A Longitudinal Approach to Assessing Differences and Similarities in University-Private Sector Stakeholder Perceptions

• In Event: Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: A Longitudinal Approach to Assessing Differences and Similarities in University-Private Sector Stakeholder Perceptions

Proposal

The term “university – private sector partnership” (U-PSP) references intentional collaborative activities that operate as mechanisms for human, organizational, or technical capacity development within nation-states, especially in developing countries (Hagelsteen, 2024; Hart, et al., 2021). Increasingly, donors working in nations with developing and emerging economies see the potential for connecting the mutual objectives of universities and industry (Schiller and Brimble 2009) to produce better outcomes for university students/youth, the workforce, and the research-innovation enterprise of the nation. Across any partnership activities, achieving productive collaboration requires that participating stakeholders: (a) acquire clarity about how each group views one another on relevant collaborative activities; (b) possess an understanding of the aspirations of each stakeholder group, and (c) understand the stakeholders’ current perceptions about whether the aspirations are being achieved. Each of these criteria are essential for establishing a baseline upon which progress can be monitored; but more importantly, taking stock of differences in stakeholders’ perceptions is crucial for stimulating meaningful conversations that lead to shifts in the climate and culture of cooperation between university and private sector stakeholders.

In 2023, a donor funded initiative began in the Republic of Kosovo to strengthen public universities through engagement with the private sector. The specific capacity development activities were designed to connect universities and companies around: experiential learning to better prepare for the labor market, industry-focused research, labor-market curricular reform, and importantly, helping universities improve their capacities to use data to inform these strategies.

To date, existing comparative research largely addresses the skills and workforce educational needs pursued in secondary education, with limited attention paid to tertiary education, especially so globally. Within the existing international assessments, they tend to focus on individual skills or outcomes rather than assessing the climate for change, or the normative aggregate perceptions that are pervasive among stakeholders. Such perceptions operate as profound catalysts or hinderances to comprehensive cultural change and must be accounted for when supporting university and industry cooperation. Moreover, this poster showcases the development and usage of a new longitudinal, climate survey instrument (Views on Higher Education and Workforce Preparedness) that measures stakeholders’ perceptions of university and private sector aspirations, performance related to workforce professional development, experiential learning, and the compatibility of university curriculum with industry needs.

Survey items were developed in cooperation with the Kosovo partners, and international experts in the field of campus climate research and organization management and behavior. The items reflect the local context and language, relevant empirical literature, and prior evidence that characterizes the skills that students require to succeed in the workforce. In 2024, after receiving human subjects’ approval, 998 people were invited to participate in an electronic survey using the Dillman Total Design method (Dillman, 2007). The overall response rate for the survey was 45%. Among the three stakeholder groups, 73% were students, 13% were academics (professors/instructors, university administrators), and 16% were professionals from industry. The poster will provide a synthesis of item properties, stakeholders’ varying perceptions, and dissemination and dialogical practices used to stimulate understanding of differences and similarities among stakeholders.

Authors

• Cassie L. Barnhardt, University of Iowa

• Man Phan, University of Iowa

• Zoie Schares, University of Iowa College of Education

• Sermin Turtulla, University of Prizren

• Sze Ling Hung, University of Iowa

• Sabrina Ahmed, The University of Iowa

• Cecilia Boakye Botwe, University of Iowa

• Elias Ejeh Ejeh, University of Iowa