BackgroundAlthough initiatives aimed at fostering inclusion in higher education (HE) are increasing, progress is slow. Many teachers feel unprepared, and opportunities to develop inclusive practices are scarce. This is the case even in institutions adopting student-centred educational approaches, which are arguably well suited to fostering inclusive learning environments.PurposeInsights into HE teachers' perspectives, practices and teacher professional development (TPD) needs relating to inclusive education are limited. This study sought to address this gap by addressing the following research objectives: 1) to gain a better understanding of HE teachers' perceptions of inclusive education and their inclusive teaching practices; and 2) to explore their TPD needs related to inclusive education.MethodThis qualitative descriptive study was based on interviews with 18 experienced teachers from one Dutch university which adopted a student-centred approach to teaching. Interview data were analysed thematically.FindingsThe teachers valued diversity and inclusion in HE. They believed their role in establishing an inclusive learning environment was important, but noted the need for joint responsibility between teachers and students and boundaries in terms of what could be expected of teachers. They encouraged students to learn from each other, providing several examples of how they fostered safe learning spaces. In relation to TPD, they particularly valued opportunities for peer support and reflection. They would have appreciated an expert point of contact within the university and the integration of inclusion-related issues into existing TPD initiatives.ConclusionThe study contributes to the existing literature on inclusive HE by exploring teachers' perceptions, practices and TPD needs within the context of student-centred education. The findings related to the value of integrated, rather than stand-alone, TPD workshops have important practical implications, as stand-alone sessions are currently the most typical form of support provided in HEIs.

Sustainable educational innovation requires teams that demonstrate Team Innovative Work Behaviour (TIWB). Although TIWB is often described as iterative and fluid, little is known about how it unfolds over time within teacher teams. This longitudinal qualitative case study examined TIWB in a team involved in a top-down, incremental curriculum redesign in higher education. Over eight months, 19 recorded team meetings were analysed using a codebook based on five TIWB dimensions, complemented by interpretive depth cues such as counter-argumentation and collective sensemaking. TIWB followed a predominantly linear pattern aligned with the project phases, with one nested design subcycle emerging around assessment development during implementation. Idea generation and idea realization occurred frequently, whereas opportunity exploration and idea sustainability, especially external dissemination, were rare. The structured, top-down context and incremental nature of the innovation plausibly contributed to these patterns. These findings offer a fine-grained view of how TIWB unfolds in practice and underscore the importance of stimulating sustainability-oriented behaviours from the start so that innovations are not only implemented but also sustained over time. The study provides practical guidance for strengthening sustainability within teams, including early agreement on design criteria, clearer dissemination roles, and reflective moments during meetings.

Higher education institutions have invested in career counselling services to facilitate students' transition from university to the workforce by developing employability skills. Career services increasingly offer technology-driven services that support specific competencies but face challenges in helping students reflect on their goals and create comprehensive plans that foster overall employability. This design-based mixed-method study focused on designing, implementing, and evaluating features of an online career services platform that supports stages of reflective practice for competence development: awareness, analysis, goal setting, action, and reflection. Participants in the design phase were 7 students and 4 career counsellors, whereas 9 students participated in a formative evaluation. This paper presents the results of the first cycle of this design-based research. This study supports the pedagogical value of organising online career services platforms as reflective practices that foster competence development. The iterative design-based research process enabled a structured integration of pedagogical principles with educational technology. The findings show that students perceive the online platform as effective and usable. In addition, the study also underscores the importance of usability, institutional integration, and ongoing guidance, such as prompts, feedback mechanisms, and collaborative features, to further enhance the platform's potential in fostering employability competences in higher education.

Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) are gaining visibility in the higher education landscape as key actors that support universities in providing high-quality education and fostering a culture that values teaching and learning. While existing research on CTLs typically focuses on evaluation, impact, or institutionally context-specific work, we sought to unearth a framework that could be universally applied to understanding CTL work and functionality. Following data collection and 25 interviews with CTL Directors from higher education institutions across the USA, we created an integrative approach that brings together organizational, behavioral, and relational perspectives. The four dimensions—governance, identity, social capital, and activities—enable us to investigate CTLs from various angles and at different levels, providing valuable clues for understanding CTL performance and challenges. This integrative model can also be used as a framework to inform CTL design decisions.

