Global Forum Series

Keynote 1

What Dimensions for Learning Really Matter for Future Graduates? Research, Strategy and Practice

Abstract

Developing graduates for a complex future world is a global challenge. As part of this education has a responsibility to help prepare learners for life after graduation, but what learning really matters in order to deliver on this?

Employability and career readiness as areas of work are a strategic priority in the UK for the vast majority of universities and colleges. This challenge is often articulated in terms of knowledge and skills, the skills gap being cited by the British Government since the 1960’s as a key responsibility for the Higher Education sector. Sixty years on there are still questions around whether British universities are producing graduates with the skills employers want. This raises questions around whether Universities are actually focusing on the right targets and reflecting on what really matters in terms of learning for all graduates?

Informed by a body of research, in this session I argue against the focus on skills and present an alternative narrative, articulated in the form of a new taxonomy for learning called Employability Redefined. This work has potential value across a range of agendas including employability, career readiness, retention, progression, attainment, mental health and wellbeing.

Throughout the session I will share our experiences of seeking to embed this potentially integrated approach in practice through a series of pilot projects here at Nottingham Trent University.

Biography

Doug has fifteen years’ experience in leading learning and teaching in Higher Education, prior to this having spent over a decade in industry working with a range of sports organisations in the UK, Beijing, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Doug is currently Deputy Director of Employability at Nottingham Trent University, having spent three years previously with the Higher Education Academy, focused on developing strategic approaches to learning for employability and student success with institutions across UK and globally. Doug is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs.

Keynote 2

Graduate Work Readiness Across Asia

Abstract

This presentation will draw on a recent project to discuss the obstacles and challenges to the transition from graduation to regular employment across selected Asian countries. Those who have invested in human capital acquisition through formal education (technical and university) anticipate that completing their programs and receiving their formal qualifications will serve as a formal pathway into job entry. However, the evidence is that graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to transition from tertiary education qualifications into a regular job. Many obtain jobs, but not in the occupations for which they received their qualifications, others transition into those occupations for which they are qualified but cannot access an ongoing or full-time job. The key question discussed include: why does there appear to be major problems in moving from graduation into regular employment? What is the nature of these obstacles? What explains these obstacles? Are these obstacles persistent, or are they linked to significant structural adjustments such as technological change and globalization? How can policy makers and key institutions linked to the training and education system address these challenges? How are these challenges being addressed through public policy across Asia?

Biography

Dr. John Burgess is currently the Professor of Management at the Centre for Organisational Change and Agility of Torrens University (Australia). His research interests include new forms of work, labour regulation, precarious employment, and changing workforce composition. He has secured research funding to examine skill shortages and employee retention in the South Australian local government sector. In addition, Professor Burgess currently supervises PhD students for research in multiple areas, namely the career development in the Australian film industry, leadership development in the Indian IT sector, the retention of trainee teachers in the Western Australia school’s sector, and the barriers to women transitioning from the informal to formal sector jobs in rural Java (Indonesia). Professor Burgess’s recent publication on gig work can be found in the International Journal of Human Resource Management and the Journal of Industrial Relations. In 2022, he also edited a book titled “A Field Guide to Managing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in Organisations” by Edward Elgar Publishing.

Moderator

Biography

Dr. Benjamin CHAN obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, Master of Philosophy from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Doctor of Education from University of Durham in United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of various professional bodies including the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Society of Public Health and the College of Teachers, UK.

Dr. CHAN held the office of Deputy Director (LiPACE) in 2010 after serving various academic positions in HKU SPACE. He left OUHK in 2012 and subsequently worked in Lingnan University (Head of Research Office), Vocational Training Council (Assistant Deputy Director of Academic Services, Founding Director of Research Support Unit, Academic Director of Applied Science Discipline) and most recently as the Assistant Deputy Director (Undergraduate Studies) in The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Dr. CHAN is a seasoned academic administrator with 30 years of extensive experience in all sectors of postsecondary education in Hong Kong ranging from continuing education, UGC higher education, vocational education to specialist conservatory education.

