Transcript Higher Education in a Web 2.0 world

Technology in Careers Work
8 July 2009
Jane Standley
Director Placement & Careers Centre
Brunel University
Our agenda
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Why use technology?
Higher Education in a Web 2.0 World
Definitions
Use of technology at Brunel PCC
What we wish we’d known
Positive outcomes
Other obstacles and how we overcame them
Engaging Generation Y
Why use technology?
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It can be attractive and high profile
It can add value
It might save time
‘Competitors’ do it
Students are used to it/expect it
Universities (will) expect it
Drivers for change
Higher Education in a Web 2.0 world
• “Students are looking for traditional approaches,
notably personal contact, in a modern setting, ie web
supported.”
• “Learning that is active – by doing – undertaken
within a community and based on individual’s
interests is widely considered to be the most
effective”
• “There is a match between what are seen as 21st –
century learning skills, 21st – century employability
skills and those engendered by engagement with
Web 2.0 – communication, participation, networking,
sharing.”
http://www.clex.org.uk/
Effective Practice in a Digital Age
Press release:
JISC launches a new guide Effective Practice in
a Digital Age
Not sure about a website and a wiki, a podcast
and a sound recording, or how best to use
them for teaching and learning?
www.jisc.ac.uk/practice
Preparing for practice in a digital age
Starting point
– e-Learning = enhanced
learning
– Defining effective practice in
a technology-rich context
– Writing about practice
Designing for learning
– Approaches to learning
– Learning activity design
– Learning activity design in
context 1
Preparing for practice in a
digital age
– Effective practice planning
activity
Conclusion
– Key principles for designing
– technology-enhanced
learning
Glossary
Sharing effective practice
– Effective Practice Resource
Exchange - supplementary
online resources
Popular examples of:
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Social networking
Blogging
Media sharing
Virtual world
Social bookmarking
Syndication
Wikis
Use of technology at Brunel
What we haven’t done
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Audio podcasts
– SMS (but wondering about it for
workshop reminders)
– Email management system
Marketing/information
– Networked plasma screens for
marketing
– Fairs video for students and
employers
– VLE sites for all the placement info
for specific disciplines
– Social networking – Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn (latter being
explored)
– Virtual PCC tour
– Interactive section on the website
including streaming of AGCAS and
other videos under licence
– Placement blog stars
– Brunel @ work videos – placement
students, graduates and employers
– Email student vacancy alerts
– RSS feeds about significant new
website features
Careers education/guidance
– Use of VLE for postgraduate
distance learning module
– Discipline specific VLE sites
incorporating Destinations
– Employer Web chats on VLE and
commentary on videoed interviews
– Videoed careers
workshops/employer interviews
– Individual application feedback with
screen capture software
– e-tutorials with screen capture
software
– InterVisual
Administration
– Online event booking and email
reminders
– Online vacancy form for all but
graduate training schemes and
sandwich placements
– Swipe keyboards for student
registration
– New database
– Online surveys
What we wish we had known …
Dangers of:
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Underestimating workload/timescale
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Underestimating technical problems
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Inappropriate use of tool
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Inappropriate purchasing decision
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Forgetting the sound bite
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Being reliant on one expert
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Not everyone makes a good interviewee
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Production control
Interview with an employer
Positive experiences
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Student involvement
Student feedback
Personalisation
Interactivity and immediacy
(Semi) permanency
Staff interests and skills
Funded projects as a springboard
Piggy-backing on other projects
One thing leads to another …
VLE Discussion Board
Blogging – an internet-based journal or diary in which a user can pose
text and digital material while others can comment, eg blogger;
technorati; twitter
Media sharing – uploading or downloading media files for purposes of
audience or exchange, eg flikr; YouTube, Daily Motion, Vimeo
Virtual world – themed environments that invite live interaction with
other internet users eg Second Life, Open Sim
Social bookmarking – users submit their bookmarked web pages to a
central site where they can be found and tagged by others, eg del.ic.ious,
Digg, Yahoo! Buzz, StumbleUpon, reddit
Syndication – users can subscribe to RSS (Really Simply Syndication)
feed-enabled websites so that they are automatically notified of any
changes or updates in content via an aggregator; eg bloglines; podcast
Wikis – a web based service allowing users unrestricted access to create,
edit and link pages, eg wikipedia
Obstacles … and how we
overcame them (if we did)
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Lack of co-ordination
within the institution
Need for clarity for
students
Too much direction
within the institution
Changing stories
Unreliable systems
Old rules
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Cost
Need to keep it fresh
Staff skills
Staff security
Disability
Crystal ball
Engaging Generation Y
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Signpost to engage
Give them the vision
Short is sweet
New ways of talking
Involve influencers
Give them a voice
Screen Capture
Intervisual
• http://intervisual.brunel.ac.uk/intervisual/
Sample InterVisual videos
• http://www.brunel.ac.uk/pcc/videos/624
5042.wmv
• http://www.brunel.ac.uk/pcc/videos/890
2804.wmv
Moving on
Use the technology to:
• Share knowledge
• Share successes
• Avoid duplication
• Avoid costly mistakes