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the antecedents of workplace learning, focusing on the individual and contextual factors that facilitate or inhibit engagement in learning activities integrated into daily work. The review aims to provide insights into how workplace learning occurs and how it can be supported in contemporary work environments. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a systematic review methodology, ensuring a comprehensive and transparent synthesis of research. The review focuses on identifying individual and contextual antecedents influencing workplace learning, based on studies published between 2012 and 2022. A total of 73 studies were included after a rigorous selection process, analysing factors that impact workplace learning in evolving work environments. Findings The review identifies key individual factors, such as motivation and self-efficacy, alongside contextual influences like learning climate and job demands, that significantly impact workplace learning. Emerging trends include the increasing role of digital tools and hybrid work models, which highlight the evolving nature of workplace learning in contemporary organisations. Originality/value This review reflects the evolving nature of work and learning, emphasising the need for a more immediate and embedded understanding of how learning occurs in today’s workplaces. It aligns with the growing emphasis on learning “in the flow of work” and underscores the importance of organisations fostering adaptability and innovation through integrated learning practices. By focusing specifically on workplace learning, this review offers valuable insights for organisations aiming to support continuous learning in dynamic environments.

Higher education has implemented various pedagogical interventions to increase connectivity with the workplace and ease students' education-to-work transition. However, the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of these interventions in supporting students with this transition remains largely unexplained. The present review article analyzed 49 articles bringing together two theoretical frameworks on this transition: connectivity and boundary crossing. Results show that connectivity can be increased by collaborating with the workplace in several ways. However, our results also show that higher education seldom learns from this collaboration, resulting in a lack of effective boundary practices to support students in their education-to-work transition. On top of that, our research demonstrates the importance of assessing the effectiveness of any of these interventions from both a student and a labor economics perspective.

In today's global knowledge economy, fostering employee innovation is essential for sustainable organisational development. This study offers a unique contribution to Human Resource Development (HRD) by examining how different aspects of the learning climate support Innovative Work Behaviour (IWB) across five phases: opportunity exploration, idea generation, idea promotion, idea realisation, and the often-overlooked idea sustainability (embedding innovations over time). Based on a convenience sample of 206 Dutch vocational education professionals, this study uses hierarchical regression and path analysis to explore the effects of three learning climate dimensions: a supportive environment for learning (psychological safety and openness to ideas), management support (active backing and resources), and innovation engagement (involvement and confidence in innovation), on IWB, including idea sustainability. Findings show that a supportive learning environment fosters early-stage creativity, while management support and innovation engagement are especially important in later phases, such as realisation and sustainability. By highlighting how these dimensions affect each IWB phase differently and interactively, this study moves beyond the traditional one-dimensional view of IWB. The results offer actionable insights for HRD professionals aiming to create tailored learning climates that not only spark innovation but also sustain it, contributing to long-term adaptability and success in dynamic environments.

Undergraduate interprofessional education aims to prepare health professions students for a future work field characterised by wicked problems demanding interprofessional collaboration (IPC). Interprofessional identity (IPI) has been suggested as key to IPC, but how to foster its formation remains underdeveloped. Therefore, we aimed to identify (1) the main characteristics of IPI and (2) guidelines for educational design fostering interprofessional identity formation (IPIF). Per critical review methodology, we analysed educational sciences, health professions education and management sciences literature. The results of two iterative, non-exhaustive literature searches were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. The first search focused on conceptualisations of IPI to identify its main characteristics and theories explaining IPIF, the second on the mechanisms of these theories fostering IPIF to derive guidelines for educational design. Analysis of the first search yielded five themes characterising IPI: (1) sense of belonging to an interprofessional team; (2) commitment to working interprofessionally; (3) values, attitudes, beliefs, and ethics related to IPC; (4) knowledge and understanding of roles, responsibilities, and expertise; and (5) IPC skills. We identified five prevalent theories explaining IPIF. Analysis of the second search resulted in guidelines for educational design fostering IPIF targeting the student, interprofessional team, faculty, and curriculum. Fostering IPI alongside IPC competencies is crucial for preparing students for IPC. This critical review highlighted key characteristics of IPI and proposes ED-IPIF, a theory-based framework for fostering IPIF through integrated educational design. Future research should address existing gaps and empirically test the ED-IPIF through longitudinal studies and robust tools for measuring IPI.

