Assessment Articles

Assessment Articles: Trimester 1, 2020-21
Scenario: allocation of funding to enhance employability skills among ARUL students
The question of how ARUL can enhance the employability skills of its students is currently
being considered. A small amount of funding is available to support any initiative aimed at
improving the employability skills of ARUL students, although the money available will only
cover the expenses of ONE initiative. Possible options include offering foreign language
classes, developing students’ computer and ICT skills, or offering courses in more advanced
“critical digital literacies” in relation to employability. Using the texts provided below,
consider what action should be taken. You should consider what factors might be relevant,
the strengths and weaknesses of several possible solutions, and finally decide on what
action you will take.
You were going to discuss this as part of a student representative focus group, but due to
unavoidable circumstances the group will not be able to meet and so you must produce an
individual report of the key issues. Your report will evaluate policies ARUL could adopt to
improve and enhance the employability skills of its students, summarise the issues, and give
a recommendation for action.
Article 1: (Beyene 2018)
Language skills: way to get a job?
Beyene, S. (2018). Language skills: way to get a job? The Guardian. London, Guardian News
and Media Limited.
Universities should do more to help students learn languages while studying, says Settit
Beyene
With 48 applications for each graduate job vacancy and 2:1 degrees being handed out, it’s
no surprise that students are throwing themselves into internships and voluntary work. But
given the lack of bilingual English graduates, is learning a language an alternative way to
stand out?
Clara, a recent graduate who is now working in marketing, puts her job success down to her
degree choice – French. “My language skills definitely made job hunting easier. Being able to
speak French is a skill that I have over other graduates and being able to deal with
international clients is a boost to my company.”
There are also more opportunities to find a permanent job in another country, either for a
few years or a longer period of time. Data released by the Higher Education Statistics
Agency in 2017 shows that out of those who graduated from full or part time degrees at UK
institutions in 2015-16, 7,165 of the 281,750 graduates that year went to work abroad in
89% of the nations around the world in the first six months after finishing their degrees.
Destinations close to home such as France (the most popular country among those working
abroad), and Spain attracted most of those who went to work abroad, but many also went
further afield – including to China. It’s worth noting that there are more opportunities for
working abroad in some sectors than others – 34.3% of those who found employment
abroad graduated from STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) degrees.
But what about students who are studying different subjects? Given that only 38% of Brits
speak a foreign language (compared to 56% of Europeans), it’s unlikely there are many
polyglots among us. While in many sectors languages are not essential, they are increasingly
seen as a transferable skill – and often one which can attract increased salary offers when
looking for work. Being able to speak German, Japanese and French have all been found to
increase the salaries of workers in the US, whilst here in the UK German, Arabic and French
were the three best paid languages.
The languages which offer the highest salary premiums aren’t necessarily those with the
most job opportunities out there, however. While data from job search engine Adzuna
found that jobs requiring German (average salary £34,534), Arabic (average salary £34,122)
and French (average salary £32,646) were among both the highest paying languages in the
UK and those with the most job opportunities available, there were more positions available
for languages which paid less than the top ten such as Swedish and Polish. So, while learning
Welsh may net a higher salary (£27,857 on average) – jobs requiring the language may be
much more difficult to find compared to other tongues which are spoken more widely.
University may be the perfect time to learn a language. Most students have fairly flexible
schedules, and universities may be able to offer support. Despite the uncertainty over Brexit
which may make moving to different countries to use languages in the workplace more
challenging, it is still likely there will be some demand for multilingual workers in the future.
It is not even necessary to be fluent in a second-tongue to boost chances in the job market.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) found that 74% of employers recruit applicants
with conversational ability rather than those who are word perfect. They believe this can
“help break the ice, deepen cultural understanding, and open business access to new
markets.”
