Enhancing student learning and engagement through collaborative academic-professional initiatives: A gamified approach

Authors and presenters*

• Dan Daugaard, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, COBE*

• Moses Kangogo, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, COBE*

• Faisal Khan, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, COBE

• Richard Mawulawoe Ahadzie, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, COBE

• Vladimir Volkov, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, COBE

Abstract

This Lightning presentation illuminates a transformative educational initiative: where academic teams join forces with industry professionals to enrich the student learning experience. The initiative embodies the essence of collaboration by fostering successful academic teamwork, bridging the academic-practitioner gap, and motivating students’ involvement in teams. By integrating industry-focused activities and gamification, it cultivates a vibrant collegiate culture among students, resulting in building students’ sense of belonging, elevated educational attainment, heightened industry engagement, and enhanced employability prospects.

The success of the initiative has hinged on integrating professional contexts into workshop activities, assessment focus, and class interactions. Three exemplars of our initiative are the CFA valuation challenge, S&P Capital IQ portfolio competition, and a stock trading game. The CFA challenge directly attracted job offers for participating students, while all these activities contributed to establishing impressive student LinkedIn profiles and resumes.  

Our students’ enthusiastic and heart felt appreciation for these activities have been highly encouraging, e.g., following the CFA presentations: “Thanks for all your kind support. It’s been a precious opportunity for us to engage.“

These examples illustrate how academia and industry synergise their strengths: providing students with invaluable real-world exposure and empowering them to apply theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios. The quality of the initiative is underscored by the quality of the students’ industry presentations and the success the students have experienced obtaining employment in their chosen fields. In addition to securing employment avenues for students, the initiative contributes to the quality of academic staff learning and teaching experiences.

We believe this multi-layered, collaborative initiative can potentially revolutionise education across the University of Tasmania. There is extensive scope to model the initiative for other Disciplines and Colleges. By actively engaging students in industry-focused activities within an inclusive and gamified environment, we facilitate their academic and professional excellence. This initiative not only aligns with the University’s commitment to collaboration but also enhances its mission of achieving excellence in teaching and learning.