Group Assignment Instructional Video

Graduate unemployment in South Africa highlights the need for students to gain practical experience and skills during their time with the institution (Statistics South Africa, 2018). Therefore, the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC’s) Charter of Graduate Attributes was developed and has been engaged with to varying degrees within faculties and departments. A need to focus on the implementation and deepening of the embedding of the graduate attributes and the alignment of the curriculum plan, revision, establish and align academic programmes has been identified as a priority for the institution in the 2015 - 2019 framework (University of the Western Cape (UWC), 2016).

During the COVID-19 scenario was used as a means for students to consider alternative forms of employment. The group assignment presented students with the opportunity to create products or services, using Stanford’s design thinking process (empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test) (d.school, 2013). Design thinking aided the development of 4IR skills such as technical skills, critical thinking and problem-solving (Yusuf, Walters & Sailin, 2020). The increased focus on entrepreneurship allowed students to implement strategies for their start-up businesses rather than just focusing on the analysis of other companies’ strategies.