Practical application and industry relevance: the role of off-campus training in student skill development

Practical application and industry relevance: the role of off-campus training in student skill development

연구 분야: Software Development

학회: Education and Information Technologies

An off-campus practical course is one in which students receive practical training in a vocational workplace outside of their educational institution. These courses focus on practical skills rather than academic knowledge and are essential for students to gain real-world experience and develop skills needed in the modern workforce. The research objective is to explore the continuous development of off-campus practical courses using the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) framework. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research methods, with 900 structured questionnaires distributed and 847 valid responses collected from students and teachers. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS software, and the qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo software. The findings highlight that off-campus practical courses improve students’ problem-solving skills, practical application abilities, industry-relevant performance, and engagement compared to traditional classroom-based education. Theoretically, this study contributes to the growing body of research on OBE by demonstrating how off-campus practical courses, when aligned with OBE principles, can better equip students with the skills required by modern industries. The study enriches the OBE framework by providing evidence of how it enhances not only technical knowledge retention but also fosters critical competencies such as problem-solving, industry-specific performance, and engagement. Practically, the study provides insights for educators and industry stakeholders to design off-campus programs that align with both academic and vocational outcomes. The novelty of this study lies in its exploration of how off-campus practical courses can be continuously improved to better prepare students for the challenges of the contemporary workplace.