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
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
Topics Adding value with Video– Birmingham– Bradford
Using Destinations® as a key resource in careers modules– Bradford
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
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
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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
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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
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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
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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®
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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
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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
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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
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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!
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
Any Questions?
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
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?
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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
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Course Genie Project Semester 1 2008/9
How can we get students to “deep link” to the site in a controlled way?
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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
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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
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Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
Career Development Services Career and Employability Centre
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
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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
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Any Questions? Contact: [email protected]