It might be argued that computer translation technology is advancing so fast that learning
another language may become obsolete. Who needs to learn another language studying
over the next few years if technology will make instant translation possible in the near
future? Also, there may be pressure to learn ‘important’ or ‘useful’ languages (such as
Mandarin) and less freedom to choose to study a language purely for interest. Nevertheless,
Deborah Till of the University of Nottingham careers service says language is becoming a top
priority for companies. “Increasingly, multinational companies value language skills as an
added extra when considering applications.” Law firm Eversheds is among those awarding
bonus points to applicants with foreign language skills.
Regardless of skill level, taking the time to learn a foreign language will be something extra
for a CV that will help applicants stand out in an increasingly crowded jobs market. Learning
any language can also give transferable skills which are useful in any line of work – including
inter-cultural awareness, communication, confidence, and teamwork.
Article 2: (ICDL 2019)
Computer and ICT skills: The Fallacy of the Digital Native
ICDL (2019) “Computer and ICT skills: The Fallacy of the Digital Native.” ICDL The Digital Skills
Standard ECDL Foundation.
It is commonly assumed that with the increasing ubiquity of devices and software packages
being utilised across all professional, academic, and educational spheres, students entering
the work place are likely to be well-trained in the use of general ICT. Essentially, because
young people all have smart phones and appear to know more about ‘technology’ than
older generations, there is an expectation that young people entering the workplace will
naturally have all the basic computer and ICT skills needed to function effectively. On the
other hand, employers often complain that even university graduates lack some of the most
basic computer literacy skills and need extensive further training before becoming
productive workers. What is needed is more understanding about the ICT skills levels
graduates should have, which ones they actually have, and whether they are able gauge
their own levels and abilities accurately.
ICDL Foundation’s new report brings together the results of research into self-perception of
ICT skills, and the reality, measured with a practical test. The new report includes findings
from studies conducted in across Asia, reinforcing the original findings from various
European countries.
A common finding across all the studies, which asked participants to rate their own skills,
then used practical tests to find out their real skill levels, was that people routinely
overestimate their ICT abilities (the basic information, software, and device management
skills). In the study conducted by OCG in Austria, 94% of participants described their skills as
“average” to “very good”, but only 39% of them achieved a corresponding test result. In
Singapore, 88.5% of participants rated their general digital skills as ‘fair’ to ‘excellent’, but
only 55% achieved that level.
One interesting finding of the study in Switzerland was that holders of a computer skills
certificate (ICDL) did significantly better than average. Clearly, structured training that leads
to recognised certification is a key way to close these digital skills gaps and make students
more ready to enter the world of employment.
Fallacy of the ‘digital native’
It is often claimed that ‘we live in the age of the digital native’. But there is still a question
whether young people, especially university students, can truly pick up digital skills
intuitively. While it may be true in some cases that students can naturally acquire the
relevant computer and ICT skills they need for the modern workplace, the idea of ‘digital
natives’ could potentially be a dangerous fallacy that risks leaving young people without the
competences they need for the workplace. In addition, it risks leaving businesses without
the skilled employees they need. In an age when ICT skills are essential in almost any job,
studies have repeatedly shown that in many cases young people have serious gaps in their
knowledge of the most basic ICT workplace skills. A recent study in Australia, for example,
showed that 45% of students could be described as rudimentary digital technology users.
There are courses available which are internationally recognised, such as the International
Computer Driving License (ICDL), which could be adopted to teach students a range of basic
computer skills needed in most workplaces situations. Although these kinds of courses may
be expensive and often do not include more complex training in areas such as safety and
wellbeing online, as well as vital GDPR requirements, they are likely to cover a range of
useful skills including:
• Understanding key concepts and carrying out key activities relating to hardware and
software
• Managing files and folders, storing data, and managing applications
• Understanding network concepts, and connecting to a network
• Finding and managing online information effectively, and managing browser settings
• Understanding considerations relating to the effective use of common
communication tools
• Sending, receiving, and managing emails, and using calendars.
• Understanding basic potential threats and ways to protect computers, devices, and
data.
