Innovations in immersive technology and artificial intelligence to enhance the golden skillsets of effective communication and collaboration

This longitudinal appraisal provides empirical evidence that higher education needs to concentrate even more on developing graduates with strengths in communications and collaborations, alongside the focus on subject capability. Immersive technology and artificial intelligence provide innovative means of catalysing such growth, examples including the emergence of soft-skills development through platforms such as Bodyswaps (2024) and others.

Using primary baseline data from ten years ago, a Journal of Education and Work paper (O’Leary, 2017) confirmed a series of disciplinary variations in employability-related support across higher education institutions. A complementary Studies in Higher Education publication (O’Leary, 2021) highlighted that gendered inconsistencies in such provision were of an indirect nature, as they reflected variable provision across disciplinary subject areas while persistent gendered choices of degree subject matter exist. The third study (O’Leary et.al., 2024) assesses progress and establishes future priorities for course developments.

The first study outlined that variations exist in how students and graduates prefer to see employabilityrelated support delivered in their courses. Nine in ten want it included, but differences exist as to whether it is best provided as an optional feature (the desire within Humanities and Sciences), or it is fully integrated into the course (the preference in Engineering and Social Sciences). However, the second study highlighted that actual student and graduate experiences of employability-related support vary and, as a result, more female students and graduates appear to miss out because of the variations across disciplinary areas and the fact that females are predominant in those subject fields where the visibility of employability-related support is relatively lower.

To complement the earlier studies and establish a longitudinal perspective over the last decade, the third study (O’Leary et.al., 2024) was recently completed by over one hundred students and graduates.

A preliminary assessment of the data has been made for this proposal, and the full analysis continues to progress. The initial appraisal indicates that the gaps previously exposed are closing and the focus for future course developments should be on developing graduates with strengths in communication and collaboration, as well as on capability. Opportunities to enhance such golden skills exist using immersive technologies