Realising potential and SOARing for Employability

Arti Kumar MBE Former CETL Associate Director, currently Hon. Research Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire. External Examiner at University of East London. National Teaching Fellow Freelance consultant, coach, author HEA Associate Fellow NICEC Fellow

Why SOAR for employability? • Universal and personal dynamic inter-relationships between Self, Opportunity, Aspirations, and Results = synergy / a reflective & active process of learning for holistic development • Variety of learning resources lead to graduate employability and identity • Can be contextualised in curricula, and • personalised by individuals • Time-tested & evaluated with students and staff (in the UK and abroad) • Theory linked with pedagogy & process • A positive, engaging approach

Book: Kumar, A (2008) London & New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis

Main underpinning theories (pedagogy linked with practice) Appreciative inquiry    

Self-efficacy Engaging with ‘Opportunity’ Optimistic Aspirations Effective Results

Career theories e.g. Psychological: Super, Holland… Social: Community Interaction (Law) Career Decision Learning (Law) Education development theories Personal and social constructionist approaches e.g. Constructive alignment (Biggs, 2003) Positive psychology approaches to teaching, learning and assessment Threshold Concepts in Employability Curricula, Arti Kumar: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/employabili ty/ArtiKumarEmployabilityArticle.pdf

elf as ‘Hero’ in the journey of life How have I arrived here? Where am I now? Where do I want to be? Where do I need to be? How will I get there? Recent research with MBA students, 99% from India: Kumar, A. (2012) SOARing for Employability – Can this serve as a transferable pedagogy and process for developing ‘global graduates’? Proceedings of the 7th QS-APPLE Conference, Manila, November 2011, p.4-15.

‘Begin with the end in mind’ …* What result do you need / want to achieve?

Learning *The 2nd of journeys Covey’s 7 highly inhabits real &ofvirtual effective learningpeople environments Goal setting and personal agency theories It’s your journey through life: are you in the driving seat?

My Self My Opportunities My Aspirations My Results

elf’ at the heart of SOAR • Identify strengths (not easy, however!) – “something I do best” – “something I do better than others” – “…which few others are good at” – “…and which is aligned with the requirements of ‘x’ opportunity”

• Address development needs • Develop Self-MAPs to provide directions and destinations to build and guide your progress through a life-career

My SelfMAP*

What *MAP* do you need to be(come) effective, learn and develop successfully? *Motivation (beliefs, interests, attitudes) Ability (knowledge, skills, competencies) Personality (interactions with others)

My SelfMAP*

What do employers look for? (generic behavioural competencies, e.g. Logica) Communication Skills

Problem Solvers

Drive for results

Well Rounded Individuals

Client Focus Team Players

Flexibility & Adaptability

Business Awareness

Self- Opportunity awareness: Assignment: Students choose an option or occupation and explore the extent of alignment between their MAP and the MAP required in this developmental ‘world of opportunity’ “I have enjoyed being a volunteer at the BBC regional radio station. I don’t think I want to do this for a career though…” First year student’s reflective log in e-portfolio

Opportunities for learning and developing in multiple contexts In the community

In study At leisure

“I never knew I had so much substance!” (student)

as a ‘meta-model’ : - students understand, identify and develop effective behaviours - move from student to graduate to professional identity How captured • (e)-portfolio? • HE Achievement Report (HEAR)? • CV / resume?

Developing employability through innovative assessment and feedback

Learning from continuous three-way assessment and feedback develops a range of attributes

Selfassessment

Peer assessment

Tutor assessment

Learning from doing, writing, reflecting, presenting – and from formative and summative assessment.

Assessment criteria can take account of both academic requirements and employers’ needs

Reciprocal model of causal relations between selfevaluation, self-monitoring and achievement (J. Hattie)

F ig. 4: Driving behavioural competencies towards personal and interpersonal effectiveness in tandem

Self-Opportunity-Aspirations …generate, clarify, test aspirations 'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.' (one of Goethe’s couplets)

Individuals must adopt strategies for making sound, informed decisions and develop these progressively for future re-use. Planning action to implement decisions needs to take both a short and long-term view, and be capable of constant adjustment

Self-OpportunityAspirations-Results • A winning CV, application, interview and Assessment Centre requires – Targeting suitable opportunities – Matching its requirements with the ‘Self-MAP’ or applicant profile “I learned to write a – Understanding ‘transferability’ good CV and got a summer holiday job – Defending a decision – at interview in an advertising – Demonstrating ‘behavioural agency, which is competencies’ at Assessment Centre very hard to get…” activities and exercises - First year student

SOAR as a spine or spiral in curricula at UoB HEAR (Burgess, 2007) Skills Award

(E) P O R T F O L I O

F A C I L I T A T I O N

I N F O R M A T I O N

G U I D A N C E

Staff and students work in partnership to unlock their potential… The recursive relationships between SOAR elements generate synergy and real-life relevance Animate and contextualise SOAR within different subject disciplines Take integrated development to a whole new dimension: put the jigsaw bridge together!

Main References • •

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Atlay, M.; A. Gaitan & A. Kumar (2008). Stimulating Learning – Creating CRe8. In C. Nygaard & C. Holtham (eds.). Understanding Learning-Centred Higher Education. Frederiksberg, Denmark: CBS Press. Biggs, J. (2003) Aligning Teaching for Constructive Learning York: the Higher Education Academy

Burgess, R. (2007). Measuring and Recording Student Achievement: report of the Scoping Group. London: Universities UK & SCOP. Kumar, A.(2008) Personal, Academic and Career Development in Higher Education – SOARing to Success London & New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis. Companion website last accessed 1 June 2011 http://www.routledge.com/professional/978041542360-1/ Kumar, A. (2009b) ‘SOARing for Employability: can Assessment Centre approaches engage students?’ in Atlay, M. (ed.) Creating Bridges: A collection of articles relating to implementing the Curriculum Review 2008 (CRe8) University of Bedfordshire internal publication. Watkins, J. and Cooperrider, D. (2000) ‘Appreciative inquiry: a transformative paradigm. Journal of the Organization Development Network, 32, 6–12. Watts, A et al (1996) Rethinking Careers Education and Guidance: Theory, Policy and Practice London & New York: Routledge