Exploring the role of business leaders in outcome-based education for human capital transformation: a systematic review

Abstract

The education system is a fundamental asset of any economy. Similarly, advancement of the economy is significantly thrusted by the pivotal role played by its human resources. In the contemporary age, the proper execution of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is poised to steer the educational system in the correct track. OBE primarily focuses on what is essential for all learners to be able to do because of education and then organizes all other aspects of the education system around intended learning outcomes. All other decisions about the content, teaching learning activities and student assessment tasks are driven by learning outcomes in OBE. The adoption of the OBE approach is made to improve the larger bond between academic institutions, business, and society. For an effective OBE system, defining learning outcomes is crucial, and it should represent the real requirements of the labor market. For that, educators and business leaders need to work collaboratively. However, there is very little discussion on ‘the role of business leaders in OBE for human capital transformation’. Therefore, this study attempts to explore the role of business leaders in OBE for human capital transformation. To achieve this, a descriptive analysis was conducted on the content of recently published research papers, books, and policy documents, relating to OBE and human capital transformation. Major roles of business leaders were identified based on the theory of constructive alignment, and other roles were reported under the theme of ‘general’. This study explores the role of business leaders in the OBE system. Business leaders are essential contributors, actively engaging by offering their expertise to decide learning outcome, sharing their wealth of experiences with students, facilitating hands-on learning opportunities, and actively participating in the evaluation of student progress to validate their achievement of relevant skills and knowledge, serving both as employers and seasoned practitioners. This collaborative synergy serves as a bridge to address students' skill gaps. Consequently, this study holds paramount importance for educators, business leaders, students, educational administrators, and policymakers alike. It is important to acknowledge that this study draws from secondary data, and therefore, it is recommended that future research be conducted with primary data sources for a more comprehensive perspective.