Transcript Slide 1

Learning from an NTF project
10 June 2010
Anne Hill and Nick Morton
Birmingham City University
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Plan for the workshop
• Background to the
project, its aims and
processes
• What did we create
• Feedback and
lessons learnt and
transferable
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
• the nature of "success" in
developing student
employability;
• the "enablers" of success;
• critical factors/critical
incidents along the road to
success;
Project Background
• ‘Creating Future-Proof
Graduates’
• NTFS Project 2007
£200,000 from HEA +
contribution from University
• A Partnership Approach
• Creating 8 resources
addressing key skills
identified by employers and
graduates as potentially not
addressed by courses
• 3 strand evaluation strategy
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
3 constructs for
employability in HE
1. Student getting a graduate level job
(destination surveys)
2. Being developed by the experience of HE (as
curricula and extra curricula process)
3. Possession of relevant achievements (not the
same as employment)
Mantz Yorke (2004)
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Project Objectives
• Linking the classroom with professional practice
• Bridging the gap between teaching and learning
and professional demands
• The project aims:
– To produce a suite of simulated critical incident case
studies to enhance students employability skills
across a range of disciplines / sectors
– To involve employers, students and HE / FE staff in
the production of the case studies
– To evaluate the effectiveness of these critical
incidents in enhancing skills for employment
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Theory behind our approach
 Value added - builds on previous successful ‘internal’ LTA
projects (games and simulations, supporting diverse student
populations, etc.)
 A ‘skills plus’ approach - discussing and debating experiences,
allows students to discover and develop skills through critical
exploration in their own learning & professional context [1]
 Create models and designs to provide a series of case studies
which can be adapted and adopted by academics across a
wide range of disciplines [2].
[1] Palmer, 1998; Biggs, 1999 as cited in Spiller, 2005
[2] Cowan J, 1998, On Becoming an Innovative University Teacher, Buckingham,
The Society for Research into Higher Education/Open University Press
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Theory (continued)
 As students work through critical incidents, they develop
decision making skills and we encourage them to examine the
implications of their actions or inactions for themselves, their
peers and wider society
 Testing & evaluating critical incident scenarios with staff,
students and partners [3] [4] [5]
[3] Lewin’s classic theory of ‘unfreeze’ (challenge and change practices), plan and
implement to ‘refreeze’ (embed) (1958)
[4] Jones and Merritt’s ‘acculturisation’ theory (1999)
[5] Fox and Rowntree’s linking doing and thinking (2004)
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Research and evaluation
• Identifying the skills ‘gap’
• Creating simulations and games to address the
skills gaps identified
• Piloting the created resources
• Evaluation strategy:
– Evaluating the usability, usefulness and value of the
created resources
– Evaluating the project team development
– Evaluating the processes in creating the resources
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Our Critical Success Factors
 The creation of between 6 and 8 resources
 Each resource tested in more than one different context or
institution besides Birmingham City University
 Having a sustainability strategy in place – all resources will be
available via the website www2.bcu.ac.uk/futureproof as free
downloads
 All the project team members having the opportunity to participate
in a reflective learning process
 Wide dissemination of findings (3 international and several UK
conference papers, journal papers in progress, and dissemination
events led by project team members across the University)
 Content creators drawn into the project from across the institution
 Every higher education institution in England to receive a set of the
resources in a ‘compendium’.
