Developing capabilities and valued outcomes beyond the curriculum in higher education

UK society is increasingly motivated by neo-liberal agendas, and higher education is tasked with ensuring that graduates acquire competencies necessary to compete in the international market place. Students often value these... [ view full abstract ]

UK society is increasingly motivated by neo-liberal agendas, and higher education is tasked with ensuring that graduates acquire competencies necessary to compete in the international market place. Students often value these skills more than those driven by the sustainable development agenda of becoming good global citizens. In this paper we argue that universities can create spaces in which to move beyond the narrow focus on employability and allow students to explore ways to develop personal and societal well-being through extra-curricular learning. We consider a case study of an interdisciplinary learning community in a UK university, through interviews and observations over one year of the learning community’s development (2015). This research used a Capability Approach framework to determine the factors that enabled students to develop skills beyond employability and planned learning outcomes, with a focus on the ability of the students to lead lives they have reason to value. We found that students, while very aware of placing value on skills that would result in employment, were often confronted with unexpected, but highly valued outcomes, through the focus of the community on learning for social justice and development, and through the non-hierarchical structure of the learning community. Their ability to determine their own learning outcomes was unfamiliar and challenging to the students, but resulted in some of the most valued outcomes, including many capabilities essential to a sustainable development agenda and an active and engaged citizenry. For example, they saw value in the unanticipated outcomes of seeing different perspectives and respecting others’ views, developing their imagination for alternatives and solutions to problems, and negotiating uncertainty and non-consensus. Through this research we explored how universities can facilitate this kind of learning and the inputs necessary to realise these capabilities, making recommendations for universities interested in developing capabilities for sustainable livelihoods.