Student-derived data remains a source of university intelligence and an arbiter of national quality assessment. But survey fatigue among students poses an enduring challenge as it can result in careless responses and questionable validity (Klemenčič & Chirikov, 2015). Our recent article in the British Journal of Educational Technology (Bennett, Knight, & Rowley, 2020) discussed a design-centric approach to employability development which used student-derived data to transform a generic careers workshop and inform curricular renewal. We trialled an approach to data collection that has an immediate benefit for students and staff. Our ‘hybrid learning space’ involved in-class interaction, online spaces in which students created profiles and explored their employability, and the use of student-derived data to enhance learning and teaching within the same study period.

‘Our “hybrid learning space” involved in-class interaction, online spaces in which students created profiles and explored their employability, and the use of student-derived data to enhance learning and teaching within the same study period.’

Using the definition of employability as ‘the ability to find, create and sustain meaningful work across the career lifespan and in multiple contexts’ (Bennett, 2019a, p. 1), we engaged 52 final-year speech pathology students, their lecturer and a careers practitioner at Curtin University, whereby students created personalised employABILITY profile reports using a free online self-assessment tool housed on a dedicated student site. We used the findings to transform a generic ‘careers’ workshop into a targeted workshop, and then generated an educator report on students’ confidence and that of other tool users together with guides and advice on how to unpack the findings with students.

Based on the student data, we redesigned the careers workshop to:

1. introduce strengths-based thinking
2. expose labour market trends in speech pathology
3. increase students’ networking confidence
4. engage students in career visioning.

During the workshop, which was co-delivered by the research lead and careers practitioner, students explored individual and cohort-wide findings and participated in developmental activities, with the lecturer and other colleagues participating in the activities and discussions. This enhanced their capacity to deliver career development learning (CDL) and strengthened their relationship with the careers practitioner.

Mindful of the need for this approach to be sustainable, we targeted a unit of study in which there was a workshop on careers. We limited our additional activities to analysis of the student data, one meeting to review the findings and co-design the workshop, and a post-workshop email dialogue to refine the process for the future. By working collaboratively and making use of the online tool and resources, we concluded that the approach could be replicated with large student cohorts, and we have since done this.

‘By working collaboratively and making use of the online tool and resources, we concluded that the approach could be replicated with large student cohorts, and we have since done this.’

The net gain for students was a personalised report and access to an employability toolkit with resources and guidance relating to employability and student success. The net gains for educators included access to a dedicated educator site, a report on their students’ confidence, and the ability to address students’ concerns within the limitations of time, resources and expertise.

The study’s contribution to learning space research is in its composition as a ‘hybrid learning space’ in which educators, students and career practitioners collaborate to quickly inform learning and teaching enhancements. It is anticipated that data from subsequent years will inform curricular review, particularly if future student cohorts express similar concerns.

Scholars agree that employability development should be an explicit component of the core curriculum across the student lifecycle (Bennett, 2019b; Farenga & Quinlan, 2016). The question remains, how? In this regard the study found that engaging students in the explicit delivery of CDL enhanced their developmental agency and their engagement in CDL. It also supported deeper understanding and increased capacity for CDL among educators. The use of employABILITY tools in partnership with researchers and careers practitioners emerged as a sustainable and agile solution.

This blog is based on the article ‘The role of hybrid learning spaces in enhancing higher education students’ employability’ by Dawn Bennett, Elizabeth Knight and Jennifer Rowley, published on an open-access basis in the British Journal of Educational Technology.

References

Bennett, D. (2019a). Embedding employABILITY thinking across higher education. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Education and Training. Retrieved from https://altf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Developing-EmployABILITY-draft-fellowship-report-1.pdf

Bennett, D. (2019b). Graduate employability and higher education: Past, present and future. HERDSA Review of Higher Education, 5, 31–61. Retrieved from https://www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-5/31-61

Bennett, D., Knight, E., & Rowley, J. (2020). The role of hybrid learning spaces in enhancing higher education students’ employability. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(4), 1188–1202. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12931

Farenga, S. A., & Quinlan, K. M. (2016). Classifying university employability strategies: Three case studies and implications for practice and research. Journal of Education and Work, 29(7), 1–21.

Klemenčič, M., & Chirikov, I. (2015). How do we know how students experience higher education? On the use of student surveys. In M. E. Menon, D. G. Terkla, & P. Gibbs (Eds.), Using data to improve higher education (pp. 361–379). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.