PBL Trigger 1

In PBL Trigger 1, we were thinking about Hanne’s problem. She wants to get more challenging positions at work and thinks that a degree could help her reach her goal. She was accepted to study at Haaga-Helia in Globba programme but is now pondering if the diploma is worth all the time and energy it requires.

After a discussion, our group defined Hanne’s problem which is “Diploma or not?”

After brainstorming, we defined three learning objectives which I am going to research in this blog post.

First learning objective is: “Do I have enough motivation and time for studies?”

I started to think about this through motivation theories. Growth or actualization motivation theories suggest that motivation is the pursuit of activities that lead to “Growth”, “Self-fulfillment”, and “Self-Actualization”. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, an individual can only reach his or her full potential once he or she has met all the needs from each level of the five-level pyramid. The highest level of pyramid is Self-Actualization which is identified with the concern for personal growth. Regarding to Hanne’s problem, an academic degree would be a way to climb to this fifth level of the pyramid.

Second learning objective is: “Will diploma help me reach my goal?”

Hanne is concerned that the degree won’t give her the competencies and skills the employers want. According to “Future Work Skills 2020” report (Davies, Fidler & Gorbis 2011), ten skills the future workforce need are: sense-making, social intelligence, novel and adaptive thinking, cross-cultural competency, computational thinking, new-media literacy, transdisciplinarity, design mindset, cognitive load management and virtual collaboration. It is evident that BA-degree in International Business will provide Hanne with all of these skills, some more than others, but Hanne’s own interests and willingness to adopt new skills and competences is also crucial. According to Andrews and Higson (2008, 416-418, 420), in addition to hard business –related knowledge and skills, employers value business graduates’ ability to think critically and analytically, their problem solving skills, their communication and team-working skills and innovative thinking. Based on this, international business diploma would help Hanne to reach her goal.

Third learning objective is: “What are the perspectives after I complete my degree”?

Finnish National Agency for Education’s statistic from 2014 indicates that 72,60% of the Haaga-Helia graduates had been employed a year after the graduation. The research made of master’s degree graduates of University of Joensuu and University of Kuopio (Puhakka, Rautopuro & Tuominen 2010), indicates that 57% of the generalists (which business graduates are) can constantly utilize the skills and knowledge learnt at the university in their current job. The respondents found interpersonal skills (negotiation skills, teamwork and social skills, organization and co-ordination skills, communication skills in Finnish) and academic skills (analytic and systematic thinking, theoretical knowledge of one’s own scope, information acquisition skills, problem-solving skills) the most important ones in their recent position. They also think that their chances of career progress are good. (ibid., 50-51.) Based on these findings and the assumption that to be successful in the next decade, individuals will need to continually reassess and update the skills they need (Davis & al., 13), I would say that Hanne’s perspectives are better with the diploma than without it.

Sources

Andrews, J. & Higson, H. 2008. Graduate Employability, ‘Soft Skills’ Versus ‘Hard’ Business Knowledge: A European Study. Higher Education in Europe, 33, 4, pp. 411-422.

Davies, A., Fidler, D. & Gorbis, M. 2011. Future Work Skills 2020. Institute for the Future for the University of Phoenix Research Institute. Palo Alto, CA.

Puhakka, A., Rautopuro, J. & Tuominen, V. 2010. Employability and Finnish University Graduates. European Educational Research Journal, 9, 1, pp. 45-55.

http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/201703152200085724_uu.shtml. Accessed: 4 September 2017.

http://www.leadership-central.com/maslow's-hierarchy-of-needs.html#axzz4rhe651Nq. Accessed: 4 September 2017.