Assessing learners' perceptions of graduate employability

Abstract

The rapid advancement of technology, including the internet of things (IoT), industry 4.0, and smart cities, revealed an excess need for career-ready graduates. It is expected that a career-ready graduate is technically competent and possess professional skills acquired via the experiential learning incorporated into the curriculum. But the gap exists with the learners understanding of requirements and opportunities associated with graduate employability. In this research, we focus on evaluating the learners' experiences, expectations, and perceptions of graduate employability in an engineering curriculum. In this research, the interpretations of students on the graduate employability and the extent of influence that exists based on the learning outcomes of the graduate course are examined. The gaps between the academic environment and graduate employability awareness are highlighted. Later, a national language processing-based sentiment analyzer is used to evaluate the student's perceptions. Results from the analysis portrayed that the different levels of expectation and experiences that prevailed in the graduate course based on the conceptual idea of graduate employability need substantial focus in future curriculum development.