Digital capability and employability

The University of Huddersfield sees digital literacy for students as a strategic priority. However, as not all staff were motivated by the term ‘digital literacy’ to change their course designs, the university focused instead on the impact digital capability has on student employability, active learning and retention.

Knowing how important employability skills are for graduates, the university adapted the cards it uses in learning design workshops based on the Viewpoints toolkit model to encourage staff to integrate employability skills into their learning designs. On the back of each card are ways of exploiting digital tools for the development of skills such as teamwork, problem solving and digital identity management.

“So far 250 people have undertaken the curriculum design workshops and the evaluation has been universally positive.”
Liz Bennett, school of education and professional development, University of Huddersfield

Download a printable version of the cards (pdf).

As well as making learning more effective, Scott Hayden’s embedded use of social media on the college’s creative media courses helps students become digital professionals long before they go on to employment or higher education.

“My students go on to university and apprenticeships and paid work with the skills employers want - creativity, collaboration, communication, building up a digital reputation.”
Scott Hayden, digital innovation specialist, Basingstoke College of Technology
 

Edinburgh College of Art, an early adopter of the employability agenda, has embedded opportunities for its students to develop career-ready skills and graduate attributes in three ways: through assessed learning outcomes, the design of learning activities and a student-centric approach to curriculum design.

For example, by the third year of a four-year honours degree, students define and lead their own thematic project within an external real-world context. For some, this could mean a placement or study abroad. In the final year, students propose and direct their whole year of study under supervision, an approach to curriculum design that provides seamless acquisition of workplace skills and attributes. 

Read the Edinburgh College of Art case study in full (pdf).

While completing work placements, students of sports and exercise at Abertay University develop a range of additional skills and capabilities at the same time as improving their understanding of the curriculum by working on reflective e-portfolio-based tasks.

The assessment framework emphasises for students the importance of these e-portfolio elements – for example, 50% of the credits awarded on the second year placement module are for the webfolios students assemble while out on placement.

With such a weighting applied, students place value on assignments that enhance their employability by enabling them to develop the reflective and professional capabilities employers are looking for.

“It is only by integrating [e-portfolio] use in the curriculum and supporting that with 50% credit in the modules in which it is used that we made a difference to students’ capabilities as reflective professionals.”
Andrea Cameron, dean of school of social and health sciences, Abertay University