Emma Bolger and Dr Marjorie McCrory Professional Education in Career Guidance and Development: placing equality and diversity activity at the forefront of curriculum design and programme delivery Emma Bolger and Dr Marjorie McCrory ABSTRACT Career Guidance and Development (CGD) is an established, if small, academic discipline. Aspects of equality, diversity and inclusive practice are often overlooked in critiques of career decision-making theory. The proactivity and visible dedication to progressing equality and diversity in training and practice in the CGD sector is the responsibility of its academics, offering contemporary evidence for advocacy of a discipline that continuously offers innovative and at times radical approaches to progressing equality and diversity. In taking over the long-standing MSc Career Guidance and Development programme at UWS in January 2017, the authors brought broad expertise from HE research and teaching and in equality and diversity policy development and practice. They aimed to “make the medium the message” by taking a career development approach to all activity, transforming the programme in just 12 months. The authors will discuss how they enacted their intention, profiling equality and diversity practice, leading in to the presentation of how they will be showcasing their best practice approach in the forthcoming Embedding Equality and Diversity in the Curriculum Practice Guide, commissioned by the Higher Education Academy.
MSc Career Guidance and Development: Training contemporary career development professionals We deliver a postgraduate programme to full-time, campus based students and part-time distance learners. Our students come to us from different routes: direct from undergraduate study, from employment (either within or outside of the sector) or because they are employer sponsored. While our students are primarily Scottish, we also train careers professionals from across the whole of the United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide. Our students may have previously studied for vocational qualifications within the field of career development or not, but will have shown some commitment working in the sector.
MSc Career Guidance and Development: Programme Structure Programme overview – Postgraduate Diploma: One year full-time campus based (Paisley) 2 years part-time, work-based (Global) Postgraduate diploma: 6 modules Plus the Career Development Institute (CDI) professional Qualification in Career Development (QCD) With embedded practice learning, work based and work related learning requirements This is the programme we primarily refer to as it is our most popular study route and the qualification widely held by most careers practitioners across the UK. We also offer: Postgraduate Certificate: 3 modules only, provides eligibility to join the CDI professional register, Popular with those who either do not undertake direct guidance practice, and/or who work outside of the UK Masters (MSc): Completion of a 7th research module by dissertation
Teaching, with a career development approach Our pedagogical approach is to continuously question how we as programme lecturers utilise our (broad) career development/guidance expertise to inform our approach as professional practice educators and researchers. We question how our existing skills as practitioners feed into and direct the research we produce. We structure our teaching and programme delivery so that it meets the best practice values we aim for as professionals. Handout: Copies of the article
Curriculum delivery Delivery methods Ethos Family friendly Inclusive Full-time Campus-based students attend timetabled lectures, seminars and practice learning sessions Supported by resources on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle) Distance Learners work through modules independently on Moodle using a wide range of tailored resources Distance Learners also attend a two-day workshop for each module delivered by us and funded by our partners at Skills Development Scotland Family friendly Inclusive Proactive Expert input Partnership delivery
Actions and example activity Onboarding: bringing students (and their families) onto campus before induction, comprehensive materials before start Extended induction: focus on students’ prior learning and motivation Family friendly timetable: teaching between 9.45am and 2.45pm, avoiding school holidays Inclusive language: review of all language used in every module resource Reimagining personal tutoring: Individual feedback/ coaching sessions Accessibility: Proactive use of the VLE to support all learners and enhance accessibility., common format across modules, A/V materials and move towards subtitling Practice learning review: operational equality impact assessment of all practice based learning opportunities, hosting by equality organisations Disability disclosure: improved emphasis Visiting expert input and partnership delivery: equality organisations, open seminar programme, focusing on equality of opportunity in the labour market and in careers practice. Institutional level: Athena SWAN, gender action plan, equality projects Partnership projects: IGBS unconscious bias resource, domestic violence and employability project Public image: overall promotion of the programme’s focus on equality and diversity
HEA Practice Guide Partnership with the HEA to produce a new practice guide for equality, diversity and inclusion in programme design for HEI’s based on programme developments forthcoming summer 2018
Examples of challenges, future aims and objectives More diverse cohorts, reflecting sector-wide issues – this is our main challenge! Continuous improvement in relation to accessibility and student experience
Beyond the MSc Programme Our role is not merely to train practitioners and then send them off into the world of work. Academics and employers all have a duty to commit to enhancing the professionalism of those working in our sector and to advocate for its value on a broad scale. Examples: Masters students leading practitioner research – the only programme in Scotland Building a community of practitioners Open seminar programme Alumni networks LinkedIn Group Twitter feed Delivery of training for professional bodies and external stakeholders Guest lectures, conference presentations and keynotes Publications Knowledge exchange partnerships Consultancy
Contact Details Twitter: @uws_cgd Emma Bolger www.emmabolger.co.uk emma.bolger@uws.ac.uk Dr Marjorie McCrory marjorie.mccrory@uws.ac.uk