City Research Online

Abstract

Individual innovativeness has become one of the most important employability skills for university graduates. In this paper, we focus on how students could be better prepared to be innovative in the workplace, and we argue that inquiry-based learning (IBL) – a pedagogical approach in which students follow the inquiry-based processes used by scientists to construct knowledge – can be effective for this purpose. Drawing on research which examines the social and cognitive micro-foundations of innovative behaviour, we develop a conceptual model that links IBL and student innovativeness, and introduce three teacher-controlled design elements that can influence the strength of this relationship, namely whether an inquiry is open or closed, discovery-focused or information focused and individual or teambased. We argue that an open, discovery-focused and team-based inquiry offers the greatest potential for enhancing students’ skills in innovation. This paper has several implications for higher education research and practice.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Teaching in Higher Education on 29 Aug 2018, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1516636.
Publisher Keywords:	innovation; inquiry-based learning; teaching practice; employability
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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