Many colleges and universities recognise they need to adopt a whole-institution approach to equip students with the skills, confidence and experience they need for the modern workplace.Technology is critical in helping students to develop and communicate these skills, but are universities and colleges making best use of it? In this session we will explore what employers are really looking for; and how a university and college are using innovative approaches to best preparing their students to meet those needs.

1. Self-designed Learning and ‘future-proofing’ graduates
Ian Pirie, Emeritus Professor, University of Edinburgh

2. Self-designed Learning
and ‘future-proofing’ graduates
Wednesday 15th March 2017
IAN PIRIE
EMERITUS
PROFESSOR
University of Edinburgh

3. Context
• a rapidly changing world
• changing expectations of employers
• changing expectations of students
• issues and challenges for Higher Eduction

4. a rapidly changing world

5. “Digitally savvy graduates are essential for
shaping tomorrow’s entrepreneurial activities”
JISC - Technology for Employability
Dr Peter Chatterton and Geoff Rebbeck
November 2015

6. A rapidly changing world
• increasingly connected 24/7 by digital networks
• information rich and easily accessible from everywhere
• no longer static but mobile
• instant access to information and ‘live’ media streams

7. The socialised learning environment
Phones
Laptop
Laptop
Phones

8. changing expectations of employers

9. Kaplan, Graduate Recruitment Report: Employer Perspectives 2014

10. The world is changing around us - and fast.
‘Every business is feeling the unprecedented
impact of rapid demographic changes, economic
shifts, increasing resource scarcity, urbanisation,
and technology breakthroughs.
To keep up, leaders are urgently searching for the
people who can help their organisations adapt to
what is now the new reality.’

11. CBI Survey Data
• Use of IT
• Technical skills
• Basic numeracy skills
• Basic literacy and use of English
• Analysis skills
• Problem solving
• Positive attitude to work
• Team-working
• Communication skills
• Knowledge of chosen job or career
• Self-management / resilience
• International cultural awareness
• Relevant work experience
• Business and customer awareness
• Foreign language skills

12. changing expectations of students

13. What students want and how universities are getting it wrong
http://theconversation.com/what-students-want-and-how-universities-are-getting-it-wrong-10000

14. All of our students’ are unique

15. What students would like
1. Personalised academic guidance, advice and support
2. Clarity in what is expected of them and what they can expect in return
3. Clarity in assessment criteria with associated timely and effective feedback
4. An academic community comprised of vertical peer groups and academic staff
5. 24/7 access to online information in support of their studies: ideally in one place
6. Increasingly an assurance that their education will best prepare them for the future

16. What students would like
1. Personalised academic guidance, advice and support
2. Clarity in what is expected of them and what they can expect in return
3. Clarity in assessment criteria with associated timely and effective feedback
4. An academic community comprised of vertical peer groups and academic staff
5. 24/7 access to online information in support of their studies: ideally in one place
6. Increasingly an assurance that their education will best prepare them for the future

17. issues and challenges for Higher Education

18. Issues and challenges for Higher Education
1. Often slow to accept the need for change and to actually change
2. The need to radically change the focus from TEACHING to LEARNING
3. To completely reinvent and re-focus the role of a traditional academic
4. A priority need to embrace and fully develop the potential of digital technologies
5. And to accept responsibility for;
a) ‘future proofing’ the whole person
d) and developing ‘digital literacy’ to advanced levels in all students

19. 1. Often slow to accept the need for change and to actually change anything !!!!!!!
2. The need to radically change the focus from TEACHING to LEARNING
3. To completely reinvent and re-focus the role of a traditional academic
4. A priority need to embrace and fully develop the potential of digital technologies
5. And to accept responsibility for;
a) ‘future proofing’ the whole person
d) and developing ‘digital literacy’ to advanced levels in all students
Issues and challenges for Higher Education

20. Issues and challenges for Higher Education
1. Often slow to accept the need for change and to actually change anything !!!!!!!
2. The need to radically change the focus from TEACHING to LEARNING
3. To completely reinvent and re-focus the role of a traditional academic
4. A priority need to embrace and fully develop the potential of digital technologies
5. And to accept responsibility for;
a) ‘future proofing’ the whole person
d) and developing ‘digital literacy’ to advanced levels in all students

21. Future Vision: Future Curriculum
A portfolio approach for a complicated and unpredictable future
Giving students agency to create their own learning
Extend learning beyond the traditional knowledge-centred course

22. A portfolio approach for a complicated and unpredictable future
Giving students agency to create their own learning
Extend learning beyond the traditional knowledge-centred course
Future Vision: Future Curriculum

23. Every student a researcher/practitioner
Course design for 21st century learners
Focus on multiple learning experiences and learning for life
Future Vision: Future Curriculum

24. Every student a researcher/practitioner
Course design for 21st century learners
Focus on multiple learning experiences and learning for life
Future Vision: Future Curriculum

25. Student-Led Individually Created Courses
SLICCs

26. • University-wide framework contextualised to the discipline by each student
• Student created, owned, managed and formatively self-assessed
• Deliberate minimal input and supervision from academic staff
• Academic input at the ‘front-end’ for induction and preparation of proposal
• Key role to approve academic validity and viability of learning experience
• And assess at the end
SLICC - principles

27. • University-wide framework contextualised to the discipline by each student
• Student created, owned, managed and formatively self-assessed
• Deliberate minimal input and supervision from academic staff
• Academic input at the ‘front-end’ for induction and preparation of proposal
• Key role to approve academic validity and viability of learning experience
• And assess at the end
SLICC - principles

28. For students to:
• design, manage, complete and successfully assess aspects of their own learning
• consolidate and expand upon their prior learning and apply in a defined context
• be actively engaged in experiential learning
• develop their abilities in self-critical reflection, analysis and evaluation
SLICC - key aims

29. SLICC - student journey

30. SLICC - process cycle

31. • Students must attend the induction workshops in person
• Thereafter all learning interactions are facilitated online
• This includes the approval, guidance, feedback, submission and assessment
• Students decide what they need to submit to evidence the learning outcomes (LOs)
• To-date this has included; Text, Video, Audio, Photography and Research Data
• Student must also submit a self-graded assessment constructively aligned to the LOs
• A critically-selective web folio is submitted along with an (up to 2000 word) report.
SLICC - management, submission and assessment

32. • The benefits of doing a SLICC were that I was able to teach myself something that
my degree doesn't cover, reflect on my learning process, and get credit for it.
• I think my organisation on the project was a mess and I think that (even though it’s
only the third week [of the new academic year]) I have improved my organisation
as a result for the whole of my academic studies
• It made me realise what I had learnt on my journey
• In the end, I was able to identify the areas of my learning process I need to
improve the most, and I think I worked on them as well.
SLICC - student feedback 2016

33. • A reflexive attitude towards learning; increased confidence; a refreshed less harsh attitude
towards personal development
• It allowed me to reflect and process my experience which otherwise would have been
confined to the three weeks I was away. Within the SLICC framework I was able to
evaluate and internalise lessons I was learning.
• It taught me research skills and also helped me to engage with my work experience in a
unique way
• It made me take control of my own learning.
SLICC - student feedback 2016

35. Professor Ian Pirie
ian.pirie@ed.ac.uk
Dr Simon Riley
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Simon.C.Riley@ed.ac.uk
Dr Gavin McCabe
EMPLOYABILITY CONSULTANT
gavin.mccabe@ed.ac.uk
http://www.ed.ac.uk/employability/slicc
SLICC Pilots

36. > >Slide
Ian Pirie
Emeritus Professor,
University of Edinburgh
15/03/2017 Self-designed Learning36