Pedagogy and Professional Development

Getting Real: A Student Perspective on Benefits and Challenges of Incorporating Industry Projects into the Classroom

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Abstract

Learning through industry collaborations in classroom activities is critical in decreasing the gap between the real world and the academic environment. Challenges drawn from industry can increase student knowledge and future employability (Collins, Curtis, Curtis & Stevenson, 2007; Cox & King, 2006; Fleischmann, 2011). Yet, most academic programs focus largely on increasing student cognitive skills and few incorporate activities using industry collaborations (Fleischmann, 2011). Such collaborations are especially critical for industry-based majors, such as textiles and apparel. This is particularly crucial given research findings that academic curricula largely lack “an integration of both industry and the academy” (Wright, Cushman & Nicholson, 2002, p. 122).

Keywords: industry, collaboration, Partnership, classroom, Payless

How to Cite:

Karpova, E. & Marcketti, S. B., (2013) “Getting Real: A Student Perspective on Benefits and Challenges of Incorporating Industry Projects into the Classroom”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 70(1).