© University of Reading 2006 www.reading.ac.uk/ccms
Destinations® Evolutions
David Stanbury, Joint Acting CETL Director
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Alfred North Whitehead
“… Each individual embodies an adventure of existence. The art of
life is the guidance of this adventure.”
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Partner Fellows
PILOTS
• Birmingham
• Bradford
• Cornwall
• Limerick
• Roehampton
• Ulster
OTHERS
• Brunel (International issues)
• Leeds Met (FDs)
• Liverpool (PBL)
• Oxford (Careers interviews)
• Westminster (Interactives)
• Wolverhampton (Pebble Pad)
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Outline
1. What is Destinations®?
2. Innovation in the Curriculum
3. Experimenting with VLEs
4. Building bridges
5. Redesigning web sites / reinventing Destinations®
6. Exploring new technologies
7. Reaching out to individual clients
8. Forming friendships
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CCMS - a HEFCE funded CETL
1. Development – 40 Fellowships (at Reading and elsewhere)– Destinations®– Beyond the PhD
2. Debate– Research (led by Dr Julia Horn)
3. Dissemination– 8 July Careers Education and Technology conference with
AGCAS – 22 and 23 Sept International Careers Studies Symposium
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Destinations® - What is it?• Advice, information, interactive activities
– 450+ pages– 150 Videos– 50 downloads
• Fully functioning website
• Learning tool configured for flexible curriculum use
• Comprehensive DOTS coverage
• Comes with T&L materials and curriculum models
• Used by 46 educational organisations
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TOPICS VLE
Values
Interests
Careers
PG study
Philosophy
Values
Interests
Careers
Physics
Interests
Careers
PG study
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Innovation in the curriculum• Reading
– From 5 to 10 credits– From a one hit wonder to
programme level pattern– Ownership and green light for
change
• Liverpool – PBL for Medical education
• Wolverhampton– PDP and Pebble Pad
• Bradford– Applying for fictional internships
with a Pharmacy company
• Ulster– 16 programmes
• Six lesson plans– Interview skills– Making work experience
work– Assessment centres– Developing employability
skills– Making choices: an
introduction to career planning
– Application forms
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Experimenting with VLEs
• Bradford : Course Genie
• Brunel: U-link
• Reading: BlackBoard
• Limerick: Saki
• Cornwall College: Moodle
• Highs and lows– Steep learning curve– More work!– More professional product– Better T&L engagement
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Building bridges• Cornwall
– FD – Professional development modules
• Roehampton– Eddie Tunnah: “Destinations® proved an excellent vehicle for
engaging teaching staff in issues around career management skills… It provided a visual context … for explaining the relevance of sometimes abstract notions e.g. self awareness and reflective practise.”
• Bradford– Roadshow at annual T&L – External Examiner “Another encouraging feature is … Destinations …
It is likely to enhance access to learning opportunities and its potential for customisation to the needs of Bradford students is another positive element.”
• Birmingham– Part of institutional re-positioning of careers service for employability
• Quality T&L resource owned by the CAS
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Redesigning web sites
• Limerick– 770 files ammended– Content and branding for Irish context
• Ulster– Extensive contextualisation (e.g. work experience)– Destinations® rebranded forms the core of the Career Development
Centre main site - Ulster GradNav
• Brunel– Whole new Topic for International Students
• Westminster– New interactive exercises for Destinations
• Opportunity to build on extensive resource; but challenge of how to integrate with existing online information
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Exploring new technologies
• Birmingham– 4 in-depth professionally produced videos with international
students
• Bradford– Local legal employers and ex-placement students videoed
• Limerick– 7 employers > 50 new clips– 12 students > 40 clips
• Ulster– 40 clips to be integrated
• Provides foundation, structure and context
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Reaching out to individuals
Roehampton• Destinations® icon on the PCs used with students in
interview rooms• Destinations® part of the tool kit of resources Advisors
use in guidance interviews• Non-linearity of Destinations® = important to guide
individual users• NEW ‘Advice’ section
– Addresses commonly occurring presenting problems (e.g. preparing for an assessment centre)
– Links to specific pages within Destinations®
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Forming friendships
• Limerick • Have shared their Irish version with 14 other HEIs that
have bought Destinations®
• Collaborating via the Graduate Careers Ireland (GCI) careers education group with own webportal
• Friendships are about– Trust– Professional encouragement– Fun– Sharing– enrichment