Focus Group Preliminary Results, Best Practice Uncovered

1. Embedding
Employability
Update 15th April 2021
Catherine Staunton
Head of Careers & Employability

2. Agenda
• Welcome & Introductions
• Project Plan Update & Overview
• Milestones Overview (Review hidden
slides in own time)
• Focus Groups Update
• Graduate Attributes:
• Preliminary Results
• Subject-General v Subject Specific
Matrix Test

3. Agenda
• Embedding Graduate Attributes in Module
Design – Update
• Bespoke Employability Model for DkIT
• Best Practice Exemplars
• Marketing Mission – Update
• Teaching & Learning Forum - Updates
• AOB

4. Reminder – Key deliverables
• This T&L initiative aims to develop a shared vision of
employability at DkIT by:
 Developing an Institute- wide Employability Statement
 Developing an Institute-wide Embedding Employability
Framework
 Developing a model that programme teams can use to
‘employability-proof’ their programmes
 Identifying a set of DkIT Graduate Attributes
 Creating a DkIT Industry Employability Forum in
collaboration key industry partners

5. Focus Groups 1-3 • 8 Select 'Employability Champions'
• 12 Open EE Theme Questions
• Use literature review to identify Best Practice
EE Themes for Open Questions
• Use Institute and National Forum Documents
to identify EE and Graduate Attribute Themes
for Open Questions
• Use Graduate Survey Data to identify Themes
for Open Questionevelop a Cascading
Protocol for each theme to engage with Pilot
Participants, should Prototypical Themes
emerge indicative of Categories or Items
relevant to next stages...
• Use Microsoft Teams for One-2-One or
Groups of 2-3..
Method & Procedure
 Sample: We selected 8-10 'Employability
Champions'​ for Focus Group 1
 We selected 8-10 School & Support Staff
for Focus Group 2
 We selected Specific Sets of 3-6 people for
Focus Group 3 [Health, Employers,
Students], Ongoing
 We developed our Materials [Email
Correspondence, Information Sheet, and
Interviewer Protocol]
 6 Themes and 1-5 Questions per Theme
 Interviews Via Microsoft Teams [Camera
Off re Ethics Consultation]
Scoring Key PDF

6. Focus Group 1-3 • 8 Select 'Employability Champions'
• 12 Open EE Theme Questions
• Use literature review to identify Best Practice
EE Themes for Open Questions
• Use Institute and National Forum Documents
to identify EE and Graduate Attribute Themes
for Open Questions
• Use Graduate Survey Data to identify Themes
for Open Questionevelop a Cascading
Protocol for each theme to engage with Pilot
Participants, should Prototypical Themes
emerge indicative of Categories or Items
relevant to next stages...
• Use Microsoft Teams for One-2-One or
Groups of 2-3..
Method & Procedure
 Transcribed and Segmented
 Developed Scoring Key
 Presently Coding
 Protocol Booklet [Watch SG Teams]
 Now in the Results Write-Up Stage
 Preliminary Results Ready re Graduate
Attributes
ü Executive Summary – Focus Group
Research Report PDF underway (with
graphs and infographics)

7. Could DkIT be the Technology-Driven Changemakers?

8. Why Attributes?
Who we are...
Who we are to relevant audiences...
Who we become...
'An authentic set of aspirations for all
who attend DkIT...'

9. Graduate Attributes –
Preliminary Questions
Attribute Cataloguing
• What graduate attributes are
mentioned and how many unique
mentions per graduate attribute
were found?
• How many mentions relate to
capstone graduate attributes?
• Are there any new capstone
graduate attributes emerging?
Emerging Capstone Frameworks
• Are there within-subject capstone
graduate attribute frameworks
emerging?
• Is there a Values piece emerging
from the residual graduate
attributes?

10. Subject CONFIDENT TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIVE COLLABORATIVE +Practical +ENTERPRISING
1 1 1 0 1 0 1
2 0 1 1 1 1 1
3 1 1 1 1 1 0
4 1 0 0 1 1 0
5 1 1 1 1 0 1
6 1 0 1 1 1 0
7 1 0 1 1 1 0
8 1 1 0 1 1 0
9 1 0 1 1 1 1
10 1 1 1 0 1 1
11 0 0 1 1 0 0
12 1 1 1 1 0 0
13 1 0 0 0 0 1
14... 1 1 1 1 0 1
Table 1: Traffic-Light Testing the CTCC Working Wireframe – Capstone Graduate Attributes
4+ Capstones (n = 14) | 3+ Capstones (n = 20) | 2+ Capstones ( n = 24)

