Using an assessed ePortfolio to

enhance student employability skill

development and careers

management

Dr Julia Choate (deputy biomedical course convenor)

Sandy Cran (careers program coordinator)

Dr Maria Demaria (program coordinator)

MONASH

BIOMEDICAL

SCIENCES

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THE NEED FOR A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM – NEW PATHWAY INTO GRADUATE MEDICINE

2014: pathway into

graduate Medicine

Monash undergraduate biomedical

sciences cohort

2013 2015 2017

Significant student numbers200 550 590

Changes

in career

aspirations

Research 20% 5% 4%

Graduate

Medicine 53% 80% 70%

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THE NEED FOR A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM – FINAL YEAR STUDENT FEEDBACK

Final year students (2014) focus group feedback:

- they did not understand that they were developing employability skills during their

course (content/discipline focussed);

- they said that (early) career planning could have assisted them with the uncertainty

about careers options (apart from medicine and research);

- they had not engaged with developmental activities to build their skills and

employability.

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AIMS OF THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (PDP)

To challenge unhelpful beliefs regarding linear career pathways;

To explore and build career options;

To assess capabilities and development needs;

To build a record of experiences, skills, knowledge and capabilities that

demonstrate employability.

https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsactionplanning.htm

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Each module consists of:

– A lecture

– An assessment task

– Guest speakers

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (PDP) - OUTLINE

ePortfolio

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RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS – A DEDICATED MOODLE SITE

Allows students to

understand their

progression

through the

program

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BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (PDP) – ASSESSMENT TASKS

Each worth 2% of the core unit

Completed as contributions to an ePortfolio in Mahara

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MODULE 1 EXAMPLE:

CAREER-RELATED EXPERIENCES

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MODULE 2 EXAMPLE:

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS

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SKILL REQUIRED EVIDENCE OF SKILL AND IDEAS TO INCREASE THE SKILL LEVEL

Ability to cope with stressful

situations

Ability to work as a team with

people from different backgrounds

and fields of work

MODULE 3 EXAMPLE

SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR ADVERTISED JOBS

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MODULE 4 EXAMPLE:

STAR TECHNIQUE FOR SKILL COMMUNICATION

SituationWhat is the background or specific

experience.

TaskWhat needed to be done to address the

problem and the strategies you considered.

Action

What you actually did and how you did it.

Include the difficulties and problems you

faced.

Result What was the outcome.

“The STAR technique was the most useful thing [about the

program] – this should have been in first year.”

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MODULE 5 EXAMPLE:

SMART METHOD FOR GOAL SETTING

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2015 = 90%

2016 = 86%

2017 = 91%

“Assessments gave me the motivation to do it.”

“The assessment made me sit down and actually think about it

[i.e. my career development].”

“It is important to have assessments or people wont do it.”

“Having an assessment is unnecessary. This is simply to help

our careers and shouldn't be related to our mark in the subject.”

High submission rates:

STUDENTS WERE GENERALLY POSITIVE ABOUT ASSESSMENTS

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WHAT DID STUDENTS THINK ABOUT THE ePORTFOLIOS (MAHARA)?

“The most confusing was the [Mahara] submission. Once I didn’t submit

and I did not realise this.”

“Not very user friendly – I spent more time trying to figure out how to use

Mahara than thinking about the content.”

“I like the idea of keeping a portfolio throughout the undergraduate

degree, to keep track of what I have achieved and be able to reflect

on past experiences and goals.”

They would prefer to use Moodle (or to

have Mahara integrated into Moodle).

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ADDRESSING STUDENT CONFUSION REGARDING USING MAHARA – TEMPLATE PAGES

“I thought the templates were helpful”

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“It was good to know that there is a team that I can talk to and discuss

career related issues/ problems that may arise during my studies.”

Biomedical student individual extracurricular sessions with a careers

education consultant

THE PDP WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED

INTERACTIONS WITH UNIVERSITY CAREERS ADVISORS

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THE PDP WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED STUDENTS’ EMPLOYABILITY SKILL CONFIDENCE AND AWARENESS

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THE PDP WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED STUDENTS’ CAREERS AWARENESS

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CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

Continuing to address student confusion regarding the use of

Mahara

Ensuring that ePortfolios are truly transferable

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• Students valued the program

• Increased student confidence and awareness

about careers options and employability skills

• Need better integration of the ePortfolio (Mahara)

into the existing on-line learning system (Moodle)

This project is supported by a Monash University Better Teaching,

Better Learning grant.

Julia Choate is supported by a Monash Education Academy

Fellowship.

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS