Technology in Careers Work 8 July 2009 Jane Standley Director Placement & Careers Centre Brunel University

Our agenda Why use technology? Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World Definitions Use of technology at Brunel PCC What we wish we’d known Positive outcomes Other obstacles and how we overcame them Engaging Generation Y

Why use technology? It can be attractive and high profile It can add value It might save time ‘Competitors’ do it Students are used to it/expect it Universities (will) expect it

Drivers for change Higher Education in a Web 2.0 world “Students are looking for traditional approaches, notably personal contact, in a modern setting, ie web supported.” “Learning that is active – by doing – undertaken within a community and based on individual’s interests is widely considered to be the most effective” “There is a match between what are seen as 21st – century learning skills, 21st – century employability skills and those engendered by engagement with Web 2.0 – communication, participation, networking, sharing.” /

Effective Practice in a Digital Age Press release: JISC launches a new guide Effective Practice in a Digital Age Not sure about a website and a wiki, a podcast and a sound recording, or how best to use them for teaching and learning?

Preparing for practice in a digital age Starting point –e-Learning = enhanced learning –Defining effective practice in a technology-rich context –Writing about practice Designing for learning –Approaches to learning –Learning activity design –Learning activity design in context 1 Preparing for practice in a digital age –Effective practice planning activity Conclusion –Key principles for designing –technology-enhanced learning Glossary Sharing effective practice –Effective Practice Resource Exchange - supplementary online resources

Popular examples of: Social networking Blogging Media sharing Virtual world Social bookmarking Syndication Wikis

Use of technology at Brunel What we haven’t done Audio podcasts –SMS (but wondering about it for workshop reminders) – management system Marketing/information –Networked plasma screens for marketing –Fairs video for students and employers –VLE sites for all the placement info for specific disciplines –Social networking – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (latter being explored) –Virtual PCC tour –Interactive section on the website including streaming of AGCAS and other videos under licence –Placement blog stars work videos – placement students, graduates and employers – student vacancy alerts –RSS feeds about significant new website features Careers education/guidance –Use of VLE for postgraduate distance learning module –Discipline specific VLE sites incorporating Destinations –Employer Web chats on VLE and commentary on videoed interviews –Videoed careers workshops/employer interviews –Individual application feedback with screen capture software –e-tutorials with screen capture software –InterVisual Administration –Online event booking and reminders –Online vacancy form for all but graduate training schemes and sandwich placements –Swipe keyboards for student registration –New database –Online surveys

What we wish we had known … Dangers of: Underestimating workload/timescale Underestimating technical problems Inappropriate use of tool Inappropriate purchasing decision Forgetting the sound bite Being reliant on one expert Not everyone makes a good interviewee Production control

Interview with an employer

Positive experiences Student involvement Student feedback Personalisation Interactivity and immediacy (Semi) permanency Staff interests and skills Funded projects as a springboard Piggy-backing on other projects One thing leads to another …

VLE Discussion Board

Blogging – an internet-based journal or diary in which a user can pose text and digital material while others can comment, eg blogger; technorati; twitter Media sharing – uploading or downloading media files for purposes of audience or exchange, eg flikr; YouTube, Daily Motion, Vimeo Virtual world – themed environments that invite live interaction with other internet users eg Second Life, Open Sim Social bookmarking – users submit their bookmarked web pages to a central site where they can be found and tagged by others, eg del.ic.ious, Digg, Yahoo! Buzz, StumbleUpon, reddit Syndication – users can subscribe to RSS (Really Simply Syndication) feed-enabled websites so that they are automatically notified of any changes or updates in content via an aggregator; eg bloglines; podcast Wikis – a web based service allowing users unrestricted access to create, edit and link pages, eg wikipedia

Obstacles … and how we overcame them (if we did) Lack of co-ordination within the institution Need for clarity for students Too much direction within the institution Changing stories Unreliable systems Old rules Cost Need to keep it fresh Staff skills Staff security Disability Crystal ball

Engaging Generation Y Signpost to engage Give them the vision Short is sweet New ways of talking Involve influencers Give them a voice

Screen Capture

Intervisual

Sample InterVisual videos wmvhttp:// wmv wmvhttp:// wmv

Moving on Use the technology to: Share knowledge Share successes Avoid duplication Avoid costly mistakes