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
The Challenges
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Skills
Illness
Greener Fields
Workloads
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Other ‘Successes’
• Finding external partners
• Finding colleagues in BCU
• Finding supporting service providers
(packaging and video production)
• Finding an evaluation expert
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Educational Staff Development Unit
The first stage – identifying key skills
• Interviews - skills and critical incidents:
• Employers – exploring their perceptions and inviting them to
describe specific critical incidents which exemplify the
required skills or the consequences of their absence
• Interviewing lecturers in the respective discipline to
illuminate their perceptions of what students need to equip
themselves for their chosen profession
• Interviewing current students re their expectations for the
skills they would need for the respective labour market
• Interviewing new and recent graduates re their experiences
of their preparedness for graduate employment – also
analysing previous research
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Findings - Employers
• Employers identified the following key skills as
difficult to develop in their sectors:
– Housing: organisational culture and society factors,
help-seeking, good communication skills and
providing relevant answers;
– Music: networking, understanding the sector and its
"unstructured" nature as a profession
– Law: Commercial Awareness; finding practical
solutions to problems
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Educational Staff Development Unit
Findings - Graduates
Graduates had their own views about the most
important skills that they had to develop once they
reached the workplace:
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literacy: writing for diverse audiences (non-academic);
personal attributes: develop assertiveness (say "no");
people related skills
networking (in particular music and marketing
graduates*)
• how to deal with situations and dealing with shocking
situations (what to do when a theoretical model fails)
• career related: finding out what you do not want to do;
understanding the profession; knowing how to go
about finding information
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Educational Staff Development Unit
Second stage - Resources
Skills Gap
Resource Created
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Cultural awareness
Providing relevant answers
Professional ethics
Networking and social
confidence
• Unexpected and extreme
emotions and reactions
• Social responsibility
• Research skills
• Bullying and the misuse of
power
www2.bcu.ac.uk/futureproof
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Educational Staff Development Unit
No Offence Meant
Too Much Information
Ethical Dilemmas
The Networking Game
• Expecting the Unexpected
• Stone Soup
• Who, What, Where
• Getting on with it
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Educational Staff Development Unit
Third stage - Evaluation
Evaluation and reflection underpin the project,
aiding the Team and collaborators in our own
understanding and development as we engage
with others to evaluate how far our work:
– Provides evidence of commitment to openness, accountability and
responsible management and the fitness for purpose of the materials
created
– Develops and illuminates effective practice across the University and
reaches a wider audience
– Helps to identify sustainable opportunities for current and future
developments
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Resources - fitness for purpose of the materials created
Evaluation so far
• “learnt a lot. Not something that I would
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usually think about until the day before the
event”
•“the structure of the session enabled a
progression through my understanding. I
could explore my pre-conceived ideas and
then experience other possibilities”
“the board game added in the element of randomness that might be
experienced in a networking situation - having to think on the spot‘”
“I found the video and script useful as it gave a clear example of a
poor meeting”
“very useful I saw different ways of dealing with people”
“I feel that I have gained confidence in my own abilities but there is
still need for improvement. This workshop gave me the experience
and the tools and information that I needed to understand what I need
to work on in my own confidence and effectiveness”
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit
Resources - evaluation to date indicates:
• Resources well received and valued by
the students
• All elements have been rated as useful by
students
• Highest value - most active elements
such as role play and discussion
• Confidence – biggest increase in
confidence seen in full time
undergraduates with limited work
experience
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Educational Staff Development Unit
The other strands of evaluation
The Project Team – learning from bidding, team
dynamics and operation, to delivery
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Using an external evaluator to provide objectivity
Interviews at stages in the process:
Illuminative [6]
RUFDATA framework [7]
Purposes, development; understanding
accountability [8]
• Keeping personal diaries/journals as reflective jottings
• Determination of our critical success factors
and
[6] Miller and Parlett, 1974, problem centred; practitioner oriented; cross disciplinary; methodologically
eclectic and heuristically oriented
[7] Saunders, 2000, uses of, foci, timing, range of data and evidence needed, audience, agency which
evaluates
[8] Chelimsky, 1997
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Educational Staff Development Unit
The other strands of evaluation
Process…….of creating resources - inputs, personal
ethics
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Who would do what – allocating workloads and lead developers
Budget management
NTFS Annual and half yearly reports on progress
Resource creation and problems, dilemmas, resolutions, compromises,
triumphs
Honest, open reflections to provide lessons for sharing
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Educational Staff Development Unit
Learning about project management
• Appoint a project overseer, possibly reporting to a
project manager- role clearly defined as administrative
• Have contingency plans
• Consider the motivation of all concerned: different
people bring different skills and expectations
• Project teams in future take the time which is available
• Be realistic about what can be achieved in the timescale
• Be aware that sometimes promises may be made in a bid
which are difficult to realise once a project is underway
• Pick project team with care - genuine champions or
potential champions in the field
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Learning about project
management
Do not underestimate the amount of work required to
deliver a project
Keep a ‘brainstorming book’ of everything that needs to
be done and keep checking it and adding to it and
sharing out the tasks. This book is also – later – a record
of everything that has been achieved.
Establish a project generic email
Do not be afraid to ask for more time or admit failure –
learn and move on
Establish what constitutes the ‘end’ and stick to it.
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Educational Staff Development Unit
Learning for the sector
• The importance of a well constituted and effective
Steering Group
• Cultural issues- project management in an academic
environment. ‘Project management is not generally seen as worthy of specific
academic analysis’ (Baume et al., 2002).
• Achievement of critical success factors
• Evaluation as a reflective process
• The importance of motivating a multidisciplinary
academic team and networking with other people and
projects
• Give attention to the process of team working
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Educational Staff Development Unit
Have a go
• Find all our resources at www2.bcu.ac.uk/futureproof
• Try out our resources, consider where can you use the
resources, what ideas do you have?
• Feedback sheets – when you use these resources with
your students – feedback forms are available on the
website or just write and tell us about your experiences
Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
Educational Staff Development Unit