11. Subject CONFIDENT TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIVE COLLABORATIVE +Practical +ENTERPRISING
15 1 0 1 0 0 0
16 0 0 0 1 0 0
17 1 0 1 1 0 0
18 1 1 1 1 1 1
19 1 0 1 1 0 0
20 1 0 1 1 0 0
21 1 1 1 1 0 0
22 1 0 1 0 0 0
23 1 1 1 1 1 1
24 1 0 1 0 0 1
25 1 0 1 0 0 1
Total 22 (88%) 11 (44%) 20 (80%) 19 (76%) 10 (40%) 11 (44%)
• ROUND 1: A Composite Capstone for T-P-E is required – We're suggesting 'TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN' to bring
technical, professions-led programmes, and enterprising re our 3 Research Clusters to the fore, 20/25
(80%).
• Added one or both where 'Technical' is missing. Total Coverage in terms of GO-SPACE (Green) = 81%.

12. Subject CONFIDENT TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIVE COLLABORATIVE +Practical +ENTERPRISING
26 1 1 1 1 0 0
27 1 1 1 1 1 1
28 1 1 1 1 1 0
29 1 1 1 1 1 1
30 1 1 1 0 0 0
31 1 1 1 1 0 1
32 1 1 1 1 1 0
33 1 1 0 1 1 0
34 awaited
35 1 1 1 1 1 1
36 awaited
37 1 1 0 0 0 0
Total 32 (91%) 21 (60%) 28 (80%) 27 (77%) 16 (46%) 15 (43%)
• ROUND 2: A Composite Capstone for T-P-E may yet be required – We're suggesting 'TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN'
to bring technical, professions-led programmes, and enterprising re our 3 Research Clusters. Technical
overlapped with context of digital readiness in 4/10 new results for that capstone.

14. (n = 347)
62 (18%)
25 (7%)
32 (9%)
30 (9%)
11 (3%)
22 (6%)
165 (47%)
*Rounding up will take
place when count ceases...

15. Graduate Attribute Mapping:
Subject-Specific v Subject-General
Investigating the possibility of Template Capstone Module Descriptor
for Graduate Attribute Alignment. Process of subtraction...
• Providing the scaffold for both lecturer and students to connect to
graduate attributes in a meaningful way.
– Explicitly outline how the module delivery supports graduate
attribute development.
– “Constructive Alignment” for Graduate Attributes
– We've completed a sample mapping. 60-70% overlap.

16. Graduate Attributes: Emerging Lexicon Themes
Wireframe CTCC or CTCC
Communicative
• Digital Fluency
• Technology-Enhanced
Learning
• Impactful Communicating
Technical
• Analytical Thinking
• Data Fluency
• Operationally Savvy
• Ethical in Technology
Confident
• Professional Confidence
• Adaptable/Flexible/Resilient
• Work Readiness
• Lifelong Learning
• Critical Thinking
Collaborative
• Teamworking
• Networking
• Solutions-Driven
• Innovative

17. Graduate Attributes: Revised Emerging Lexicon Themes
Wireframe cTcc
Communicative
• Creative Communicators
• Public Engagers
• Self-Promoters
• Digitally Fluent
• Emotionally Intelligent
Technology-Driven
• Technically Skilled
• Knowledgeable
• Practice-Led
• Enterprising
• Data Fluent
Confident
• Professionally Confident
• Adaptable & Flexible
• Critical Thinkers
• Lifelong Learners
• Resilient
Collaborative
• Teamworkers
• Innovative Partners
• Natural Networkers
• Socially Enterprising
• Operationally Savvy

18. Graduate Attributes: Revised Emerging Lexicon Themes
Wireframe cTcc
Communicative
• Creative Communicators
• Public Engagers
• Self-Promoters
• Digitally Fluent
• Emotionally Intelligent
Technology-Driven
• Technically Skilled
• Knowledgeable
• Practice-Led
• Enterprising
• Data Fluent
Confident
• Professionally Confident
• Adaptable & Flexible
• Critical Thinkers
• Lifelong Learners
• Resilient
Collaborative
• Teamworkers
• Innovative Partners
• Natural Networkers
• Socially Enterprising
• Operationally Savvy

19. Nominal and Proportionate
Threshold Counts per Capstone
and Sub-Attributes
Our 'Who I am' Capstones
• Collaborative
• Technology-Driven or Technical
• Communicative
• Confident
Overlapping and Distinct Sub-
Attributes Options
• Confident [Add Competitor
Capstone 'Personal Development'
as Sub-Attribute]
• Technology-Driven [Add
Competitor Capstone
'Enterprising' and 'Practical' as
Sub-Attributes]
• Technical [Add Competitor
Capstone 'Practical' – Sub-
Attribute]

