The use of ICT in guidance; opportunities and goals

1. The use of ICT in guidance; opportunities and goals James P. Sampson, Florida State University & Raimo Vuorinen, ELGPN Co-ordinator University of Jyväskylä, Finland 24 September 2012 Reykjavik, Iceland

2. Current paradigm of lifelong guidance and the implications to the use of technology

3. Introduction • During the last years there has been increasing attention across the globe towards lifelong guidance. • The move from “education and training” to learning changes the focus from structures and institutions to development of individual lifelong career management skills (Watts, Sultana, & McCarthy 2010).

4. Introduction 2 • Well-functioning guidance systems improve education, training & labour market efficiency & effectiveness (lower drop-out, higher productivity, addressing skills shortages and emerging competence areas) • The priorities in the EU 2020 key strategies and the Flagship initiatives imply the active role of citizens through acquistision of CMS • The role and locus of lifelong guidance in this respect needs to be more widely recognized!

5. Introduction 3 • Increased use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) highlighted as an essential component for widening access to lifelong guidance services • A consensus has emerged that both the counsellor and ICT have an important role to play in the delivery of enhanced career guidance services within the Internet. (Vuorinen 2006). • Practitioner perceptions of role of technology will have an impacton how their practice will evolve.

6. Definition of Lifelong Guidance? What? Activities: e.g.information giving, advice, counselling, assessment, teaching, advocacy For whom/With who? All citizens When? Any age and point in their lives Focus? Making meaningful life choices on learning and work. Empowerment to manage learning and career Career?Individual lifepaths in learning, in work and in other settings in which these capcities and competences are learned and/or used Where? Education, training, employment, community, private EU Council of Ministries Resolution on lifelong guidance 2004

7. Lifelong Career Management Skills • “Career management skills refer to a whole range of competences which provide structured ways for individuals and groups to gather, analyse, synthesise and organise self, educational and occupational information, as well as the skills to make and implement decisions and transitions.” • ELGPN WP1 reflection note (Sultana 2009)

8. Emergence of ICT in guidance • Processing of career assessments by mainframe computers and minicomputers, • Local delivery of career assessments, information, and instruction on personal computers, • Distance delivery of career assessments, information, and instruction on the Internet • Distance service delivery • Social media via the Internet.

9. Contexts for ICT applications in guidance • Usage of existing Internet-based services and resources within the individual guidance process (searching and obtaining information, self assessment exercises, decision making, action plans) with or without the practitioner • Communication with clients using Internet-based technology • Development of interactive web-based career tools and digital portfolios • Personal Learning Environments, shared documents, communication with peers • Usage of web-based learning environments in providing careers education programmes (or managing counsellor training programmes)

10. Contexts for ICT applications in guidance • Usage of institutional web-sites or portals in managing guidance information and resources • Evaluation of guidance services • Promoting the usage of ICT and co-operation among practitioners and stake holders (e.g. Social media) • Creating a common conceptual framework for national guidance system • Promoting policies on guidance and counselling

11. Similarities and differences in the perceptions of practitioners in the use of ICT in guidance in Finland 2001-2002 and 2010 (Vuorinen, Sampson & Kettunen 2011) SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES Today students have better access to the Internet and better ICT literacy. Increased ICT resources and services Internet has replaced printed materials as information source Perceived external pressure to increase the use of Internet and social media Practitioners use Internet more extensively More advanced administration software Need for differentiated service delivery mode is observed and acknowledged Gap among students between low readiness and high readiness has increased Chanced nature of Internet due the social media and web 2.0 • Practitioners were motivated in their use of Internet in guidance • ICT was used in delivering career information rather than promoting career management skills from a lifelong guidance perspective • Lack of coherent strategies for the use of ICT • Need for peer support and on-going in-service training • Concern of equal access and ethical issues • Existing career information is fragmented in Internet

12. Career Practitioners´ Conceptions of Social Media in Career Services • Jaana Kettunen and Raimo Vuorinen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland & James P. Sampson Jr., Florida State University, USA

13. Defining the social media “Social media is a process, where individuals and groups build up a common understanding and meanings with contents, communities and web 2.0 techology.” Sources: Kangas et al. (2007) and Ahlqvist et al (2010)

14. Defining the social media • “form of communication which makes use of information networks and information technology and deals with content created by users in an interactive way and in which interpersonal relationships are created and maintained” Source: Finnish Terminology Center (2010)

15. Results Five distinct categories of description reflecting the career practitioners’ conceptions of social media in career services Kettunen, J., Vuorinen, R., Sampson, J., Jr. (2012). Career practitioners´ conceptions of social media. Submitted for publication.

16. Results Career practitioners’ conceptions of social media in career services Kettunen, Vuorinen & Sampson 2012.

17. Category 1: Social media in career services is unnecessary “It gives the impression that one has to hang out there nightly, and I wonder who would want it that way?”

18. Category 2: Social media in career services is dispensable “So this Facebook, it might historically be kind of short phenomenon…maybe it has been given excessive significance…”

19. Category 3: Social media in career services is a possibility “….we don´t quite know how we would take it….”

20. Category 4: Social media in career services is desirable “There could be developed, some kind of significant career services in there and for sure some already exists.”

21. Category 5: Social media in career services is indispensable “We as practitioners should be present there where our clients and youth process their life questions.”

