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Authors: Event: Date: 2 Embedding employability skills in the curriculum: Using technology to develop subject-based e-guidance in higher education Pauline Fox and Jim Adams AGCAS Biennial Conference September 2009

3 A case study of …. Place to Place: an e-guidance resource Aimed to embed employability skills in the undergraduate psychology curriculum within an HEI

4 But first …. an activity Brainstorm (5 minutes) What are your experiences (if any) of getting employability e-resources into subject curricula? What went well? What didn’t go so well?

5 Outline of session Place to Place –Aims of the project –Place to Place – what it looks like –Project method –Preliminary findings Activity: Exploring good practice for developing e-guidance resources Discussion: Drivers and barriers to developing curriculum-based e-guidance: What are these and what impact do they have? This work was supported by the Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning CETL, University of Plymouth. Innovation Fund Holders 08-09

6 Project background 1.Changing employment/training opportunities for psychology graduates e.g. –Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (DoH, 2008) –15-20% of psychology graduates train as professional psychologists (BPS, 2007)

7 Project background 2.Enhancing employability –Work experience (CBI/UUK, 2009) Placements on Psychology programmes –Customising applications Person specification/competency model Job/role description

8 Project background 3.Demand from employers for: –More professional, employment focused ethos in undergraduate psychology courses –Greater graduate awareness of skills acquired → applicant ‘distinctiveness’ –Ability to articulate skills –Offering convincing evidence of use of skills (Hugh-Jones, 2008)

9 Project aims Develop and evaluate a placement e-guidance resource for psychology students: Place to Place –Students use real job/training opportunities to reflect on placement learning Develop students’ skills, knowledge and confidence in linking placement learning to employment and training opportunities Share the project process and e-resource Embed the e-resource in the curriculum

10 Opening screen

11 Activity screen

12 Project method Action research framework Quantitative –Repeated measures: students’ skills, knowledge and confidence (0-6) about linking their placement to applications before and after using Place to Place Qualitative –Focus group/semi-structured interviews: students and staff

13 Preliminary findings 1 High levels of –Knowledge –Skills –Confidence before using Place to Place

14 Number (%) (n = 48) who agreed they had … Knowledge 42 (87%) Mean (SD): 4.6 (1.4) Skills 42 (87%) Mean (SD): 4.7 (1.4) Confidence 38 (79%) Mean (SD): 4.5 (1.4) to link their placement to job or training applications

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16 Preliminary findings 2 Students were generally positive about using Place to Place

17 Number (%) (n = 29) who agreed Place to Place was … Easy to use 22 (76%) Mean (SD): 4.5 (1.8) Interesting 25 (86%) Mean (SD): 5.1 (1.6) About right length 23 (79%) Mean (SD): 4.6 (1.6)

18 Number (%) (n = 29) who agreed Place to Place would improve … … psychology undergraduates’ Knowledge28 (97%) Mean (SD): 5.5 (0.7) Skills26 (90%) Mean (SD): 5.1 (1.1) Confidence27 (93%) Mean (SD): 5.0 (0.8) to link their placement to job or training applications

19 Number (%) (n = 29) who agreed they would… Recommend Place to Place to other psychology undergraduates: 26 (90%) Mean (SD): 5.1 (1.5)

20 Things students said … ‘I think it helped me to understand the importance of backing up my experiences and abilities with examples’ ‘Supporting statement was great. I really liked it’ ‘Useful as I didn’t know what employers are looking for’ ‘It was reassuring to know that I’m on the right track’

21 Suggestions for developments Technical –‘Buttons for selecting arrows are too sensitive’ –‘Add in a confirm button in some sections’ Content –‘Real example of covering letter and CV’ –‘Real scenarios of interviews’ Title –‘Life After the Degree’ –‘From Placement to Employment’

22 Staff suggestions Requires additional information to brief students Probably best run over two or more sessions May be best to introduce it in class rather than as a stand-alone

23 Another activity : Exploring good practice for developing e-guidance resources. Brainstorm (10 minutes) Authoring Interface Interactivity Distribution Feedback

24 Discussion: Drivers and barriers to developing curriculum-based e-guidance: what are they and what impact do they have?

25 References British Psychological Society (2007). So you want to be a psychologist? Leicester: British Psychological Society. CBI/UUK. (2009). Future fit: preparing graduates for the world of work. Confederation of British Industry and Universities UK. London: CBI. Department of Health (2008). Improving Access to Psychological Therapies implementation plan: national guidelines for regional delivery. HMSO: Department of Health. Hugh-Jones, S. (2008). The graduate – are we giving employers what they want? The Psychologist. 21(12)

Authors: Event: Date: 26 Embedding employability skills in the curriculum: Pauline Fox and Jim Adams AGCAS Biennial Conference September 2009 Using technology to develop subject-based e-guidance in higher education This work was supported by the Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning CETL, University of Plymouth.