Planning Career Futures iLearn Project - Final Report
Partnership Project Report
Period Report: Jan-Jun 2015
Faculty: Arts
Project Name: Planning Career Futures iLearn Project
Department: Arts L&T and Careers
Co-Leads:
Tania Currie and Beth Saunders
Technology Team:
Alex Thackray and Mike Catabay
Project Manager:
James Meek
Additional Input and Review:
Josh Dymock, Michael Grant, Theresa Winchester Seeto
Core Project Team (L to R) - Alex,
Mike, Beth, Tania and James
Project Background, Overview of Action
This project was about providing a gentle, partly playful prompting to early stage students in Arts in connection with rising
'employability' agendas. It was proposed as a collaboration between Arts Learning and Teaching and Careers' representative in
the Faculty.
The key task was to make a small, adaptable module to be used in provoking earlier thought among Arts students on the
direction of their studies. It was to encourage a greater sense of purposeful and strategic ownership of the experience of being
a student. Plan was to mix inspiration and big thinking with practical, and to include a spectrum of personal and
career-oriented thinking. The module's elements would provide flexible and vivid input and a useful structure to assist with a
range of explorations. It was to include helping focus imagination and at least some tentative action on satisfying life after
university - including career.
In action, the project was an enjoyable and an effective collaboration:
We clarified our purposes
We gathered interesting and relevant material
We trialled a range of structure/concepts
We culled to a key set of messages
We scripted a neat lead-in animation
We found a unifying shape, rhythm and rationale
We began to build our site and its parts
We consulted with colleagues
We began to develop 'embedment' strategies
We finished the first cut site
We consulted again on our near-complete prototype
We tidied-up, readying our site for its first testing with students
We finished the key site/product and passed it to Arts L&T and Careers for trial!
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What was achieved
Above: Snippets from top level of module, plus example of supporting cartoons.
"eXplore Your Potential" was created in the form of an iLearn site. It comprises an animated lead-in scene-setter and 3
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"eXplore Your Potential" was created in the form of an iLearn site. It comprises an animated lead-in scene-setter and 3
sections: eXplore Me, eXplore Opportunities, eXplore Goals. It collates a mix of resources and activities suggesting and
supporting exploration of self, situation and direction. Its parts can be used in any order, according to need or preference. It
includes some external source materials, some sourced within existing Careers area resources and some created especially for
this purpose - including an interactive crossword and a self assessment quiz. Each section follows a common structure, proving
some vivid stimulus Activities, going deeper on a particular factor in a Snapshot and then providing a selection of optional
Further resource/activities to eXplore.
The site and its various elements now exist as an adaptable and readily modifiable core set of materials. Plan is to use this assist
ongoing efforts by Careers to integrate direction-orienting activities into selected 'early stage' units across Arts. The whole set
may be deployed with small modification as a single block or specific parts could be taken and integrated with other unit
materials. Some support has been given around 'embedment strategies' and first pilot adaptation is already running within the
Bachelor of Security Studies using the fruits of this FPP. Materials purposefully vary from big picture and inspirational through
to focussing activities. They are designed to work for purposes of both school leaver students and people further along their
journeys.
eXplore Your Potential contains selectively assembled elements of Career thinking and Emotional Intelligence development.
As such, it should also serve as useful prototype and input for a range of further activities in adjacent areas, including the
recently mooted CareerWise. It may even provide a little inspiration too.
Above: Frame snippets from scene setting animation.
Project closure recommendations
Further consideration of already identified mid-stage and final year follow-ons is definitely encouraged.
A pilot is in train but a trialling in a range of settings - both as a whole and in parts - would be useful. It would make sense that
this is done with the direct involvement of Careers and Arts L&T staff in the processes of 'embedding'.
Later consideration of whether the site (or its separate elements) could be effectively shared through iShare may be
worthwhile, even noting that some elements will sometimes need alteration to suit the particular unit in which the materials
are being used.
After a period, reconsideration of the balance of various aspects in the module may be in order. Naturally, this would be
informed by student (and lecturer) feedback. Examples: Thinking vs Doing. Personal attributes vs Career direction. Fun vs
Serious ...
Further consideration of promotional opportunities in relation to the module could be useful. For instance, sharing access to
the standalone product (or parts only) may be in order. Via - say - a related article and free access in Student mode through the
Mq Teche Blog?
Evaluation
1. Formative evaluation carried out to date
A range of activities have provided useful (and reinforcing) feedback to this point. These include:
Reflection in action by the project team
Commissioned commentary from a colleague in Learning Skills
Commissioned commentary from Accessibility/Universal Design specialist
Brief reactions sought from a range of senior and parallel-level colleagues as elements were developed.
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2. Summative evaluation completed or planned for future
A pilot is running in Semester 2 within the Bachelor of Security Studies. This will provide further feedback on the bigger idea
and specific implementation. This is not yet technically summative evaluation, however some of the follow-on evaluation
strategies for this project include:
Sharing of the project at Arts Faculty Learning and Teaching Committee
Contributing a segment as part of the FPP Symposium at Learning and Teaching Week 2015
Fielding of student reactions during the pilot - including via an 'ideas and reactions channel' built into the module
Incorporating of relevant questions into the LEU for the (new) plot unit host.
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