Individualised Self-assessment to Enhance Employability in postgraduate students

1. Dr Debbi Marais Individualised Self-assessment to Enhance Employability in postgraduate students

2. Employability ‘a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes - that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy’

3. Link with Retention • How does enhancing employability improve retention? • For Postgraduate students - Non-progression main reason for discontinuing • Proven relationship between learning and employability • skills that facilitate learning such as being able to analyse data, solve complex problems and to communicate effectively, can also enhance an individual’s employability • Improving chances of progression = better student retention

4. Why postgraduate? • PGT students - unique group • Short intensive period of study • Diverse graduate/professional backgrounds and nationalities • Previous experience and skill levels • Educational experiences • English language proficiency • Induction programmes • To ease the transition of international students into new learning environment • Not individualised or reflective in nature

5. Aim • Develop an online resource to extend employability provision for PGT students • self-awareness employability questionnaire on MyAberdeen • individualised feedback and links to supportive employability resources

6. Process

7. 1. Skills Audit • Self-assessment of employability skills based on HEA employability profile for Health Studies & UoA Postgraduate Attributes

8. 1. Skills Audit • Complete prior to self-assessment questionnaire • Existing non-credit bearing courses • Academic writing skills (AW1001) • Summarising a given text in ≤150 words within 1 hour • Different article extracts for different programmes • Assessed by Programme Coordinators using standardised rubric ito accuracy of summary AND language (grammar, punctuation and spelling) • Skills info (SK5003) • 50 Questions regarding basic IT skills required (e-mail, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, internet) • Yes (score 1), No (score 0) or Unsure (score ½) • Psychometric testing – Profiling for success

9. Profiling for Success • University Careers Centre acquired via the ‘Profiling for success’ website • Freely available to registered students • 4 identified for I-SEE • Abstract reasoning skills • Numerical reasoning skills • Verbal reasoning skills • Type Dynamics Indicator Form • ~10 min each

10. Feedback • Academic writing skills • CAS uploaded in MyGrades with standardised feedback and signposting to either online support (CAS 6-8) or SLS language workshops (CAS <6) • IT Skills • Score (/50) in MyGrades automatically • Automated feedback of ‘correct’ if answered YES and signposting to specific online guides and page reference for specific section if NO/UNSURE • Psychometric testing • Score and individualised feedback emailed to student from website

11. 1. Skills Audit • Self-assessment Questionnaire • Provide scores from various sources for: • Academic writing skills; IT Skills; Abstract, Numerical and Verbal reasoning skills and Personality Typing results • Self-rating of: • Communication skills/academic writing (essays, exams, oral and poster presentations, publications, referencing) • IT skills (basic word processing, TurnitInUK, track changes, data base search) • Group work • Personality typing (awareness of strengths and weaknesses) • Social/civic responsibilities/engagement

12. Feedback • Self-assessment questionnaire • Automated and Individualised • Best responses as correct • Identifying development areas • Signposting for links to supportive employability resources • Online • Workshops/courses within the University

13. 2. Reflection • Record progress in e-portfolio • Directions on how to create own e-portfolio provided • Reflect on progress using a checklist • After 6 months • Identify development areas • What has been done? • What do you plan to do?

14. 3. Articulation • CV template • Supportive documentation with tips • Link to Career Services

15. Implementation • Division of Applied Health Sciences PGT students • 2013/14 academic year • As a Compulsory non-credit bearing induction course

16. Progress E-mail reminders

17. Academic Writing scores • N=38 • CAS Range - 6 to 20 • Mean Score – 13.95 • 5 Below CAS 9 [Signposted to Online Resources] Not reported accurately in Skills Audit -12 Unanswered and 7 Don’t know

18. Rating of English Language • Poor self-rating • Excellent [8-20] • Good [6-17] • Average [9-14] • Poor [20/unanswered]

19. IT skills • N = 37 • Range 21 – 50 (/50) • Mean score – 43.38 • 27 >40 score • 3 poor skills Not reported accurately in Skills Audit -9 Unanswered and 7 Don’t know

20. IT Self-rating • Poor self-rating • Excellent [>48] • Good [19-50] • Average [32-43] • Poor [25]

21. Self-confidence

22. 4 unanswered Strengths and weaknesses • 3 Don’t know and 5 unanswered what friends and peers would describe • 6 unanswered Personality typing, 2 can’t find, 5 only 1 letter

23. Challenges • Not accurate self-reporting / don’t remember • Poor self-rating • Not understanding feedback

24. Checklist

25. Checklist vs Skills Audit

26. What did the students think? • Do you think I-SEE had any impact? • What did you find most helpful? • [prompts for specific stages in the process – skills audit, reflection and articulation] • What did you find least helpful? • What do you think could help or be added? • How can we improve engagement? • Do you think improvements/development should be on your own initiative or followed up by programme coordinators? 30-60 min depending on time available to students

27. Impact of I-SEE • I already have a job and a career, so I did not see the use of it for me - it was a bit of a waste of time for me - but I can see it can be useful for others who have not had this at undergraduate level. • It was helpful to me but I wasn't really sure what it was for, perhaps if we knew earlier on, we would have taken part more. • Initial responses were fairly unsure to this question - a lot of shrugging and some head shaking • Students seemed divided according to their previous exposure or experience (local vs international students) • Not a total waste of time as it did reaffirm what I already knew, but perhaps more useful to others who have not done this before. • This is needed in the ‘real world’ so everyone should do it

28. Comments on usefulness • Responses differed between • International and Home students • English home language speakers or 2nd language • Practical problems with MyAberdeen • MyGrades, e-portfolios and submitting • Online support (guides) not helpful • Improve engagement • Explaining aim overall and for each assessment • Better timing of assessments (course workload) • Reflection least useful ... in the real world this is what you need to do (reflect) ...

29. Improvements • Introductory session • Importance of I-SEE • Use of MyAberdeenespecially Mygrades, e-portfolios • Timing of assessments • Induction week • When needed • Workload of courses taken into consideration • Rather all do together at one time for checklist • Additional • Interview skills • Using social media to market yourself • Career information eg. Job adverts

30. Improvements • Incorporated into Generic Skills Course • Some sessions less useful/superficial, some very useful but opinions differ between students – should be tailored to previous exposure and skill levels • Prevent overlap • Support in terms of workshops / presentations rather than online support • Provide an opt-out for students who do not want to complete • Own initiative or not? ... actually I suppose it is really our own responsibility ...

31. Way forward • Improvements as suggested by students where possible • Extend to College PGT programmes and PGR students • Staff engagement

32. Acknowledgements • HEA – Individual Teaching Development Grant • Support from colleagues in the DAHS & CLSM Graduate School • Research assistant – Ettienne Marais