Creating a Sustainable Environment for Knowledge Transfer in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education and Research

This paper summarises the objectives and approach of a SIF II funded project on knowledge transfer in the curriculum, coordinated by WIT, in partnership with CIT, UCC, IBEC, Waterford Chamber of Commerce and the University of Kuopio, Finland. Knowledge transfer is often seen as a by-product of higher education activities rather than a core function of institutes, related solely to research activities, at the expense of other opportunities to transfer knowledge. Because knowledge transfer involves an ‘engagement’ between academic activities and employers, this paper argues that it requires structures to facilitate and support the process. Academic institutions however, are structured for teaching and research, with the focus on content and outcomes, rather than on the skill set of what learners can do with the teaching, learning and research components of their programmes.The paper outlines a central precept of the project – that there is potential for HEIs to transfer knowledge as part of the learning experience itself and to build knowledge transfer competencies into the learning experience. The objective is to develop a structure(s) to manage the interfaces between workplaces and academia and develop a more explicit focus on the theory and practice of knowledge transfer in the curriculum (at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels).The project aims to implement appropriate changes to the structure of programme supports, such as linking programmes more directly to the workplace, e.g. through liaison roles. In addition the project will look at new types of doctoral programmes that emphasis knowledge transfer more explicitly. Ultimately, such developments will improve the incidences of knowledge transfer and strengthen the learning experience and skill set of the learner.