Abstract

This chapter explores the key role of industry partners in the adoption of CBL in higher education institutions (HEIs). Considering that one defining feature of CBL is the use of real-world challenges situated within an authentic real-world context or scenario, partnerships that include students, academics and industry partners are often established. These partnerships usually involve students, academics and industry partners working together to define challenges, create and implement solutions and provide feedback. Existing CBL literature has largely focused on the evaluation of challenges and benefits for students and academics, including disciplinary knowledge acquisition and the development of competencies and soft skills. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the expected input from industry partners, as well as their perceptions and benefits that they can gain from CBL partnerships. Thus, the focus of this chapter is on discussing industry partners’ perceptions of the practical challenges, as well as potential opportunities that can translate into benefits, stemming from CBL partnerships. Based on empirical evidence, the chapter summarizes the current challenges of CBL within the context of HEIs. We discuss industry partners’ perceptions of the practical challenges and the potential opportunities emerging from the CBL partnership, and whether these translate into benefits. We consider the practicalities of working across academia, industry, and government on the implementation of CBL, and the lessons for HEIs seeking to develop CBL activities to support innovation in their regions.