The document discusses the integration of employability into the curriculum through applied learning and university graduate attributes. It emphasizes the importance of authentic learning experiences, self-regulation, and community engagement in fostering confident and resilient graduates. Additionally, it highlights the need for innovation in teaching practices and the importance of reflection and feedback in applied learning.

1. Integrating Employability
Applied Learning
What, Why, How?
Employability Plan: https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/employabilityplan/
Teaching Essentials: https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/teaching/
Course-focused Practice: https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/cfp

2. There are two aspects to integrating employability:
1. The Applied Learning curriculum - developing engaging learning to foster
professional dispositions through applied learning
2. Integration of the University’s 3+3 Graduate Attributes.
Integrating Employability: Key ideas

3. This is for you to decide – it is a flexible idea that expresses
a concerted commitment to active and student-centred
learning to teaching your subject.
In this presentation we explore ideas about,
 Authentic learning – relating knowledge to professional
practice through active and challenging forms of
engagement
 D3Bs – learning design that focuses on Doing, Being,
Becoming and Belonging
 Connecting – learning that develops and benefits from a
communal and network-based design
Applied Learning: What is Applied Learning?

4. Applied Learning addresses the key attributes of
developing confident, creative and resilient graduates
 Intrinsically motivating for students
 Develops student self-regulation
 Develops self-efficacy – belief in your own
capabilities
 Increases the teacher’s options to create a
responsive learning experience
Applied Learning: Why

5. Knowledge is introduced, developed and then applied by
involving students in authentic experiences:
 meaningful challenges
 professional thinking and skills
 expert performances
 complex problems
 collaboration and co-operation
 reflecting on success or failure
 communicating knowledge and thinking
 integrated assessment
 sense of achievement
 receiving and giving just-in-time
Applied Learning: how?
Adapted from: Reeves, Herrington & Oliver (2002) Authentic Learning framework
Authentic
Experiences

6. Dispositions are developed by
 Doing – the things someone like us does
 Being – the cultural identity, attitude, systems and
approaches
 Becoming – a steady sense of progression towards
achieving our personal and professional aspirations
 Belonging – feeling valued and part of a community or
network
Applied Learning: how?
Adapted from: Wilcock (1999) Reflections on doing, being and becoming framework
D3Bs

7. We learn by connecting,
• a diversity of opinions
• specialised nodes or information sources
• ideas digitally
• critical thinking to everchanging knowledge
• socially to facilitate lifelong learning
• emerging sources of knowledge
• up-to-date knowledge
We value the act of decision-making, taking risks, and
evaluating innovation.
Applied Learning: how?
Adapted from: Siemens (2005) Connectivism: a learning theory for a digital age framework
Connecting

8. The Applied Learning paradigm:
 Student-centred
 Active
 Discursive
 Connected
 Open-ended
 Challenging
 Stimulating
Applied Learning: the need for innovation

9.  What does applied learning mean to teaching our subject?
 Is there a conflict between teaching the theory of knowledge and applied learning?
 How are employability and applied learning different? And how do they relate to
graduate attributes?
 How does applied learning change as students progress through the levels?
 Adopting applied learning will require you to change aspects of your practice.
Identity an example. How will you manage this change?
 How will you describe applied learning to your students so they understand the
benefits to them?
 Can you give an example of an expert voice you can involve in your course? What is
it about them that will inspire and challenge your students?
 How do we assess and give feedback on applied learning?
Discussion

10. Personally
 What do you take from the discussion and what more would you like to find out or
think about?
Collectively
 How can your course team or subject group make use of these ideas
 What further development would be useful for you?
Your Action Plan