Career Development ServicesCareer and Employability Centre Adding value to Destinations® with...

Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre

Adding value to Destinations® with videos and using Destinations® as a

key resource in careers modules

Hermione Berry, Joan Cartledge and Sophie Miller


Topics

Adding value with Video– Birmingham– Bradford

Using Destinations® as a key resource in careers modules– Bradford


University of Birmingham pilot Destinations®Objectives

1. To pilot Destinations® within accredited programmes and curriculum based activity2. To pilot Destinations® as a career development learning tool and to identify how it might replace or complement existing resources such as careers centre website, <<progress>> for personal development planning, and the University’s virtual learning environment, webCT – Personal Skill Award

• Core module– Personal Development Planning and <<PROGRESS>>– International Students


Destinations and PDP • DVD created to raise awareness of importance of

employability and personal development planning – ‘Stand out from the crowd’

• Destinations® compared to <<PROGRESS>> to identify ways of improving skills assessment & the personal development resource

• Student evaluation and focus groups• Outcome: – re-design and tailoring of <<PROGRESS>>– International Students lack awareness of the importance

of transferable skills and undervalue unpaid experience


International Student Project

– Identified role models amongst international student cohort and created video clips

– Developing transferable skills is a new and exciting concept for international students

– Voluntary activity valued along with work experience

– Progress tool re-designed and tried out with 135 PSA students 2008-09 academic year


Play DVDsNilesh Paray (2.50)

– MEng Electronics and Communication– Mauritius

Nanjala Nyabola (4.17)

– BA African Studies and Political Science– Kenya

• http://www.as.bham.ac.uk/study/support/cec/choosing/podcasts.shtml


What next? • Addition of activity points pathway to PSA• Cross institution recognition of voluntary activity and

skills development• Concept of the ‘Birmingham Graduate’ materialising • Plan to incorporate revised <<PROGRESS>> into

student induction and tutorial• Next Step - to review career development learning in

the University incorporating Destinations®


Bradford - Destinations® projectDeveloping localised Video Clips

WHY?– Tailoring site - need to reflect student diversity and feature local

employers– Hopeful it will help students to:

• identify with the local content and • be more receptive to suggestions and advice

– Develop clips we can use to support blended learning in module teaching and workshops

– Increase our confidence with new technologies


Bradford - Destinations® projectPractical steps

– Identified areas of immediate need for localised clips– Recruited a student to help with filming– Developed video clips featuring legal employers and ex placement

students– Discussion focus: specific career areas and job seeking skills advice– Developed 5 video clips for sharing with the Destinations ® Community

and several more for internal use– Clips now used extensively in careers modules and workshops


Show Videoclip

Mohammad Shah– BSc (Hons) ICT with Business– (Destinations® site: Work experience / The value of work

experience / What you learn in the workplace)

• http://www.careers.brad.ac.uk/destinations/units/unit-w006.shtml


What we learnt

Video clip production – complex and time consumingStudents respond well to localised contentCareers and academic staff welcome additions

Need to promote Destinations® and our tailored clipsWe can do it despite very limited technical support and we will do more in future!



Any Questions?


Using Destinations® as a key resource in careers modules

• CDS: running careers and enterprise modules for 12+ years• 2008/9: – 402 students studying on ten “CDS owned” UG and M level

careers modules– significant input into 9 other “school owned” modules

• Project: How can Destinations® support and potentially develop our careers teaching?


How are we using Destinations® in teaching?• Career and Personal Development module students -

primarily level 2 and 3 UG (some PG and MBA)– Embedded in VLE (Blackboard) and links from CDS website and

intranet sites– Videoclips, exercises and activities used in lectures– Referrals in tutorials and guidance / advice appts.– Self-directed study resource– Self-directed study “units” developed using Course Genie

• Future? New on-line modules with Destinations® as core component


Course Genie Project Semester 1 2008/9

How can we get students to “deep link” to the site in a controlled way?


Our thought processes

• Blended learning – how do we engage our students?• Trial whether self-directed study using Destinations® as core

component (instead of a lecture) would engage students• Encouraged by example from Sandhya Tanna at Reading

University• Course Genie staff development course• Develop staff skills with e-learning material• Support from Learning Technology Team• Future on-line learning developments


What did we do?• Career and Personal Development Module for Economists

(Semester 1 2008/9)• Developed “Opportunities for Economists” self directed study

module for week 3(Developed Word document, converted to on-line learning unit using Course Genie, modified and tested)

• Included: quiz questions, research tasks• Embedded in VLE (Blackboard)• Evaluation – Quizdom Survey, Focus Group


Summary of Quizdom Feedback (17 respondents)

1 Levels of engagementa) Went through it all 1 b) Looked at most of it 7c) 50% 4 d) Took a quick look 2e) Did not look at it 3

2 Usefulness of the learning experiencea) Did not enjoy the learning style and would have preferred a session 5 b) Enjoyed the learning style but too much information 5 c) Enjoyed the learning style but would have preferred more exercises 4d) Enjoyed the learning style and useful in scope, information and activity 3


Quizdom contd..

3 Would you like more of this style of learning? Yes 6 No 11

However, overall: A positive outcome with 12 responses stating that they enjoyed the learning experience as opposed to 5 who did not.


Focus Group Feedback

“I looked at it but then started doing something else and after that I just forgot about it.”

“It is very helpful and I will call on my fellow students to use the opportunity to take time to look at the website.”

BUT: To get students to use self directed study material they stated that we need to link the activity directly to module assessment.


Our Reflections• Steep learning curves!• Pilot relatively successful in “safe environment”• BUT - how do we ensure students engage with self-directed

study? • AND - how do we know they have used the Destinations®

material?• Destinations® stimulated our Teaching and Learning

development. Recent developments include:– use of audio feedback– use of video for personal reflections (PDP using PebblePAD)


Current developments

• Continued integrated use of Destinations® in modules• Further developments using Course Genie:

– Goal Setting, Action Planning in “Managing Yourself and Others” (Careers Module for Pharmacists)

– CVs and Covering Letters for generic careers modules (to support taught sessions)

– TBA : Others to fit with new on-line careers module

• PebblePAD e-portfolio – forms to link directly from Bradford Destinations® site to PebblePAD


Any Questions? Contact: [email protected]

[email protected]

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