Higher Education Academy - Individual Teaching Development Grant

The practice of embedding employability into the student experience has been the subject of much debate in the higher education sector. This is likely to continue as increased financial pressures and a competitive employment market raise the profile of employability with all stakeholders.

Employability is not solely an undergraduate issue and this project focuses on extending employability provision for taught postgraduates.  PGT students are a unique group undergoing a short intensive period of study.  The ratio of international to home students is usually higher in PGT programmes, translating into a diversity of previous experience and skill levels in terms of key employability competencies; previous teaching and assessment practices as well as English Language proficiency.  Dr Debbi Marais conducted a pilot project on a group of PGT students utilising some online aspects but mostly it was paper-based.  This was very successful which led to the application for the HEA grant.  Support from the HEA grant will enable her to utilise the VLE, MyAberdeen, fully and broaden this to other PGT programmes within the Division of Applied Health Sciences at this stage.  The project aims to devise an online self-awareness employability questionnaire with detailed, individualised feedback and links to supportive employability resources.  The work aims to create a series of exercises and experiences, tailored to each student's needs, to enhance their employability.  It is hoped that once developed, that other PGT and PGR programmes may benefit from the developed materials.

Author: Dr Debbi Marais

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