Module leader: Phil McCash

Aims

The Employability Education: Strategy and Inclusion Design (previously Employability and Career Development Learning) module enables participants to develop knowledge and understanding in the design of employability and career development courses in curriculum-based and non-curriculum-based contexts. The module is designed to develop reflective practice in employability and career development learning by focusing on: theories and definitions of employability and career development learning, the learning alliance, course design, negotiation, assessment, and evaluation.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Systematically describe the theoretical basis of employability and career development learning e.g. career theory, social learning, experiential learning, transformative learning, critical pedagogy, cultural learning.
• Comprehensively identify definitions of employability and career development learning, models of programme design and their underpinning rationales, strategies for programme implementation, examples of delivery in practice, and relevant institutional contexts.
• Critically evaluate existing employability and career development learning provision and make innovative suggestions for enhancement in relation to a range of contemporary issues e.g. career influences, career information, education and labour markets, recruitment practices, career management, equity, diversity, workplace behaviour, technology, lifelong employability, career and identity.
• Creatively design learning outcomes, teaching methods, topics and content, assessment strategies, and evaluation methods suitable for a contemporary employability and career development learning programme.
• Systematically plan to agree and develop a positive and supportive learning environment via a clear learning alliance.
• Communicate verbally by effectively sharing and disseminating good practice in the design of employability and career development learning programmes; and in clear written form by designing a programme using the current course guides to presentation and referencing.

Outline Syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• Acknowledging participants’ prior experience and learning in employability and career development learning.
• Learning alliance.
• Roles and institutional context.
• Defining employability and career development learning.
• Linking learning theories and programme design.
• Session design tools and writing learning outcomes.
• Creating a positive learning environment and the learning alliance.
• Models of programme design.
• Programme assessment and evaluation.
• Implementing an employability and career development learning programme.
• Critical pedagogy and equity in relation to employability and career development learning.
• Case study.
• Links with core modules (institutional and professional issues, theoretical perspectives and values relating to employability and career development learning).

Summary of teaching
30 hours of blended synchronous and asynchronous resources and intensive workshops and group tutorial in online and/or face-to-face format. The workshop is advertised in the AGCAS training calendar as Employability and Career Development Learning.

Module timing and duration
Usually runs once a year. Details in AGCAS training calendar.

Summative assessment
5000 word work-based project.