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Integrating "employability" into the HE curriculum: case studies of online portfolio implementation in the UK
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Harris, Lisa Harrigan, Paul Naudin, Annette |
| Copyright Year | 2010 |
| Abstract | In today's global market place employers are seeking high level skills of communication, networking and entrepreneurship in their potential employees. Increasingly, these skills extend to online methods of engagement through social media. The idea of the 'digital native' suggests that students are able to use such tools effectively, having grown up with these technologies, but more recent research suggests otherwise. We argue that a traditional university education does not in itself equip students for the modern workplace, and that effective integration of digital research, communication and creative skills into the curriculum is required. The implementation of what we have labelled a Personal Development Portfolio (PDP) can help to address this. At a time when the very validity of a university education is under the microscope, such initiatives are increasingly important. Our study encompassed two UK universities and investigated the attitudes and capabilities of students with regard to technology-enhanced learning at the start of their course, and then tracked their progress through the academic year. Specifically, students were asked to describe their learning experiences in a personal blog throughout their course to supplement and complement monthly faceto-face meetings with personal tutors. We used mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) to explore the ways these social technologies could be effectively integrated into university education to encourage development of employability skills. An online questionnaire was completed at the start of the academic year, and in-depth interviews with selected respondents were carried out throughout their programme in order to assess progress. Our findings suggest that the use of blogs encourages peer-to-peer collaboration and also improves the quality of face-to-face time spent with students by tutors, although the degree of commitment displayed to the task was very variable. Students' perspectives on their experience are mainly positive, but concern remains about the variable levels of PDP acceptance by staff, and the absence of a strategic, unified approach is currently restricting effectiveness and wider take up. Future research will examine how universities can implement a more strategic approach to prepare students for life and work in a digital society. This goes beyond consideration of employability in the digital economy, to cover the broader issues of participation, social justice, personal safety, ethical behaviours, and the management of identity and reputation. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://pleconference.citilab.eu/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ple2010_submission_12.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