Chair of Organising Committee

Biography

Dr. Kathleen Chim is the Associate Head of Division of Health and Science at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Li Ka Shing Continuing and Professional Education. Prior to becoming an educator, Kathleen was working as a practitioner in the UK, providing evidence-based psychosocial interventions to individuals with substance use and mental health issues in community and prison settings. Her passion lies in understanding the positive aspects of psychological trauma and using her combined experiences to help students cultivate agency and reach their untapped potential for lifelong development and growth. Kathleen received her BSc in Psychology from Royal Holloway, her MSc in Public Health and Substance Misuse from King's College London, and her PhD in Psychology from University of Salford. She is also registered with the British Psychological Society (BPS) as a Chartered Psychologist (Division of Academics, Researchers, and Teachers in Psychology). Her research interests include the positive personal changes or transformations (i.e. posttraumatic growth) resulting from the struggles of highly challenging circumstances, the stress-buffering effects of social support, and the role of sociocultural contexts in psychological trauma and posttraumatic growth.

Keynote 2

The Synthesised Model of Reflection: A vehicle for scaffolding and assessing the Employability Redefined Taxonomy. A pilot among Psychology students

Abstract

The Synthesised Model of Reflection is a new model for assessing reflective writing which is being piloted among Psychology students. The model allows for the Employability Redefined Taxonomy to be integrated, to scaffold students’ holistic learning and development, providing a clear guide of domains to reflect upon. Students can track their lifelong learning, as well as incorporate learning from lifewide experiences simultaneously. This longitudinal model, which synthesises multiple experiences into a single written reflection, is aimed to support students’ holistic development. Preliminary ideas from the Level 4 and Level 7 evaluations will be shared.

Biography

Dr Iain Wilson is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology within NTU Psychology. He specialises in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning within Psychology, with particular interests in employability learning and written assessments. Iain is currently working on a sabbatical, in the 2022-23 academic year, which is evaluating a new model for assessing reflective writing; the Synthesised Model of Reflection, as well as developing resources to support the teaching, learning and assessment of reflection. His other areas of activity include leading on the Scholarship Innovation Forum (SIF) for Reflective Practice and Writing in the School of Social Sciences, as well as leading support for fellowship applications to the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in NTU Psychology. Iain has previous experience as Course Leader for the MSc/PGDip Psychology Conversion Course (BPS accredited) and contributes to specialist teaching on employability-focused modules as well as Occupational Psychology modules.

Keynote 3

Building an Unseen Anchor: Strength-Based Narrative Career Counselling for University Students

Abstract

“Feeling lost” is a common career concern shared among university students that resulted in them suffering significant emotional distress (e.g., anxiety, fear, helplessness, hopelessness) and being stuck in career development. Traditional career guidance focuses on linear job matching of defined work environments and is limited in addressing the emerging landscape and emotional dimension of career development. The strength-based narrative career counselling model underscores the dynamic interplay of vocational psychology, mental health, and psychotherapy, which attends to the importance of enabling students to actively extract meaningful inner strength from facilitated career stories, thereby fostering individualized solutions to emotion-laden career dilemmas and a grounded sense of self in the unsettling dynamic and boundaryless nature of the work realities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biography

Dr. Lan-Sze PANG is currently part-time Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Counselling and Psychology at Hong Kong Shue Yan University and maintains a private practice specializing in postmodern career counselling. Dr. Pang served as Director of the Doctor of Psychology in Counselling Psychology programme and is the founding director of the Practice-Based Evidence (PBE) Lab at HKSYU, where she was also involved in the preparation and launching of the first and only Master of Social Sciences in Counselling Psychology programme in Hong Kong and was the first Assistant Director of the programme. Dr. Pang received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and also Master’s and PhD degrees in Counselling Psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Dr. Pang’s clinical and research interests include strength-based narrative career counselling and assessment, career and identity development of college students, midlife adults and ethnic minorities, change process in psychotherapy and clinical supervision, psycholinguistic phenomenology in psychotherapy encounters, indigenization of multicultural counselling training, and experiential training in psychotherapy. Dr. Pang has designed and delivered a series of career workshops for international students in the United States, taught vocational psychology and counselling courses at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, and been invited to offer strength-based narrative career workshops for university students at various academic institutions in Hong Kong.

