A presentation from the STEM Annual Conference 2014.
Employers often state they are looking for qualities such as leadership innovation and personal effectiveness to complement a graduate’s academic knowledge. These qualities underpin definitions of employability and the challenge is how to integrate development of these abilities into academic programmes - teaching as either stand-alone modules or integrated within existing topics at appropriate times.
In our presentation the performance of the first year of teaching a new stand-alone structured module ‘Personal and Professional Development for Food Scientists’ to final year undergraduate students will be explored. The tools used to deliver the teaching the internal and external resources supplied and the process of building a reflective ePortfolio will be outlined. The additional student presenter will share their views on the experience of undertaking the variety of engagements with the support provided.
Initial reflections are that the consolidation of this type of learning into one module is beneficial to the students in allowing them time to gain a structured understanding of their own personal qualities the diversity of careers available to them and how to manage and develop their career starting with gaining their first graduate role.
More detailed analysis and reflection will progress over 2014 and will conclude in tracking the initial successes of this group of students after graduation. Initial interest from colleagues in other Divisions of the School of Biosciences indicates an appetite to extending this initiative wider than Food Sciences and this is also to be explored.
