Development of all students' research skill becomes a knowledge society

Abstract

The political will towards developing strongly as a knowledge society will inevitably remain an aspiration in any country, and Ireland is no exception, unless there is substantial guidance emerging from within the university sector. This present paper introduces a model that was devised to conceptualise exactly the type of development that enables enrolling HDR (Higher Degree Research) students to be research-ready, and students, undergraduate or postgraduate, heading for employment to have research skills utilisable in work environments. I suggest small-scale trials of this model, thoroughly evaluated, well in advance of any policy directives, as the starting point towards evolving a set of approaches to enable the development of a knowledge society.