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Does self-assessment and tailored intervention help to improve employability skills of post-graduate students?

Does self-assessment and tailored intervention help to improve employability skills of post-graduate students?. Dr Debbi Marais. MSc Health Services and Public Health Research & MSc International Health and Management . Diversity. Diverse backgrounds Undergraduate degree Professions

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Does self-assessment and tailored intervention help to improve employability skills of post-graduate students?

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  1. Does self-assessment and tailored intervention help to improve employability skills of post-graduate students? Dr Debbi Marais

  2. MSc Health Services and Public Health Research & MSc International Health and Management

  3. Diversity • Diverse backgrounds • Undergraduate degree • Professions • Nationalities & Cultures (60-80% International students) • Previous experience & skill levels • Teaching and assessment methods • Generic skills (IT, communication) • English language proficiency

  4. Induction Programme • Generic Skills course • non-credit bearing • Mostly 1st week • Academic writing, Plagiarism, Library skills, Presentation skills, Essay writing, Note taking, Exams and Revision, Critical appraisal • Challenges • Students arriving late • Not relevant at that time

  5. Why Skills Audit? • Individualised development • Everyone does not have the same needs • Pitch in the middle • Self awareness • Generic skills - Curriculum Vitae for future career

  6. Survey of 2009/10 Graduates • SNAP survey • 18 responses (60% of 30) • Mostly international, but variety of backgrounds, training • Difficulty with • >50% Assessments (exams & essays) • >33% Oral presentations and Group work

  7. Skills Audit 2010/11 • Self-assessment of Skills during induction to identify strengths & development areas • Tailored action plans to address areas of improvement • Reflect on usefulness and progress

  8. Skills Self-Assessment (SSA) - Preparation • Information session for all full time students • Complete and keep a copy of: • Skills Info SK5003 self-assessment • Non-credit bearing • Self-assessment of IT skills • e-mail, internet, Word, Excel, PP • Yes / No / Unsure • Workshop or online assistance

  9. Skills Self-Assessment (SSA) - Preparation • Complete and keep a copy of: • Skills Info SK5003 self-assessment • Complete the free online personality typing - Jung Typology Test™ and record personality type (four letters) • 72 Yes / No • Meyers-Briggs typology • 4 Dichotomies • Introvert vs Extrovert, Intuitive vs Sensing, Thinking vs Feeling, Judging vs Perceiving

  10. Skills Self-Assessment (SSA) - Preparation • Complete and keep a copy of: • Skills Info SK5003 self-assessment • Personality typing • English not first/home language, complete the Open University self assessment tasks • 10 Tasks – Complete easily, with some difficulty, with greater difficulty • Academic reading, summarising, paraphrasing, logical order, grammar & spelling

  11. Skills self-assessment (SSA) - Questionnaire • Complete the SSA by linking to SNAP survey via e-mail (20 min) • Completed before appointment (20 minutes) with Programme Coordinator • Dates and times on WebCT • Think about own areas of improvement and plans for development during MSc

  12. SSA SNAP survey (30 questions) Demographics Strengths & weaknesses (own words) Self-rated English language proficiency Communications skills (oral & poster presentations, publications, referencing) IT skills (TurnitInUK, track changes, data base search) Group work Essays/exams UK style CV Personality typing

  13. Skills self-assessment (SSA) - Interview • Individual interview using SNAP results • Plan of action discussed • Suggestions made for: • workshops/courses to be attended • resources to be investigated • referral to group(s) to assist with specific aspects • Using checklist

  14. ‘Checklist’

  15. Plan of Action E-mails sent to each student individually regarding resources to be utilised and workshops to attend E-mails sent to groups of students inviting them to specific workshops having identified interest

  16. Skills self-assessment (SSA) - Reflection • Evidence of development activities to be recorded in the portfolio and used to build own CV • Course/workshop attendance • Resources referred to • Other action taken • Reflection on own development over the 4 months and plan of action for the next 6 months to be uploaded after exams

  17. Results SSA Action Plan Reflection

  18. Sample • 27 FT students • 15 HSPHR & 12 IHM • Mean age 30 • 22 to 52 years • 2/3 International students (18) • English language rating • 1 poor, 7 average, 10 good, 9 excellent • 10 English NOT 1st language

  19. English Language Proficiency

  20. Development Areas Rated ability to work in a team as good (17) or excellent (7) Only 6 at congresses & 5 never used PP

  21. Personality Typing Self-awareness and getting to know each other Most common personality types were ENTJ (5), ENFJ (4) and INTJ (3)

  22. Tailored Action Plans

  23. Reflection • 84% response rate • 2 non-progression • 4 not responded (3 reminders) • Did not refer back to information sent re Areas of development & Action plans • Did not use portfolio • Identified fewer areas of development

  24. Workshop Attendance

  25. Poor Workshop Attendance • Reasons for missing • Prior commitments • Forgot dates/confusion over dates • Not right time • Exams or assignments due • Not relevant • Booked additional courses • Online support

  26. The initiative was ............? Overall, I do feel this was an important component of the masters course as it gave me access to tools that I could use to improve my transferable skills and thus improve my employability. • Added value • Especially for International students

  27. Because......... Highlighted potential areas for improvement and possible actions to take in order to improve in each area. Helped me to realise some of my hidden strengths and weaknesses, build my personal capacity for employability in a focused and realistic career line. It also helped me to feel more confident about my strengths. Provided insight into their strengths and weaknesses and allowed them to plan their development

  28. Suggestions for Improvements • Timing of interviews and reflection • Timing of workshops • When needed • Not when assignments due / Exam time • Better communication / timing of notifications and reminders of workshops

  29. Bonus! Provided me with an opportunity to meet with the programme coordinator and discuss my skills. On reflection I found the meeting with the coordinator the most valuable part of the process. Programme coordinator

  30. The future? Make it part of the programme Improve timing of workshops and communication Portfolio use Online testing and automated linking to resources & workshops

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