ePortfolios and women returners to SET

Clem Herman

The Open University9thMarch 09 JISC ePortfolio workshop

Partnership• Open University• Sheffield Hallam University• University of Salford• Cardiff Women’s Workshop• UK Resource Centre for Women in SET (UKRC)• Association of Learning Technologists (ALT)

Objectives• To identify the ways in which specific groups of stakeholders that

work with returners could integrate the MyStuff eportfolio into their current working practices (careers advisors, mentors and employers)

• To develop and test models of transferring eportfolio content from OU MyStuff to other systems used by partner institutions

• To support 2 groups of returning learners to create and continue to use their MyStuff eportfolios during and after undertaking T161

• To evaluate how learners have used MyStuff eportfolios to support transition to employment

• To disseminate findings and results to the wider community of e-learning professionals

Why women returners to SET?• 50,000 women with SET qualifications are not working in these

sectors (Maximising Returns 2002)• Majority have taken career breaks for family care or other reasons• SET sectors more difficult for women to return to – traditional ‘male’

model of the ideal worker who has uninterrupted full time career for life

• Less part time jobs or flexible work options – career penalty for those who work part time or take a break

• Women returners have out of date skills, reduced confidence, unclear objectives …. or think they have

T161: Return to Science, Engineering and Technology• 10 week online course• Focus on personal development and career

progression• 96 participants in total (May and October 2008)• Embedded use of MyStuff ePortfolio• Uses included learning journal; sharing articles;

recording employment, education and skills; action plans

Why ePortfolios?• Reflection on previous experience – confidence

building, learning from the past, identity exploration

Employability• Presentation of

achievements - who am I?• CVs• Employer research• Application letters• Goals and visions• Action plans

Focus groups with stakeholders• Employers – web based e-portfolios could be used for

recruitment ( see also Ward & Moser 2008)• Careers advisors – systems are useful but “the strings

that hold it together are the personal relationships” • Mentors – potential for use with e-mentoring and peer

mentoring circles

Stickiness and portability• Will users carry on using

it?• Lifelong process -

Continuous professional & personal development

• importance of portability – but can it be done?!

[Travelling eLuggage – from Pratchett’s Discworld]

I looked at the experience I have gained in my career to date and realised that I had

acquired a lot of generic skills which I could apply in

future jobs

I looked at the experience I have gained in my career to date and realised that I had

acquired a lot of generic skills which I could apply in

future jobs It helped me to think about my

future career and what direction I wanted to go

I looked at the experience I have gained in my career to date and realised that I had

acquired a lot of generic skills which I could apply in

future jobs It helped me to think about my

future career and what direction I wanted to go

It helped me to rationalise my career aims ……but not in the direction I'd expected when I first started!