Background Despite the recognised potential of Virtual Reality (VR) in education, the role of VR in enhancing presentation skills remains uncertain. Mixed findings, coupled with low adoption rates in educational settings, highlight the need to investigate how current VR applications are designed to facilitate effective learning outcomes for students. Objectives Grounded in constructivist and situated learning theories, which emphasise learning through active engagement and real-world contexts, this study examines how specific VR design features, namely, feedback mechanisms (feedback awareness and feedback usefulness) and presence types (social and spatial presence), relate to student motivation and performance in presentations. Methods In a one-group pre-test-post-test field study, 285 university students participated in 30-min individual VR training sessions focused on presentation skills refinement. Using structural equation modelling, this study assessed the relationships between feedback and presence elements with student motivation and performance outcomes. Results and Conclusions Analysis revealed that feedback awareness and social presence were positively associated with students' motivation to refine their presentation skills. Effective feedback mechanisms, particularly those that enhance feedback awareness and usefulness, were crucial for skill transfer, while increased social presence was associated with improved academic performance in the classroom. Conversely, spatial presence was unexpectedly negatively related to both motivation and performance, suggesting that how VR creates spatial elements may influence learning outcomes. By examining the nuances of these VR features, this study offers valuable insights for software developers and educators aiming to improve university students' presentation skills through VR training applications.

PurposeRecent graduates are an important source of talent among hired employees as they bring up-to-date knowledge into the organisation. Yet, organisations have difficulties retaining them and recognizing factors influencing their voluntary turnover, which may differ from those influencing voluntary turnover among tenured employees. For example, graduate employees need to adjust to a completely new context and develop their identity as professionals. Therefore, the current study presents a review of the factors influencing newcomers’ voluntary turnover and turnover intentions.Design/methodology/approachTo explore the factors influencing the turnover intentions and behaviour of recently hired employees, we conducted a literature review of 57 articles from several databases for different disciplines.FindingsOur review identifies factors that influence turnover intentions and behaviour among recently hired employees and presents them in a model. The model identifies five categories of factors influencing turnover intentions and behaviour: pre-joining expectations, person-environment fit, the role of the supervisor, human resource (HR) practices and person-related factors.Practical implicationsThe model enhances the understanding of why new employees leave an organisation and shows how supervisors and HR practices play an important role in reducing voluntary turnover among newly hired employees. The article concludes with practical suggestions on how to retain these employees.Originality/valueWhile employee turnover has been studied extensively, this review focuses specifically on factors that influence the turnover intentions and behaviour of newcomers. We present these factors in a model that can be used to inform managerial practices to reduce turnover among newcomers.

The continuously evolving labor market increases the need to develop students’ employability competencies in higher education. Engaging in reflection is crucial for developing these competencies, as reflection supports students in learning from their experiences and identifying their skills gaps. Nevertheless, without guidance or structure, students find it challenging to engage in deep levels of reflection. Therefore, mentoring programs are frequently introduced to provide reflection-inducive conditions. Existing research has already demonstrated the positive relationship between mentoring and reflection but has not explored students' perceptions of which types of mentoring support actually induce reflection and how these relate to the depth and content of reflection. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 master's students in an employability-oriented mentoring program in higher education. Data were analyzed using direct content analysis and co-occurrence analyses. Results showed that autonomy support, empathy, trust, and availability especially induce student reflection. Regarding reflective depth, students mainly reflected on the levels of reflection and critical reflection. Psychosocial support (i.e., empathy, trust, and availability) especially evoked students’ critical reflection. All students reflected on non-cognitive and cognitive content, but only half of them were about affective content. Finally, the results suggested making a distinction between reflecting back, up, and forward, which is in line with the feedback literature (feedback, feedforward, and feed up). The findings add depth and specificity to the scientific discourse on mentoring and reflection in higher education, and provide practical guidance to mentors on how to stimulate reflection in students.

Informal field-based learning (IFBL)—a subset of work-related learning that is informal, intentional, and self-directed—is a developmental process in which motivational, behavioral, and cognitive mechanisms interact. Despite the consensus on the role of cognitive processing in learning, research on informal learning is dominated by a behavioral focus on learning activities, while the cognitive perspective remains sidelined. In the Self-regulated Informal Learning Cycle we introduce here, we use metacognitive and memory system lenses to zoom into the (meta-)cognitive IFBL processes, considering intention as a motivational starting point of the learning process. Specifically, we draw on self-determination theory, achievement goal theory, memory concepts, and self-regulated learning models. Our cycle distinguishes five phases—preparation, action, encoding and consolidation, performance, and self-appraisal—and elaborates on IFBL processes at the intentional, behavioral, cognitive, and metacognitive level. Theoretical implications for human resource development, including the often-neglected role of time in IFBL, are discussed.

