Technology in Careers Work

8 July 2009

Jane StandleyDirector Placement & Careers Centre

Brunel University

Our agenda

• Why use technology?• Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World • Definitions• Use of technology at Brunel PCC• What we wish we’d known• Positive outcomes• Other obstacles and how we overcame them• Engaging Generation Y

Why use technology?

• It can be attractive and high profile

• It can add value

• It might save time

• ‘Competitors’ do it

• Students are used to it/expect it

• Universities (will) expect it

Drivers for changeHigher Education in a Web 2.0 world

• “Students are looking for traditional approaches, notably personal contact, in a modern setting, ie web supported.”

• “Learning that is active – by doing – undertaken within a community and based on individual’s interests is widely considered to be the most effective”

• “There is a match between what are seen as 21st – century learning skills, 21st – century employability skills and those engendered by engagement with Web 2.0 – communication, participation, networking, sharing.”

http://www.clex.org.uk/

Effective Practice in a Digital Age

Press release:

JISC launches a new guide Effective Practice in a Digital Age

Not sure about a website and a wiki, a podcast and a sound recording, or how best to use them for teaching and learning?

www.jisc.ac.uk/practice

Preparing for practice in a digital age

Starting point – e-Learning = enhanced

learning – Defining effective practice in

a technology-rich context – Writing about practice

Designing for learning – Approaches to learning – Learning activity design – Learning activity design in

context 1

Preparing for practice in a digital age – Effective practice planning

activity

Conclusion – Key principles for designing– technology-enhanced

learning

Glossary Sharing effective practice

– Effective Practice Resource Exchange - supplementary online resources

Popular examples of:

• Social networking• Blogging• Media sharing• Virtual world• Social bookmarking• Syndication• Wikis

Use of technology at Brunel

What we haven’t done• Audio podcasts

– SMS (but wondering about it for workshop reminders)

– Email management systemMarketing/information

– Networked plasma screens for marketing– Fairs video for students and employers– VLE sites for all the placement info for

specific disciplines– Social networking – Facebook, Twitter

and LinkedIn (latter being explored)– Virtual PCC tour– Interactive section on the website

including streaming of AGCAS and other videos under licence

– Placement blog stars– Brunel @ work videos – placement

students, graduates and employers– Email student vacancy alerts– RSS feeds about significant new website

features

Careers education/guidance– Use of VLE for postgraduate distance

learning module– Discipline specific VLE sites

incorporating Destinations– Employer Web chats on VLE and

commentary on videoed interviews– Videoed careers workshops/employer

interviews– Individual application feedback with

screen capture software– e-tutorials with screen capture software – InterVisual

Administration– Online event booking and email

reminders– Online vacancy form for all but graduate

training schemes and sandwich placements

– Swipe keyboards for student registration– New database– Online surveys

What we wish we had known …

Dangers of:• Underestimating workload/timescale• Underestimating technical problems• Inappropriate use of tool• Inappropriate purchasing decision• Forgetting the sound bite• Being reliant on one expert• Not everyone makes a good interviewee• Production control

Interview with an employer

Positive experiences

• Student involvement • Student feedback• Personalisation• Interactivity and immediacy• (Semi) permanency• Staff interests and skills• Funded projects as a springboard• Piggy-backing on other projects• One thing leads to another …

VLE Discussion Board

Blogging – an internet-based journal or diary in which a user can pose text and digital material while others can comment, eg blogger; technorati; twitterMedia sharing – uploading or downloading media files for purposes of audience or exchange, eg flikr; YouTube, Daily Motion, VimeoVirtual world – themed environments that invite live interaction with other internet users eg Second Life, Open SimSocial bookmarking – users submit their bookmarked web pages to a central site where they can be found and tagged by others, eg del.ic.ious, Digg, Yahoo! Buzz, StumbleUpon, redditSyndication – users can subscribe to RSS (Really Simply Syndication) feed-enabled websites so that they are automatically notified of any changes or updates in content via an aggregator; eg bloglines; podcastWikis – a web based service allowing users unrestricted access to create, edit and link pages, eg wikipedia

Obstacles … and how we overcame them (if we did)

• Lack of co-ordination within the institution

• Need for clarity for students

• Too much direction within the institution

• Changing stories• Unreliable systems• Old rules

• Cost• Need to keep it fresh • Staff skills • Staff security• Disability• Crystal ball

Engaging Generation Y

• Signpost to engage

• Give them the vision

• Short is sweet

• New ways of talking

• Involve influencers

• Give them a voice

Screen Capture

Intervisual

• http://intervisual.brunel.ac.uk/intervisual/

Sample InterVisual videos

• http://www.brunel.ac.uk/pcc/videos/6245042.wmv

• http://www.brunel.ac.uk/pcc/videos/8902804.wmv

Moving on

Use the technology to:

• Share knowledge

• Share successes

• Avoid duplication

• Avoid costly mistakes