22. Kettunen, Vuorinen & Sampson 2012

23. Using Information and Communication Technology to Integrate Face-to-Face and Distance Guidance

24. Service Delivery at a Distance • Deliver services through the use of e-mail, chat, telephone, or videoconferencing • Delivered to persons who may • be underserved with face-to-face services • prefer the convenience of remote assistance

25. Distance Guidance as a Necessity • Persons with disabilities who have mobility problems • Persons in remote geographic areas who lack access to resources and services • Persons seeking access to practitioners in other locations with specialized expertise • Persons reluctant to seek help who use the Internet as a safe place to start obtaining resources and services

26. Distance Guidance as a Convenience • Persons who want to access resources and receive services outside of normal business hours • Persons who want to access resources and receive services at their place of residence or work

27. Three Levels of Service Delivery at a Distance • Self-help services • Responding to questions about Web-site use • Brief staff-assisted services • Screening, recommending, orienting, and follow-up of Web-site use • Individual case-managed services • Individual guidance at a distance

28. Web Sites • All levels of service delivery can make use of Web sites that provide • remote access to career assessments and career information • links and referrals to career services • In brief staff-assisted and individual case-managed services, specific content on a Web site can be assigned on the ILP

29. Web Sites • A career center or school Web site can be used by young people and adults in the career resource room as well as at a distance • Staff modeling of Web site use can stimulate the information-seeking behavior of young people and adults

30. Web Sites and Distance Guidance • Practitioner can refer an adolescent or adult to specific content on a Web site that relates to a problem being discussed • The “teachable moment” provides practitioners with an opportunity to help individuals immediately process and apply what they are learning

31. Pyramid of Information Processing Domains Thinking about my decision making Client Version Knowing how I make decisions Knowing about myself Knowing about my options What you need to know to make a career choice

32. CASVE Cycle - Client Version Knowing I Need to Make a Choice Knowing I Made aGood Choice ImplementingMy Choice Understanding Myself and My Options Choosing AnOccupation, Program of Study, or Job Expanding andNarrowing My Listof Options What you need to do to make a career choice

33. Pyramid What’s involved in career choice The content of career choice What you need to know Goal – making an informed choice The CASVE Cycle A guide to good decision making The process of career choice What you need to do Goal – making a careful choice Translating Concepts for Client Use

34. Differentiated Service Delivery • Instead of one level of service for all, three levels of service are needed to meet individual needs ranging from those who are: • self-motivated and able to learn successfully on their own • suffering from low readiness for decision-making who need substantial assistance to successfully learn

35. Differentiated Service Delivery • The three levels of service include • Self-help services for young people and adults with high readiness for decision making • Brief staff-assisted services for young people and adults with moderate readiness • Individual case-managed services for young people and adults with low readiness

36. Definition of Readiness • Readiness is the capability of an individual to make informed and careful career choices taking into account the complexity of family, social, economic, and organizational factors that influence career development • Readiness also includes possessing adequate language skills and literacy skills for communication and learning

37. Two-Dimensional Readiness Model • Complexity(high) • Low readinessModerate readiness • High degree of Moderate to low degree • support needed of support needed • (Individual Case- (Brief Staff-Assisted • Managed Services) Services) • Capability • (low) (high) • Moderate readinessHigh readiness • Moderate to low degree No support needed • of support needed (Self-Help mode) • (Brief Staff-Assisted • Services) • (low)

38. Aim of Differentiated Service Delivery • Young people and adults should receive the level of help they need, no more and no less • The aim of the differentiated service delivery model (the CIP approach) is to provide • the right resource • used by the right person • with the right level of support • at the lowest possible cost

39. Differentiated Service Delivery Model Individual Enters Brief Screening Self or Staff Referral Comprehensive Screening Self-Help Services Brief Staff-Assisted Services Individual Case-Managed Services Complete differentiated model of delivering career resources and services

40. A Generic Sequence for Services • 1. Intake • 2. Screening • 3. Problem identification • 4. Goal setting • 5. Service delivery planning • 6. Resource and service use • 7. Problem review

41. Common Elements of Face-to-Face and Distance Guidance • Web Site • Resource Guides • Diagnostic Assessment • Individual Learning Plans • Information Handouts

42. Ethical Issues • Informed consent • Client suitability • Client access and financial capability • Counselor competence • Training • Credentialing

43. Ethical Issues • Client technology skills • Confidentiality • Cultural sensitivity • Limited awareness of location-specific issues • Lack of clarity about practitioner credentials

44. Web Site Ethical Issues • Violation of confidentiality or security • Links to invalid assessments and information • Lack of practitioner support when needed • Practitioner dependency on the Web site to compensate for a lack of competency • Individuals with little access to the Internet due to a lack of financial resources

45. Models for Designing and Using Distance Guidance

46. Coping With Overwhelming Information • Internet Web sites are an increasingly popular source of information • Easy to become overwhelmed by the amount and diversity of information on the Internet • Make very selective use of Web sites as homework resources

47. Coping With Overwhelming Information • Use a model that helps clients limit the scope of information by linking Web site content with specific client goals

48. Model for Client Web-Site Use • Three goals for client use of Web sites • Help the client to understandthe nature of his or her problem • Assist the client to actin ways that help to solve his or her problem • Help the client to better copewith problems that cannot be completely solved

49. Web vs. Practitioner-Based Information • Practitioners can give clients information or refer them to valid information from carefully selected Web sites • There are benefits in providing information to clients via the Internet

50. Web vs. Practitioner-Based Information • Web-based information may be more current and more complete than information provided by a practitioner • Assumes that the information provided on the Web is valid • This assumption is not always true • Obtaining Web-based information may reduce the expectation that the practitioner’s role is to provide expert information after the client carefully explains his or her problem