•Educators generally agree that ‘preparing students for the workplace’ is a valid priority. There is no consensus on what exactly this should look like. Jawiria suggests that ‘research skills’ might fit this gap.

The skills required for research share a great deal of similarity with the skills required for a productive career in the future workplace. Skills such as: being able to question critically, to plan an approach to solving a problem, and to present ideas and findings. The value of these skills often overshadows the value of knowledge of specific facts, particularly when careers are more likely to span a wider range of professions than they were previously.

From the perspective of an educator, research-based education should be more than just a lecturer presenting their own research, although this can be a good place to start. It can encompass a wide gamut of practices which can be described as taking an active, innovative, experimental approach to the provision of education. Due to its experimental nature, research-based education is not easy, for students or educators, as for both groups it is a departure from the known and trusted. The educator has to devote more time and effort to plan modules from the ground up, rather than relying on traditional models, and the students have to take time to understand exactly what it being asked of them.

•For students, this type of education sounds decidedly more enjoyable (never mind more valuable) than education dominated by exams and lectures. It requires students to think as well as to respond to tasks in active and novel ways. This will undoubtedly prepare students better for future challenges, where confidence (previously undervalued in education) is immensely valuable.