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Skills Transferability using e-portfolios

Skills Transferability using e-portfolios. A study of first year economics skills application Muna Simatele & Nick Tsitsianis. Rationale and Motivation. Increased interest in acquisition of employable skills in graduates UH strategic driver 3

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Skills Transferability using e-portfolios

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  1. Skills Transferability using e-portfolios A study of first year economics skills application Muna Simatele & Nick Tsitsianis

  2. Rationale and Motivation Increased interest in acquisition of employable skills in graduates • UH strategic driver 3 “Our students will acquire the transferable skills necessary to prepare them to make an effective contribution as graduates in their chosen fields” UH strategic plan 2010-2015 • Employability as a curricula process (HEA) Employability derives from the ways in which the student learns from his or her experiences. Yorke, 2006 ( learning and employability)

  3. Describing the skills (1) • ‘a set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes - that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.’Yorke ( 2006) • Employability skills therefore refer to a set of generic skills and characteristics that allow an individual to both secure and sustain employment and make progress in the workplace (UK CES, 2010) • Subject specific skills • Generic skills

  4. Describing the skills (2) • CIHE/HEA mapped skills/competencies • Cognitive Skills/Brainpower: The ability to identify, analyse and solve problems • Generic Competencies: High-level and transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, communicate, persuade and have interpersonal sensitivity. • Personal Capabilities: The ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one’s self-awareness and performance • Technical Ability • Business and / or OrganisationAwareness • Practical Elements Kubler and Forbes (2005)

  5. Description of study • First year economics students on skills module • Map the desirable skills to what can actually be taught in class ( see attached list of class topics) • Encourage Reflection and self development • Focus group discussions (3), • Anonymous written feedback

  6. Embedding the skills development Describe a set of skills à la Kubler and Forbes (2005) • Semester A, lecture in teamwork, presentation, peer assessment and actual presentations • All semester B work using specific case studies to analyse and find solutions • Personal Capabilities: Reflection logs • Technical Ability- computer skills both semester A and B • Research into actual topics (oil prices, the budget, education) • Most of semester B work

  7. Embedding the skills development cont’d • Lectorials on skills • Labs for hands on practice, downloading data form sources, transforming data to convey a message and analysing it • Google sites for reflection and development • Each skill to be reflected upon in terms of previous knowledge, acquired knowledge and possible application. After a month a follow up reflection • Reflections were assessed, not heavily, Marks awarded for demonstration of application across modules, learning and social situations • Essays for assessing writing skills • Group presentations to develop and asses communication and presentation skills • Final module project to show case all skills learnt

  8. Why e-portfolios? • The e-portfolio is the central and common point for the student learning experience… It is a reflection of the student as a person undergoing continuous personal development, not just a store of evidence (JISC 2008) • E portfolios promote active learning and reflection • They are learner centred and flexible • Allows the inclusion of social space in the learning sphere and vice versa • Essentially encourages portability of skills and experience!!!

  9. Analysis 2 main approaches • Student survey on excel skills and their transferability. • Review of activity on e-sites Results presented as • Frequencies • Probit models

  10. Empirical analysis- transferability of skills(survey results) • PRELIMINARY FINDINGS: • 51 LEVEL 4 STUDENT SURVEYED, 25% FEMALES 75% MALES • AGE RANGE: 19-21 (ONLY 3 STUDENTS WERE 22 AND ABOVE) • 61% OF THE STUDENTS DESCRIBED THEMSELVES AS “WHITE” AND 39% OF THE STUDENTS SORTED THEMSELVES INTO A PARTICULAR “NON-WHITE” GROUP • 80% OF THE STUDENTS WERE BORN IN THE UK, 20% WERE BORN ABROAD • BUT, 88% OF THE STUDENTS STUDIED IN THE UK FOR THEIR A-LEVELS • 92% OF THE STUDENTS SAY THAT THEY ACTIVELY USE THE SKILL MODULE INTO OTHER MODULES • 84% OF THE STUDENTS SAY THAT THEY ACTIVELY USE WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNT IN OTHER MODULES INTO THE SKILL MODULE

  11. Empirical analysis- factors influencing engagement and transferability of skills • DEPENDENT VARIABLE: HOW INTENSE ARE YOU APPLYING THE SKILL MODULE TO OTHER MODULES? • 1: Very Little, 2: Little, 3: Average: 4: High, 4: Very High • ORDERED PROBIT ESTIMATES

  12. Empirical analysis- factors influencing engagement and transferability of skills • IT APPEARS THAT THE ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE OF EXCEL IS THE DECISIVE FACTOR THAT PROMOTES TRANSFERABILITY OF SKILLS. • THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE FEMALES AND THE NON-WHITES TEND TO ENGAGE MORE HEAVILY WITH THE TRANSFERABILITY OF SKILLS. HOWEVER, THIS EVIDENCE IS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. • BORN OR EDUCATED IN BRITAIN APPEARS TO BOOST THE TRANSFERABILITY OF SKILLS, BUT AGAIN THE EVIDENCE IS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT • ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE OF INTERNET (ACCESSING AND PROCESSING DATA) TENDS TO SUPPRESS THE TRANSFERABILITY

  13. Empirical analysis- transferability of skills • DEPENDENT VARIABLE: HOW INTENSE ARE YOU APPLYING THE OTHER MODULES TO SKILL MODULE? • 1: Very Little, 2: Little, 3: Average: 4: High, 4: Very High • ORDERED PROBIT ESTIMATES

  14. Empirical analysis- factors influencing engagement and transferability of skills • IT APPEARS THAT THE ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE OF EXCEL IS THE DECISIVE FACTOR THAT PROMOTES TRANSFERABILITY OF SKILLS-AGAIN • THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE FEMALES AND THE NON-WHITES TEND TO ENGAGE MORE HEAVILY WITH THE TRANSFERABILITY OF SKILLS. HOWEVER, THIS EVIDENCE IS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT-AGAIN • BORN BRITAIN APPEARS TO BOOST THE TRANSFERABILITY OF SKILLS, BUT EDUCATED IN BRITAIN HAS THE OPPOSITE EFFECT. HOWEVER, THE EVIDENCE IS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT • ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE OF INTERNET (ACCESSING AND PROCESSING DATA) TENDS TO SUPPRESS THE TRANSFERABILITY -AGAIN

  15. Survey of the e sites(prelim) • Engagement • Number of words 65%(A) 83(B) • Quality of work 77%(A) 58%(B) • Transferability to other modules (42%) • Transferability to/from other modules

  16. Where to from here? • Students will continue with sites as level 5- further review? • Complete the econometric analysis to show links between engagement and other factors • Develop wider application to other UH modules • Assessment • Skills portability • engagement

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