Purpose - To keep up with their changing environment, organizations are investing in continuous skills development of their employees and therefore implement personal development plans (PDPs). However, to be effective, PDPs require employees to show self-direction in learning (SDL). Autonomy-supportive supervisors can foster employees' SDL. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional study is two-fold. First, this study explores the relationship between perceived autonomy support and learning at the workplace. Second, this study investigates the mediating role of SDL when using a PDP. Design/methodology/approach - Based on data from a convenience sample from employees in various industries (n = 193), structural equation modelling was used to investigate the relationships between the different variables. Findings - First, a positive relationship was found between perceived autonomy support and informal learning activities, but not with formal learning activities. Second, results indicated that SDL when using a PDP mediates the relation between perceived autonomy support and both formal and informal learning activities at the workplace. These results suggest that a supervisor who is perceived as autonomy supportive can foster employees' SDL when using a PDP and, in turn, support learning at the workplace. Practical implications - Also, these findings indicate that autonomy-supportive supervisors can encourage the undertaking of learning activities by stimulating SDL when using a PDP. Originality/value - For a PDP to be effective, a degree of SDL is assumed. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate SDL within a PDP setting.

Purpose Given the dynamic and fast-evolving labour market, developing students’ employability competences has become of utmost importance for higher education institutions. The ability to reflect is essential to develop these competences, as it helps students to identify their learning needs and make plans for further development. However, reflective abilities are not easy to acquire and students need guidance to help them reflect. Therefore, mentoring is often used as an instructional approach to stimulate students to reflect. Empirical evidence on the relation between mentoring and employability competences is scarce, and the mediating role of reflection especially has rarely been researched. Consequently, the present study aims to investigate this mediating relationship, employing a pre-test post-test design. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire data were collected from students before and after participation in four similar 1-year mentoring programmes in higher education within the Netherlands and Belgium ( n = 160). Findings The path analysis demonstrated that, first, trust and availability, autonomy support and empathy were significantly related to students’ employability competences. Secondly, autonomy support and similarity were significantly related to students’ critical reflection. Thirdly, critical reflection was significantly related to students’ employability competences. Last, reflection partially mediated the relationship between mentoring (autonomy support and similarity) and employability. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to demonstrate that mentoring programmes in higher education enable students to reflect and, in turn, develop their employability competences. Furthermore, it provides mentoring programme directors and mentors with concrete guidelines for developing students’ reflection and employability competences.

Higher education plays a pivotal role in preparing students for the dynamic and complex labour market. Helping students develop employability competences supports them in obtaining the necessary expertise and skills to facilitate their transition to the labour market and to address the requirements of their new jobs. Employability competences are considered to contribute to students' wellbeing and economic prosperity. Colleges and universities offer career coaching programmes to support students in developing their employability competences. Despite the importance of employability competences, empirical studies on the impact of such coaching programmes remain scarce. The present study aims to fill that gap by exploring the relationship between career coaching and the development of employability competences. A two-study design based on a multiple-methods approach was used to gain more insight in how coaching in higher education contributed to the development of students' employability. Data were collected at institutions of higher education in the Netherlands and Belgium via student surveys (n = 491) and interviews with coaches (n = 9). Our quantitative data showed a significant positive relationship between coaches' autonomy support and the development of students' employability competences. The interviews provided in-depth detailed findings on how coaches support students in their learning process. Coaching sessions became most effective by encouraging students to engage in trial and error and by stimulating (self-) reflection. Taken together, our results show that (career) coaching in higher education has the potential to support students' development of employability competences, which will, in turn, foster their transition to the workplace.

Graduates require employability competences, such as flexibility and team working skills, to gain and maintain employment. Online learning platforms (OLPs) can provide students with resources for reflection, which is a key competence for employability. However, little is known about the design of OLPs meant to provide reflective practices that foster students’ employability competences. This research study aims to identify design principles of OLPs providing reflective practices that foster the development of employability competences. Five design principles were derived from thematic analysis following two focus group interviews with students and educational experts in this qualitative study: 1) Embed the OLP in curricular and institutional activities that foster competence development; 2) Facilitate the analysis of students’ current state regarding employability competences; 3) Provide recommendations and a repository with learning activities that help students to formulate goals and plan activities; 4) Facilitate the undertaking and recording of learning activities, supported by a blend of three forms of interaction (instructor-student; student–student or student-content); and 5) Foster reflection in and on action via opportunities for applying newly learned knowledge in different settings and reviewing activities via reflective journaling and knowledge sharing. This study is the first to conceptualise design principles for an OLP that is organised to provide reflective practices for the development of employability competences. The design principles were based on students’ and teachers’ experiences and are grounded in theory. They can inform future research as well as practitioners developing OLPs.

