Learning & Teaching

Title of case study	Surfacing skills… by linking to Careers, Employability and Opportunities support
School/Subject:	James Watt School of Engineering
Lecturer(s):	Marco Cantini
Course:	Biomedical Engineering
Student Level:	3
Class size:	30
Location:	Classroom

Brief summary

Staff in Biomedical Engineering (BME) had recently started to work with their  Careers & Employability Manager (CEM) to embed employability sessions within the curriculum from Level 2 onwards. This included a mix of interactive sessions allowing for peer and practitioner feedback in Levels 2 and 3 and a Career Progression lecture for finalists. 

The 'Your Future: Careers & Employability' Moodle had recently been promoted to Engineering teaching staff with the aim to increase participation by individual students.  BME staff decided to embed this Moodle into the Level 3 curriculum alongside two interactive sessions on 'Applying for Internships' which were delivered by the CEM. 

Objectives

To encourage career exploration and planning at a critical time in the degree programme when students could build their career readiness and appeal to graduate recruiters by participating in Summer Internships.   

What is done? 

The Moodle course was made a compulsory part of a level 3 Skills course with students receiving a grade for completion of the course. Students were introduced to the Moodle at the start of the Skills course in January by lecturers and the CEM who gave a short presentation. They were given a deadline for completion of the Moodle in mid-March when they would also attend the interactive sessions to prepare for Internship Applications.  They evidenced their participation in the Moodle by uploading their completion certificate to their lecturer.   

What works well?

Using the Moodle course as encouragement to engage in career planning and exploration, this worked as a good foundation for the later sessions in the Skills course on 'Applying for Internships'. 

Benefits (students & staff)

21 of the 30 students completed the course within the deadline. 81% of participants rated it as a positive or highly positive experience, with the rest rating it as neutral. 

Students fed back that the Moodle increased their awareness of careers support (including 1 to 1 career coaching) and careers networking events within the university. Some students felt it increased their awareness of the range of career options open after graduation and introduced them to new tools to aid in their job search such as the STAR technique.   

'This course has not only shown the wide array of factors that contribute to a person's employability but also helped me to evaluate my next steps when considering future prospects. I think this course is valuable to students as it helps to give them a starting point, or next steps, in their progress.' 

''This course has been incredibly useful in helping me understand the key skills employers look for and how to develop them throughout my university experience. I learned about the importance of networking, gaining relevant work experience, and planning for my future career. The practical guidance on building my CV, using LinkedIn effectively, and preparing for competency-based interviews has given me confidence in my employability. I would highly recommend this course to other students who want to take proactive steps in shaping their career paths.' 

Challenges (students & staff)          

Career Registration data indicates that a small number of students across all programmes are not at all engaged in career exploration and therefore may not engage fully in this Moodle if given a deadline to complete in their own time. For these disengaged students, the method of getting all students to complete together in class may work more effectively, especially if there is time built in for reflection and peer discussion.   

What did you learn? 

Several students fed back that this could be taught earlier in the degree programme as by level 3 some of them are already familiar with career planning resources. One also indicated that they would have more time to spend on this if used at an earlier stage.  

Several students felt that the Moodle could be made more relevant to their discipline. In some programmes including Physics & Astronomy, bespoke employability Moodles have been created so this could be a collaboration project that teaching staff could work on with link CEMs.  

What advice would you give to others?

The Employability Moodle can be embedded easily and quickly into the curriculum in the early to mid-years of your programme. This can be a quick win with positive impact by encouraging students to build their career readiness early in their university career.