RAPPORT
The International Journal for Recording Achievement , Planning and Portfolios
WWW . RECORDINGACHIEVEMENT . AC . UK Issue 1 ( 2017 )
Making a difference to employability through assessment – Challenges and Opportunities
Authors : Andy Hollyhead and Jon Curwin , Birmingham City University , based upon original work with Ruth Lawton
Within the context of Higher Education , assessment is accepted as a major driver of student behaviour ( Kirkwood , 2009 ; Rowntree , 1989 ), informing how they are going to be judged and in what ways they can be successful . In this article we explore the notion that effectivelydesigned assessment , particularly at course level , can do more than this - it can support student employability . Well-intentioned , piecemeal efforts like a single employability-focussed assignment in one isolated module or an optional CV writing workshop might make a difference to some individuals , but are likely to make little impact on the student cohort as a whole . However , to engage students with their course and future possibilities a more cohesive and thoughtful strategy across a course is required which includes content , activities and assessment explicitly addressing the challenges of employability . If employability is important then achieving outcomes that will be valued by graduate employers , among others , must be part of assessment formulation :
“ If we want our students to demonstrate employability when they graduate , our assignments need to be designed to be practice-based , whether in terms of the practice of being a researcher or applications to professional contexts such as being an artist , an accountant , a health practitioner or a quality surveyor . Rather than assessing a learner ’ s ability to write about good practice , an effective assessment strategy would seek to measure how the student can put into practice the learning achieved ” ( Brown , 2004 , p . 83 ).
The authors argue that assessment is too important to be piecemeal . Assessment can do more than produce the right mark and show the level of completion across a number of modules . The challenge is to design assessment that will meet the practical constraints of course delivery and support student personal and professional development .
The challenge of employability Employability is not the same as employment but having that sought-after job is indicative of those qualities . More formally employability can be defined in terms of : “ A set of attributes , skills and knowledge that all labour market participants should possess to ensure they have the capability of being effective in the workplace – to the benefit of themselves , their employers and the wider economy ” ( National Union of Students and Confederation of British Industry , 2009 , p . 12 ).
Individuals need to find ways to stand out from the crowd , for instance a significant and positive online presence or fluency in another language will make a difference . Curwin and Lawton ( 2015 ) argue that the driver should be the achievement of competitive advantage through differentiation : students need to do more than merely develop a checklist of skills : “[ which ] can be thought of as threshold skills ; without which an applicant will struggle to compete . If being uniquely good is important , then the applicant needs to be advised to evidence these threshold skills but they will also need to be advised to evidence all those attributes , characteristics and insights that make them special . To stand out an applicant will need to showcase those qualities and skills that make them different .” ( Curwin and Lawton , 2015 , p . 42 ). In the joint report by the Confederation of British Industries and Universities UK ( Confederation of British Industry , 2009 , p . 8 ) a positive attitude is seen as the factor underpinning successful employability skills , exemplified by “ a can-do approach , a readiness to take part and contribute , openness to new ideas and drive to make these happen ”.
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