Institutions of higher education engage in internal quality assurance for teaching and learning in order to demonstrate legitimacy in the face of (societal) expectations, as well as to maintain and improve the quality of education. While the topic of quality assurance in higher education is a growing academic specialty, the evidence base for its impact on educational quality remains limited. Developing a shared language and understanding of concepts that enable further investigation of this phenomenon are key. The systematic literature review was conducted to shed light on the conceptualisation of internal quality assurance for teaching and learning. The thematic analysis revealed three interconnected dimensions of internal quality assurance: purpose, people and process. Based on these findings, an all-inclusive definition and a conceptual model were developed: the 3P model. This model promotes taking a contextualised and integral approach towards internal quality assurance by aligning purposes, people, and processes.

BackgroundIn Belgium, and elsewhere, the use of portfolios as a reflective practice for pre-service primary and secondary teachers has long been established in higher education. Reflective thinking is recognised as an effective process for examining daily practices, awakening students to the key elements of their profession, and fostering lifelong learning. With the emergence of the competency-based approach to employability, the link between portfolio-based reflective practice and the development of students' employability competences remains to be explored.PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine how portfolios, as a reflective practice, can promote pre-service physical education (PE) teachers' reflective thinking and their employability competences, and to consider the support that might need to be offered to help pre-service teachers better reflect on their employability competences.MethodQualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 16 pre-service PE teachers in one Belgian university. Thematic analysis, based on a dual deductive and inductive coding approach, was undertaken to discover patterns in the data. To investigate the role of portfolio-based reflective practice for reflection and employability, co-occurrences between the identified codes were examined.FindingsAnalysis of the interview data showed that students used the portfolio as a reflective practice. The portfolio experience appeared to foster employability competences, particularly expertise, lifelong learning, social competences and efficacy beliefs. In addition, the portfolio enabled students to explore their beliefs and knowledge and to validate their assumptions and beliefs. The support of peers and tutors was crucial during this experience.ConclusionCourse designers may wish to improve portfolio use by thoughtfully incorporating all phases of reflective practice, encouraging students not only to reflect on their competence development but also to take meaningful action. Organising portfolios in a way that prompts students to draw on prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences, while facilitating with key stakeholders, such as peers and teachers, could further support their professional development.

This study explores the potential of a new perspective on research into the impact higher education has on the civic engagement of students. We propose a shift from viewing engagement itself as the key dependent variable to two ‘fundamental constituents’, political interest and agency. Both constituents have been presented as either static or determined entirely by factors external to education such as maturation, but also as dynamic and affected by various aspects of the educational experience in higher education. Furthermore, as analyses of these effects based on sample means do not account sufficiently for the intersectionality of background variables that define the student experience, we propose that data are explored through cluster analysis. Employing this type of analysis, a case study conducted at a small international liberal arts college in the Netherlands showed four distinctly different patterns in the development of both constituents of civic engagement. Based on further data obtained from the same sample, we offer suggestions for specific foci in further research about the impact of higher education on the development of civic engagement.

PurposeEmployers increasingly require students to possess competences that go beyond theoretical knowledge and academic expertise, such as lifelong learning skills. To equip students with these competences, higher education institutes have introduced coaching as part of their teaching programs. The present study qualitatively evaluates a career coaching practice in higher education.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted semi-structured interviews with graduates who had participated in career coaching activities at a Dutch university (N = 12). The interviews were conducted between February and May 2022. Atlas.ti version 9 was used to analyse the interviews.FindingsResults revealed that graduates believed that career coaching helped them to adjust to the workplace. They indicated that the coaching practice helped them to acquire reflection skills, which was considered the main mechanism for adjustment to the workplace.Research limitations/implicationsThese results add to the transition-related literature by identifying one way that graduates successfully adjust to the workplace.Practical implicationsThe results also provide insight into how higher education can best prepare students for their transition to the workplace.Originality/valueAs the education-to-work transition does not end upon graduation, this research focusses on graduate employees' work adjustment as an important phase in the transition process.