Reading fellowships
The Fellowship scheme provided funding for academic and careers staff at Reading to work with CCMS to undertake careers education development work within individual departments or schools.
Brief summaries of some of the Fellowships with project outputs are given below. A fuller list can be found in the two publications Growing Careers Education from the Grassroots and Growing Careers Education from the Grassroots Part 2 available from the Publications page.
GRO and Career Unlocker
This CCMS funded project was led by Tania Lyden and has produced two FREE web-based resources which take a holist view of career learning. Launched in 2010 these resources are part of the ongoing legacy activities of CCMS. If you would like your own institutional copy of either, go to www.careertools.org.uk where there is advice on how you can download a free customisable copy.
GRO is a teaching and learning resources which covers 5 separate themed areas: control philosophy, self-confidence, transitions, living in the present and handling uncertainty. Each section can be taken on its own. The site as a whole offers a mix of self-rating questionnaires, reflective activities and annotated case studies to help users identify areas for personal development. Some sections take longer to complete than others. Based upon a student's responses, the tool offers individual feedback and produces personal action plans for each section.
CareerUnlocker makes Bill Laws' ground breaking CPI model (Coverage, Processes, Influences) of CDL accessible to HE students. Students review a series of statements under 6 themes: information, feelings, attachment, background, learning and purpose. It enables students to identify the areas of their thinking about career matters that currently 'block' their progress, and to make notes that feed into a personalised action plan. The action plan 'points' users to national and local sources of help and advice. The entire process can be completed in 30-60 minutes. It is suitable for students to use on their own or as part of a supported process.
Mortgages 4 U
Based in the School of Systems Engineering (SSE), led by Liz Victor. Completed.
This Fellowship took a context case-based approach to career learning. Second-year students were formerly required to work in groups to play the role of a software company tendering for a contract to supply an online mortgage system. The School recognised that, with a few minor alterations, the implicit learning about job roles in the IT industry could be made explicit. The project entailed relatively small changes to the teaching and learning activities, yet was judged to have made a significant impact on career content.
'RedGloo' - Creating opportunities for serendipitous learning using a social networking site
Based in the School of Systems Engineering (SSE), led by Shirley Williams. Completed.
This Fellowship used open source software (Elgg) to build RedGloo, a social networking site for students in the School. Drawing inspiration from Wenger’s theory of social learning, which resonates with PDP and lifelong learning, the project created a virtual space for informal learning. The system enables users to create a profile, determine how and with whom this will be shared, and record subject-related and other interests. Users can identify others with a similar interest by means of a ‘tag-cloud’.
The system facilitates networking between students on different programmes and across year groups. In its first year it has attracted over 500 visitors. Discussions around coursework have emerged spontaneously, showing evidence of peer support. Students have also used the blogging facility to undertake course-related reflective writing. The site promotes employability through stimulating involvement in extra-curricular activities, forming communities of practice and encouraging students to become managers of their own learning.
Enhancement of academic and professional skills
Based in the School of Management, led by Peter Miskell. Completed.
This Fellowship has redesigned the Year 1 Management module, Developing Academic and Professional Skills (DAPS). The changes give greater prominence to employers’ perspectives on transferable skills and the desirability of acquiring work experience. Underpinning this is the belief that (a) students will be more employable if they gain work experience and (b) that doing so earlier in their time at university will add value to their later studies (including subsequent career learning in the curriculum). Advice on CV preparation is focused on encouraging students to apply for work experience. Students are made aware of opportunities for internships and voluntary work, through information provided by the careers service.
Case study approach to Career Management Skills modules
Based in the School of Management, led by Maria Gee. Current.
This Fellowship has used the context case-based approach to employability championed by Prof Pauline Kneale (at the University of Leeds), to change a more traditional DOTS focused 5 credit module into a 10 credit extended business scenario module. Students work in groups simulating the role of small accountancy companies. The group’s task is to hire a new member of staff. Students are provided with realistic fictional CVs and have to create and apply a selection process to determine the most suitable candidate. Students are put in the employers’ shoes, experience different work roles, and learn about the fundamental principles of job seeking through a realistic scenario.
Enterprise business game for masters students and integration with the Career Management Skills module
Based in the School of Soil Science, led by Mark Hodson. Current.
This project developed a generic teaching resource, including a student course handbook, a facilitator handbook and PowerPoint slides, to enable a non-cognate academic to run a series of sessions on taking a business idea to market. Through a case-based approach, students experience these processes and gain understanding which may help them in both consultancy and entrepreneurial roles in the future. A second fellowship will build on this work to integrate entrepreneurship learning with the more traditional elements of career management skills, addressing them holistically and maximising the potential synergies between their different components.
PDP
Based in the Centre for the Development of Teaching and Learning (CDoTL), led by Sarah Morey. Current.
This Fellowship is exploring the scope to interlink careers education modules with the University’s PDP provision, iLearn, which comprises web-based advice and exercises that students can use on a self-supported basis. It is designed to work in conjunction with the ePortfolio function on Blackboard and to inform personal and academic tutorial meetings. The iLearn system is being trialled with four disciplines in 2007-2008. The Fellowship will gather feedback from staff and students to identify ways in which the University-wide career management skills provision, the new Destinations® website and PDP can add value to each other.
