E NGAGING STUDENTS THROUGH P EER F EEDBACK TO B OOST L INGUISTIC P ROGRESS AND C AREER A WARENESS Ms Jessica Mason Dr JC Penet

Why such a project?  Use 1 st Year French module to enhance careers awareness amongst Stage 1 students + linguistic objective  : 1 st phase of project Students had to complete tasks on careers-related matters in French via the e-Portfolio.

FReE (French e-Portfolio Employability)Tasks  Developed in collaboration with the University’s Careers Service and the Learning and Teaching Unit (QuILT);  Linked with module’s activities or School- wide events but always careers/employability related;  In French (encourage ‘code-switching’)

Project evaluation  2 questionnaires - S1 questionnaire - 78% response rate; - S2 questionnaire - 70% response rate (7/10 questions similar to S1 questionnaire).

Findings Issues highlighted by S1 and S2 questionnaires: 1. Most students found it difficult to come to terms with the e-Portfolio and/or to see the point in using it at all; 2. Students found it easier to see the linguistic interest of tasks than their potential re careers awareness; 3. Some students lost motivation in S2

Need for Current Project  Introduce element of peer-feedback by asking Final-Year Students to review First- Years’ FReE Tasks  Benefits: 1. More feedback (linguistic and content-wise) – sustained motivation; 2. e-Portfolio as social network (becomes more ‘relevant’); 3. Increased employability for team of Final- Year Students

Outcome  Partial results so far. Questionnaires commissioned as last year will highlight areas to improve.  First Years have one-to-one contact with final year students to improve language aptitude and career awareness  Final year students revise key points and improved work experience.

Students’ Involvement  FReE Team was born! NWE scheme.

Employability  Final Years much improved employability skills o Responsibility and independence within the project o Developing management style o Refining leadership skills which are useful to mention when applying for graduate jobs

Attainment  First Years seem to respond well to one-to-one peer feedback with Fourth Year students  Open channels of communication between years within School  Improved language attainment  Encourages reflection and structured independent learning

Student Feedback  “Thank you very much for my feedback regarding my FReE Task. It has certainly improved my confidence.”  “Thank you again for your feedback... It was very useful. I will apply it to my writing in the future.”