Technology is a key element of every modern job. Working with computers and devices, as
well as using online tools and applications effectively are requirements for everyone. The
skills listed above are not all that will be required across the workplace, and indeed, the list
is constantly changing and adapting as technology advances. It would seem, therefore, that
there is still a vital need for digital skills development programmes to be part of all forms of
education, especially given the evidence suggesting so called ‘digital natives’ may not
possess all the skills they believe or require.
Article 3: (Alexander, Adams Becker et al. 2016)
Critical Digital Literacy in the 21st Century
Alexander, B., S. Adams Becker and M. Cummins (2016). Critical Digital Literacy in the 21st Century.
Austin Texas, The New Media Consortium. 3.3: 1-18.
While the concept of developing basic ICT skills has been well examined and in many cases is
implemented into the curriculum at all levels, the usage of online multimedia continues to
expand and develop exponentially. As a result, students and workers for the future will need
a deeper set of skills to be able to deal critically with the vast amounts of information
available from sources varying in reliability.
Let us be clear, the basic ‘universal’ ICT literacy in areas such as manipulating data through
different devices and platforms are still essential to the modern professional workplace. An
employee who struggles to transfer information from a spreadsheet to an email will still be
ill-equipped for the modern workplace. Nevertheless, job roles are increasingly requiring
employees to make choices about the quality and reliability of the data they handle, as well
as maintaining security in a world where regulations and norms are changing almost as
quickly as the technologies themselves. As a result, we advocate teaching a deeper form of
‘digital literacy’ designed to allow students to develop, for example, the digital problem
solving and teamwork skills needed to develop creative projects. In addition, students need
practice and development in ‘critical digital literacy’, where they can learn to be more
discerning in the types of information they choose to access and the judgements they make
about what to do with them.
Defining what can be meant by ‘critical digital literacies’ can be problematic and complex.
One definition originally proposed Seven Elements Model of Digital Literacies which have
now evolved into a Digital Capability Framework (see Figure 1) comprising of six elements—
ICT proficiency; information data and media literacies; digital creation, problem solving and
innovation; digital communication, collaboration and participation; digital learning and
development; and digital identity and wellbeing—with 15 sub-elements recognizing a
combination of functional skills, critical use, creative production, participation,
development, and self-actualizing (Jisc, 2016).
Figure 1: Digital Capability Framework
While these skills are complex and perhaps too much to consider developing into a single
module at university, or even embedding fully across a programme, they can still, however,
provide a useful guide for the kind of employability skills that go further than the simple
abilities to manipulate office documents and send and receive communications. They key
point is to take students beyond the basic ICT and give students practice and development
of the skills needed to take technology and make use of it at the next level. This could be
identifying and categorising data sources in terms of usefulness and reliability for a nosiness
purpose, for example, or collaborating to find novel and creative ways to make use of
platforms that already exist to get more out of them.
It is clear how the development of these skills can help foster improved colleague
interaction and even lead to more creativity and better outcomes in projects. Nevertheless,
there are potential issues for institutions considering integrating these skills into their
teaching. Firstly, as mentioned above, the exact definition of critical digital literacy is hard to
pin down and constantly changing. It may therefore be difficult and possibly expensive to
devise courses that are able to identify the required skills and then develop them
effectively. A related issue may be in the assessment of these skills and developing an
agreed set of standards that can be recognised by employers.
Another issue is that of course developing ‘critical literacy skills’ meaningfully of any kind
relies upon students already having an effective grasp of basic ICT skills. Though some may
see this as a challenge, we believe that fostering more in-depth and critical skills from the
outset is not only essential to adequately prepare the workforce for the future world of
employment, but also the most effective way to develop the skills necessary to deal with
almost all aspects of life in the modern age.
References (adapted from)
Alexander, B., S. Adams Becker and M. Cummins (2016). Critical Digital Literacy in the 21st Century.
Austin Texas, The New Media Consortium. 3.3: 1-18.
Beyene, S. (2018). Language skills: way to get a job? The Guardian. London, Guardian News and
Media Limited.
ICDL (2019) “Computer and ICT skills: The Fallacy of the Digital Native.” ICDL The Digital Skills
Standard ECDL Foundation.