Keynote 1

Accrediting Competency for Future Readiness

Abstract

Higher education institutions are key players in the nurturing of students’ holistic competencies (HCs) – the different transferable skills, positive values and attitudes crucial to their employability and whole-person development (https://have.hku.hk/ ). A recent report (Chan, 2021) found that a majority of employers actively seek evidence of students’ HCs during the hiring process, such as by looking at work and extra-curricular experiences on the latter’s resumes. However, graduates have been falling short of employers’ expectations of HC attainments, which could be due to students’ overconfidence in their abilities, the lack of ways to evaluate HC development, and insufficient understandings of employer expectations (Chan et al., 2017; Stewart et al., 2016; Twenge et al., 2012).

There is a pressing need to bridge the gap between students’ HCs and the demands of the job market. In light of this, a Holistic Competencies Roadmap is now being built as an important, ground-breaking tool to help students understand and evaluate their own competencies. This roadmap will help them track their HCs development over time, identify both strengths and weaknesses, and give customised recommendations to help improve their various competencies. By also integrating employer expectations into the roadmap, students can better explore suitable career options and tailor their own learning journeys to achieve their goals.

This roadmap will be supported by and complement the work of the International Holistic Competency Foundation (IHCF; https://www.ihcfoundation.net/), a newly launched initiative to formally integrate HCs into educational courses, providing accreditation and quality assurance to courses looking to explicitly target competencies development (Chan & Chen, 2021). Together, these tools and resources will advance HCs development and assessment in higher education, as well as guide and enrich students’ own growth to better prepare them for their future careers.

Biography

Prof. Cecilia Chan is the Professor in the Faculty of Education and Associate Director at the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, the University of Hong Kong (HKU). She has a dual-discipline background with expertise in both engineering and education, particularly higher education; she plays a key role in enhancing engineering and science education, as well as teaching and learning in higher education. Her combined expertise in these fields have enabled her to lead and conduct research on topics such as assessment and feedback, experiential learning, technology-enhanced learning particularly artificial intelligence in education, and the development and assessment of 21st century skills (holistic competencies) from East to West.

Prof. Chan has been invited as a keynote speaker and panel speaker at many international conferences, including the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She holds a PhD in Engineering from Trinity College, and a postgraduate diploma and MA in Higher Education. She also holds a Fellowship from King College London and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Prof. Chan is involved in over 40 research projects (with 5 GRFs awarded by the Education panel). She received the HKU Young Outstanding Researcher Award in 2014-15 and more recently, the Faculty Knowledge Exchange award. She is the President of the Asian Society for Engineering Education and associate editor for both the Journal of Engineering Education and Studies in Educational Evaluation.

Prof. Chan has developed student-centred frameworks, instruments, and practical approaches to promote competencies development, and is a pioneer in the investigation of competencies assessment literacy. Her work is being employed around the world and also being adopted by software companies. She has received industry donations and UGC matching funds to support her work in this area as she continues to work closely with organisations worldwide to promote holistic competencies development.

More information can be found in the Teaching and Learning Enhancement and Research Group (TLERG) website: http://tlerg.cetl.hku.hk/

Keynote 2

Belonging, Being, and Becoming: Exploring Possible Selves through the Transitions into, Through, and Beyond Higher Education.

Abstract

Most students start university during their ’emerging adulthood’ developmental stage, a time when they are exploring who they are, and who they want to be. The changed lifestyle and new social groups that they encounter on the transition to university can open up new reflections on their current identity, and on who they might become in the future. Applying the theoretical perspectives of social identity theory and possible selves theory, Julie will introduce us to new ways of motivating students and thinking about graduate employability through facilitating students to explore new possible selves within the classroom and curriculum.

Biography

Professor Julie Hulme is a UK National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. A psychologist, she aims to make a difference within higher education through applying psychological theories to researching and enhancing inclusion within higher education settings. Julie’s work recognises the importance of belonging to learning and teaching, for both staff and students, and seeks to help both individuals and institutions to create learning environments which foster a sense of community and social engagement for everyone. In so doing, Julie seeks to develop students’ employability and success in graduate employment. Her most recent research has focused on the experiences of disabled students at university, bullying in higher education, student transitions, and facilitating innovation as a way of promoting inclusion and teaching excellence. An experienced university teacher, educational leader, and academic developer, Julie is Professor of Psychology Education at Nottingham Trent University, UK.