Presentation at Mahara Hui 2017 by Patricia Lucas (AUT) in Auckland, New Zealand, on 7 April 2017. YouTube presentation link can be found here: https://youtu.be/k-iHVKoJF48

1. Exploring E-portfolios to produce
educated employable graduates
Dr Patricia Lucas
School of Sport and Recreation, AUT, NZ

2. WHERE ARE WE HEADING?

3. EDUCATION
As an individual passes from
one situation to another, his
[sic] world, his environment,
expands or contracts. He
does not find himself living
in another world but in a
different part or aspect of
one and the same world.
What he has learned in the
way of knowledge and skill in
one situation becomes an
instrument of understanding
and dealing effectively with
the situations which follow.
The process goes on as long
as life and learning
continue..
― John Dewey (1938)
EMPLOYABILITY
A set of achievements
– skills, understandings
and personal attributes
– that make individuals
more likely to gain
employment and be
successful in their
chosen occupations,
which benefits
themselves, the
workforce, the
community and the
economy.
- Yorke & Knight (2006)

4. What is happening in higher education
• Universities are changing. Why?
• Stronger links with business, society and academic worlds
• Privileged few to mass higher education with vocational focus
• Higher social accountability
• Influences pedagogy, educational practices and knowledge production
• Increased global investment
• More graduates – greater diversity and choice of degree
• Well educated workforce
• University – business model?
• Educators – what is our role?

5. What do industry and government
expect of graduates?
• Industry
• Industry ready graduates - skilled and knowledgeable
• ‘On the job’ training time reduced
• Graduates who match labour market needs
• Attributes and skills required vary from org to org (confusing for
students)
• Government
• Tertiary Education Strategy 2014-2019 (New Zealand Government, 2014)
• Clear focus on preparation for employment
• Higher education fees

6. What about parents and prospective
students?
• WELL PAID JOBS
WITH CAREER
PROSPECTS!
• Everyone goes to
university now?
• Expectations
possibly stemming
from “I have paid
for this”. Money
well spent?
• Relevance to what?

7. What do academics expect of their
graduates?
• Graduate profiles may include:
• Leaders of self and others
• Effective communicators
• Adaptive and innovative
• Critical thinkers
• Research literate
• Professional and ethical
global citizens
• Work ready, career ready, future
ready
• Future academics and Nobel
prize winners

8. Where is the tension and disconnect?
• Contemporary academics
• Passionate about research?
• Passionate about teaching?
• Technologically savvy?
• Latest developments in research versus workplace reality
• What is the purpose of a university degree and for whom?
• Differing perspectives – how to align
• How can we enable student to see how their academic
progress while supporting industry requirements
• What does the industry want from a E-portfolio

9. Can E-portfolios help bridge this gap?
• One platform with multiple functions
• Application of theory to practice
• Identify personal and professional development
• Examine academic progress
• Easy access to information across several years of
work
• Provide evidence required by industry
• Students who engage in developing their
employability are likely to be independent, reflective
and responsible learners?
• YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES?

10. Mahara – My experiences J
• Understanding the
functions of the
platform
• Research and study
leave
• Student “guinea
pig”
• Post graduate
student

11. Where to from here?
• Develop a research
proposal?
• Your experiences?
• Your suggestions?

12. Thank you for your
contributions J

13. References
• Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York, NY: Touchstone.
• Jarvis, P. (2000). Globalisation, the learning society and comparative education. Comparative
Education, 36(3), 343–355. doi:10.1080/713656613
• New Zealand Government. (2014). Tertiary education strategy 2014–2019. Wellington, New Zealand:
Author. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Further-education/Tertiary-
Education-Strategy.pdf
• Parker, L. D. (2012). From privatisedto hybrid corporatised higher education: A global financial
management discourse. Financial Accountability & Management, 28(3), 247–268. doi:10.1111/j.1468-
0408.2012.00544.x
• Peach, D., Cates, C., Jones, J., Lechleiter, H., & Ilg, B. (2011). Responding to rapid change in higher
education: Enabling university departments responsible for work related programs through boundary
spanning. Journal of Cooperative Education and Internships, 45(1), 94–106.
• Waller, R., Holford, J., Jarvis, P., Milana, M., & Webb, S. (2014). Widening participation, social mobility
and the role of universities in a globalized world. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 33(6),
701–704. doi:10.1080/02601370.2014.972082
• Yorke, M., & Knight, P. (2006). Embedding employability into the curriculum (Vol. 3): Higher Education
Academy York.
• Zepke, N., Nugent, D., & Leach, L. (2011). Reflection to transformation: A self-help book for teachers
(2nd ed.). Wellington, New Zealand: Dunmore.