Pebble Pad Profilers for Enhanced Employability and Reflexivity in the Arts

Case study by Eti WadeUniversity of West London

While many students had the skills and attributes that employers want, they did not seem to have either the self awareness or the language in which to express or describe them at recruitment interviews. (Moon, 2004)

Boud, Keogh and WalkerComponents of reflection

The Employability Profiler question sources

• Photography and Digital Imaging BA programme learning outcomes

• Skillset• University of West London Graduate Attribute

document

• For the LO: ‘Photograph professionally in complex and unpredictable contexts requiring selection and application from a wide range of innovative or standard photographic techniques

Types of student engagement with the profiler

• Confirmation of ability but no evidence• Evidence that is not relevant to the question• Overestimating ability providing evidence for

advanced skill which demonstrate poor skill• Appropriate evidence only addressing an

aspect of the skill• Appropriate evidence addressing skill

objectively

• Students responses to question 4:

Can you select from a wide range of standard or innovative photographic techniquesWould you know what photographic equipment, cameras and other imaging tools would be appropriate for specific image production requirements and in relation to space and lighting conditions

Interview with student • Worked as a check list for employability and graduateness• The questions led me to think about how I can progress,

what else I needed to still do before graduating• To provide evidence confirmed to me that I have the skills

required for employment in the industry• If I didn’t have the questions I wouldn’t be sure if I actually

have the right skills to apply for the job, it gave me confidence because I had proof of my ability

• Doing the profiler allowed me to revisit my learning, I looked through my whole archive and tried to match a specific photograph to each question or competency

Where next

• Improve student engagement with the profiler• Introduce profilers throughout the three years

of the course – to get students to take ownership of their learning at an earlier stage.