'FoodieFutures'
Based in the School of Food Biosciences, led by Orla Kennedy and Glynis Jodrell. Current.
This Fellowship is creating a series of video clips illustrating specialist careers in the food industry. These clips, along with ‘job blogs’ from students on industrial placements, will be used to enrich the Career Management Skills module by exploring discipline-related career options.
First footsteps – Engaging first-year students with employability
Based in the School of Biological Sciences, led by Ross Cameron. Current.
This Fellowship aims to capture examples of how staff within the School are working effectively with employers; to analyse and monitor data on student destinations; to involve students in the planning and review of careers provision; and to encourage greater participation in degree-relevant work experience. It will explore the scope for a whole-school approach to career management skills, making greater use of employer involvement and emphasising the value of gaining work experience.
Overcoming barriers to employment
Based in the department of Meteorology, led by Ross Reynolds. Current.
Working collaboratively, careers advisors and academics visited employers to investigate opportunities open to Meteorology graduates and the challenges they face. This research will feed back into teaching of the Year 2 Career Management Skills module, leading to more relevant course content. Additionally, the project has contracted the EmployabilityWorks consultancy to write a specialist HEA-style student employability profile for Meteorology. The Fellowship has also researched undergraduates’ career aspirations and jobseeking plans.
Raising the profile of career development
Based in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, led by Alistair Murdoch and Nick Beard. Current.
This Fellowship has recast a 5 credit Career Management Skills module, previously confined to a few weeks at the end of the Year 1, into a series of progressive long-term engagements. Run throughout the Year 2, it feeds directly into personal tutorial work in the autumn term of Year 3. The first sessions explore work experience opportunities and self awareness. The later sessions focus on the graduate jobs market and job selection. Revised assessments include the production and maintenance of a careers action plan.
Introducing Destinations® into Career Management Skills modules at the University of Reading
Led by various academics and career staff throughout the university. Completed.
Through this project Destinations® became the main web resource for delivering Career Management Skills modules in 13 disciplines (Geography, Economics, the School of Agriculture, Policy & Development, Classics, History, History of Art and Philosophy, Archaeology, English, Food Bioscience, Finance and Investment Banking, Meteorology, School of Systems Engineering). Replacing the generic information and exercises of CMS Online with the more extensive and flexible resources on Destinations® enabled academic and careers staff to work together to create new Blackboard modules which selectively deep-link to Destinations® pages to create a degree-specific programme. The project also reviewed existing careers provision and training on Blackboard. These projects constituted 11 separate Fellowships.
To find out more about Reading fellowships, please contact David Stanbury d.r.stanbury@reading.ac.uk.
Careers Advisory Service (CAS) Mass migration of Destinations® and Career Management Skills (CMS) using Blackboard
Based in the Careers Advisory Service, led by Claire Jones
The aim of this Fellowship was to provide a customisable Blackboard module to assist the remaining 16 courses at Reading which were not using a VLE to support CMS delivery, thereby fully incorporating Blackboard and Destinations® into their approach. A model Blackboard site which could be copied and contextualised for different courses was created and promoted, along with course-specific resources for all taught CMS courses. CAS transferred its CMS module and supporting resources to the Blackboard site, making it the main location for an online career learning resource for CMS delivery. Each CMS module has its own Blackboard site, with access to deep-links to Destinations®. This has provided a one stop career learning resource area for staff and students, while enabling students to access Destinations® more easily and flexibly.
Blackboard module available from Destinations Community Google Group
Career Management Skills (CMS) and Disability
Based in the Careers Advisory Service, led by Fiona Corby
This Fellowship aimed to develop CMS materials and approaches for students with Dyslexia and Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), in response to reported difficulties these students tend to experience with existing approaches to curriculum-based career learning (e.g. with self awareness and personality, writing skills and processing information). Students with ASD were found to benefit from being provided with alternative learning and assessment activities, whereas for Dyslexic students the transmission of information was more important. The project found that adapted materials and tailored approaches can help students with specific difficulties achieve more successful CMS outcomes whilst maintaining positive levels of self esteem.
Improving the employability of Meteorology students
Based in the School of Mathematics, Meteorology & Physics, led by Ross Reynolds
This Fellowship built on a preceding Fellowship and aimed to improve the employability of meteorology undergraduates by: redeveloping the existing careers module; engaging proactively with employers; using the Blackboard VLE to support teaching and learning; using Destinations® as a supporting online career resource. Links with, and presentations by, employers, recent graduates and postgraduate students provided 'real life' practical content and improved employer engagement in wider aspects of the curriculum. Integrating Blackboard also proved an effective, modern way to communicate with students.
Learning Landscape Design
Based in the School of Systems Engineering, led by Prof. Shirley Williams
This Fellowship built on the work of an earlier Fellowship, RedGloo, and complemented the work of the JISC MeAggregator project, which explored how learning technologies and social media can be inter-linked and used to support informal learning. The project aimed to produce a design concept (rather than a product) demonstrating how students and staff might access a wider range ('landscape') of learning technologies through interlinking university led media with other external media (e.g., blogs, wikis and social networks).