20. Clarke’s Model of Graduate Employability
Human Capital
• Skills
• Competencies
• Work experience
Social Capital
• Networks
• Social class
• University ranking
Individual Behaviours
• Career Self-Management
• Career Building Skills
Individual Attributes
• Personality variables
• Adaptability
• Flexibility
Graduate
Employability
(individual employment
& career outcomes)
Labour Market
• Supply factors
• Demand factors
Perceived
Employability

21. DkIT's Model of Graduate Employability
Human Capital
Skills
Competencies
Work Experience
Social Capital
University Ranking
Networks
Social Class
Individual Behaviours
Career Self-Management
Career Building Skills
Attributes
Graduate Attributes
Personality Variables
Perceived
Employability
Graduate Employability
Individual Employability
Career Outcomes
'Micro' Labour Market
DkIT's Partnerships
Alumni
'Macro' Labour Market
Supply Factors
Demand Factors
Adapted from Clarke 2018: 1931

22. EE Alignment
Attributes → Confident (critical thought);
Technology-Driven (knowledgeable)
Best
Practice →
Lecturer-employer collaboration on
assessment question
Toolkit → Essay (industry-informed content)
Framework → Human capital (skills, competencies);
Social capital (networking potential);
Labour Market (DkIT network)

23. Embedding Employability in the
Curriculum – Working Ideas
Employability in Curriculum
o 10* Employability Matrix
o Structurally Unavoidable Pathway
o Programme v Module: Scattered
and Aggregated
One-Stop Accessible Resource
o Best Practice Exemplars
o Toolkit Piece or Staff Workshops
Tutorials - Suite of Content
o Delivery: Careers Services or
Lecturers
Module or Award...
o Or Stand-Alone Certificate
o 12 Weeks and 10 Credits

24. Best Practice Examples – Focus Group Collection
• Industry-Partnered Assessment
• DELTA Awards
• Guest Speaker Reflective Practice Assignments
• Mandatory Placements with Industry Partners
• CA includes a LinkedIn profile, revisited regularly
• Students work on a project for employers
• Students research employers they'd like to work for
• A life-skills and well-being module
FULL DISCUSSION for NEXT MEETING...
Click here for Working Employability Proofing Tabulation. See SC Teams.

25. 10-Star Employability Matrix 5 Plus Activity
Activity Industry-
partnered
CA Graduate
Attribute
[1-4]
CV
Worthy
Placement Professions
Requisite
Employability
Requisite
INDUSTRY-
PARTNERED
ASSESSING
PLACEMENT
(Always
6 Star+)
Professions Requirement and/or
Employability Requirement, but not both required.
They must all be CV worthy to qualify. How many CV
worthy activities per NFQ 6,7, 8... NFQ 9-10?
*We're looking at a 10-Star Scoring System by Adding Capstone Graduate Attributes

26. Awareness Marketing
• Awareness Campaign
• Project Email Address
EmbeddingEmployability@dkit.ie
• Campaign: DkIT News 3 Blogs + 3
Emails [Email 1 Circulated]
• Engagement #DkITCareers, @For
umTL, Lin
• Timeline Touchpoints
• Intro to Consultation –
Blog 1 [Released 12th April]
• Roll out of Survey, April –
Blog 2
• Website Launch, June –
Blog 3

27. Marketing Mission
• Marketing Apparatus Ideas [Tom Redmond & Team]:
• Website for Launch [Within DkIT Website]
• Employability Statement [PDF Leaflet]
• Employability Guide [PDF Booklet]
• Infographics and Quotes from Research Reports
• Case Studies – Video/Video Campaign
• Executive Summary & Research Report [PDF Link]
• Regional and National Press Release Strategy
• Launch Day/Dates with Photo Opportunities
• Research: Forum Websites to Emulate. See National
Forum Resource for Open
Education Practice https://open.teachingandlearning.ie/
Resource Links:
Once embedded in our DkIT
Website, we can link up with:
DkIT Library and CELT to create
a centralised ease-of-access
mechanism to employability
resources.

28. Progress & Time-Management
• Focus Groups 1-3 Completed
• Literature Reviews Completed
• Preliminary Results Summary for Graduate Attributes Commenced
• Results Writing Continues for Research Report [2 Literature Reviews +
Results Added for Focus Groups and then Survey]
• Focus Group Employability Proofing Worksheet - Commenced
*See our project management calendar on Microsoft Teams

29. Progress & Time-Management
• Employability Statement – Scope & Drafting Continues
• Employability Toolkit – Scope & Drafting Continues
• Ethics Application re EE Survey
• Microsoft Forms EE Survey End April/Start May [26th April...]
• Academic Council April 30th
• End April Marketing Stage Begins
• May to End June [Add Survey Results Summary to Literature Review]
• Mid-June to End June [Website Launch and Assets Management]
*See our project management calendar on Microsoft Teams