and alumni provide examples of flexibility and adaptability in the workplace, for example in case studies or videos, to help bring this concept to life for students

Examples:

• In the School of SPS students work with others and reflect on their experience in the module ‘Working with Self and Others’

What is it? 

Having an enterprising outlook is defined as an individual demonstrating a confident and 'can-do' attitude to work, being prepared to question things, use their initiative, be flexible and open to taking risks.  It also means being able to make the most of opportunities and not being afraid of failure.

Why is it important? 

Demonstrating an enterprising outlook is useful for all employment contexts and is needed for individuals to adapt to changing circumstances.  It is by no means restricted to self-employment contexts and creating new ventures but is a useful set of behaviours and attitudes for all individuals in navigating uncertain times.

How can you support its development?

Tips:

• Use a diverse range of teaching strategies and assessment methods as this will support students’ creativity and in developing an enterprising outlook
• Examples of strategies that support this skill include presentations or pitches, group work, case studies and problem-based learning
• There are a wealth of tips, examples and signposts to further support on the enterprise education and mindset page of the curriculum toolkit:

Curriculum toolkit: enterprise education and mindset

• The QAA guidance on enterprise and entrepreneurship is designed to be used in conjunction with the appropriate QAA Subject Benchmark Statement to support practitioners seeking to embed enterprise and entrepreneurship across the curriculum and is another useful resource:​​​​​

QAA Guidance on Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Examples:

• In the School of PPLS (Linguistics) final year students deliver a presentation and pitch on their dissertation findings to interested students and academics across the School
• In the School of Informatics students taking the compulsory Systems Design module deliver a pitch on their final project design to an industry board
• In the Schools of Geosciences and PPLS students can take an optional outreach and engagement module where they present recommendations in a pitch to a client