First Footsteps - engaging early stage students (parts 1&2) with employability
Based in the School of Biological Sciences, led by Dr. Ross Cameron
The overall aim of the project was to enhance employability by captivating student interest and awareness about career development from an early stage. The project focused on improving Part 2 delivery, mainly through the introduction of a School-based one day careers event and linking this to an assignment delivered through the compulsory Science Communication module. The ten week module includes a large component of career management learning worth five credit points, planned with the CMS tutor and delivered by a caseload careers adviser. The careers event coursework provided an excellent self reflection opportunity for students to consider their preferences and concerns around employment within their subject area.
Raising the profile of Career Management Skills (CMS)
Based in the School of Agriculture, Policy & Development, led by Dr. Alistair Murdoch
This Fellowship aimed to increase student careers awareness throughout degree programmes, rather than solely at the end of first year, by splitting the original year one CMS module into two parts. Part one, at the end of first year, focused on gaining skills and experience whilst part two, delivered at the end of second year, focused on gaining a graduate level job. Career learning inputs included writing a CV and covering letter; employer visits; graduate career opportunities; revising and updating a longer term action plan; a graduate level job study; interview skills/assessment centre preparation. The revised programme has led to improved student awareness of the importance of CMS and employability, by targeting CMS to students when they are likely to be most receptive.
APD Presentation to UG Tutors on CMS Oct 2007
APD CMS Presentation for CSTD Nov 2007
APD Tutors for handouts on CMS Nov 2008
Evaluating PDP and CMS through the iLearn project
Based in the Centre for the Development of Teaching and Learning, led by Sarah Morey
This Fellowship aimed to link PDP with CMS and thereby encourage students to see the value of the PDP process in terms of their own career development. Four first year cohorts were chosen to take part in the newly created electronic PDP system known as iLearn. Development work included building four school-based iLearn areas on the Blackboard site, providing tailored, subject-specific text, adding links to Destinations® and encouraging schools to add their own resources to an iWork area such as placement information. Student and staff feedback confirmed that students had made the connection between PDP and their own career development, recognising the longer term benefits of engaging with iLearn.
Researching employer enhancement of the curriculum
Based in the School of Systems Engineering, led by Julie Rees
The University-wide project commissioned by CCMS aimed to identify the interaction between employer engagement and teaching across the range of subjects at the University of Reading. The objectives were to promote and encourage the use of employer engagement in teaching and learning, through identifying detailed examples across the university, culminating in the publication of a good practice booklet. This provided eight modes of employer engagement enhancing the teaching and learning of students. A report to university management outlining key findings and recommendations followed. A Toolkit has now subsequently been developed, providing a practical guide for academics and other staff engaged in developing employer links.
SSE Bulletin Article Employer Engagement
SSE Employer Engagement Presentation to SDTLs 2009
Integrating Science MSc Entrepreneurship with CMS
Based in the School of Human and Environmental Science, led by Prof. Mark Hodson
This Fellowship built on the previous 'Environmental entrepreneurship in action' Fellowship, to integrate career management skills within its delivery. The module required students to work in groups to develop a course-related business idea, by researching the market, devising a business plan and presenting it to a panel of experts. They also compiled job descriptions and role-played the parts of employers reviewing CVs. This module helped to reinforce key messages about the recruitment process and employer needs, whilst making it clear that asking students to apply for jobs outside their vocational specialism was unrealistic; this approach has since been modified accordingly.
Research Staff Career Profiling Project
Based in the Centre for Staff Training and Development, led by Dr.Justin Hutchence
This Fellowship aimed to gather qualitative data about the career paths, experiences and attitudes of research staff at Reading, in order to evaluate contract staff support arrangements, establish a resource for job hunting advice/strategies for current and future researchers, and to develop a contact database of research staff and potential employers. The project found that providing evidence-based information on the career paths of research staff can add potential value to the career development and experience of staff.
Developing CMS in Graphic Communication Programmes, University of Reading
This project aimed to modify the existing 5 credit career management skills (CMS) module by developing an intensive and high impact careers day, backed- up by student preparatory work and assignments. The objectives were: to make CMS content and materials more discipline relevant; deliver CMS more efficiently and effectively through a one day event (rather than over three sessions); add value to course programmes that could be highlighted in marketing materials.
CCMS_Fellowship_Developing_CMS_in_Graphic_Communication_Programmes_(4)
Early Years Practitioners Research project
This project led by Dr Geoff Taggart explores the differing perceptions of professionalism held by students taking a Foundation Year in Children's Development and Learning. It uses a qualitative approach to unearth students' views, and to articulate their attitudes and values to learning as well as personal and professional development. The Report and presentation convey preliminary findings. For more information please contact: g.taggart@reading.ac.uk or see his forthcoming article.
Early Years Practitioners Career Concepts report
Early Years Practitioners Career Concepts presentation