Surfacing skills… in an event with externals
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Title of case study |
Surfacing skills… in an event with externals |
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School/Subject:
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School of Infection & Immunity |
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Lecturer(s): |
Leighann Sherry |
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Course: |
Medical Microbiology |
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Student Level: |
3 |
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Class size: |
35-45 |
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Location: |
Hybrid |
Brief summary
The ’LinkedIn to Get In’ event to be discussed in this case study, spans 2 workshops:
Workshop 1 - focuses on networking with alumni. Students work in pairs to select and connect with a graduate from their University of Glasgow LinkedIn degree group. They then arrange an interview to learn about the alum’s career journey, the decisions that shaped it and the skills required for their role. This process enhances students’ awareness of potential career paths and the skills needed to pursue them.
Workshop 2 - the ‘Skills Information Day’. Each group presents the alums career path and shares insights from their discussion on future skills requirements. On completion of the information day, all students understand ~20 diverse opportunities open to them and the knowledge of how to prepare themselves for these roles in the future. In addition, students are required to write a reflective blog, identifying what changes they intend to make to better prepare themselves for future employment, based on their interaction with alumni. This session is interactive and presentation based.
Each group shares insights from their alumni interviews, outlining career pathways and highlighting future skills demands. By the end of the workshops, students are exposed to around 20 diverse career opportunities and gain practical knowledge on how to prepare for them.
To consolidate their learning, each student writes a reflective blog identifying changes they plan to make to better prepare for employment.
Together, these workshops provide valuable opportunities for students to engage directly with alumni and employers, expand their understanding of the job market and develop essential future skills such as digital literacy, online professionalism and effective communication.
Objectives
- Raise awareness of diverse career opportunities available to graduates by facilitating interactions with alumni.
- Embed employability-focused digital skills into the curriculum, supporting students in developing future skills that are relevant to the modern job market.
- Support reflective writing to enable students to be proactive in preparing for their career journey by identifying what future skills they need to develop during their studies.
What is done?
The ‘LinkedIn to Get In’ activity is most suited to students entering their 3rd year of undergraduate study, as at this point they have committed to their degree pathway. The workshop is delivered into 2 sessions:
Session 1: Introduction & interview preparation
Students are introduced to the features of LinkedIn, supported in creating a professional profile and introduced to networking etiquette. Students are invited to join a closed degree-specific LinkedIn groups. All life science subjects have a closed, degree-specific LinkedIn group, which students can join; these groups are open only to current students and alumni. In pairs, students identify an alum from the group, connect and undertake a ~30 min interview (in person or online), discussing their career pathway and skills required in their role.
Session 2: Peer presentations
Following the alumni interviews, students return to the classroom and present the findings of their interview to their peers, approximately 5 weeks after session 1. This session highlights ~20 diverse employment routes open to students undertaking the same degree, including those that do not require further study and are non-science. This session highlights the skills students need to pursue specific career pathways and gives them the opportunity to discuss with peers how they plan to develop these skills.
Within one week of the presentation day, students are required to submit a reflective piece of writing that considers what they now understand about the job market following their alumni interview, what surprised them most about their conversation and 2 actions they will commit to which will develop their skill portfolio and will enhance their employment prospects. In addition, each pair writes up their alumni discussion into a blog, creating material that allows the class to go back and review at any point during their studies.
What works well?
Delivered at the start of level 3, this workshop encourages students to meet and collaborate with classmates early in the year, fostering relationships that support them throughout their programme.
Students interact directly with alumni, gaining authentic insights into career paths and employer expectations. Some students have even been offered informal mentoring after the class activity. Using a live platform like LinkedIn provides students with real-time job information, rather than static profiles.
Benefits (students & staff)
Student benefits
Digital literacy & online professionalism
- Learn to create and manage professional profiles.
- Develop confidence in using LinkedIn and other platforms responsibly, understanding features, etiquette and strategies for professional networking
Networking & communication
- Conduct interviews with alumni to practice professional communication.
- Present findings to peers, enhancing oral communication and building confidence in a group setting.
Career awareness & research skills
- Gain exposure to diverse career paths through authentic alumni stories.
- Develop understanding of employer expectations, recruitment processes and skills required for different roles.
Reflective & analytical thinking
- Reflect on alumni journeys to identify future skills and career strategies.
- Analyse how LinkedIn can be used to support long term career plans beyond job searching, such as portfolio building and informal opportunities.
Staff benefits
Enhances curriculum relevance
- Embeds real-world employability and future skills into undergraduate teaching.
- Aligns academic learning with real-world professional practice.
Supports student engagement
- Facilitates active learning through alumni interviews and peer presentations.
- Motivates students to take earlier ownership of their career development.
Strengthens alumni relations
- Fosters sustainable connections among staff, alumni and students through closed LinkedIn groups, creating opportunities for mentoring and building a lasting professional learning community
Fosters inclusive career exploration
- Supports students from diverse backgrounds in exploring non-traditional career paths beyond academia.
Challenges (students & staff)
The main challenge of embedding this workshop into the curriculum is the pre-teaching administrative workload. This includes compiling a list of willing alumni happy to engage with the task. In addition, some students can feel hesitant about networking, especially in a professional online setting. This initial low confidence in using LinkedIn can affect participation, with some groups refusing to engage with the workshop altogether. One way around this is to request students to confirm (via an online spreadsheet) when they have connected with alumni and arranged and completed the interview. This creates clarity over which groups have engaged and which group require further support.
Another challenge is students in their third year of study tend to have a content heavy curriculum and if there is no assessment associated with this workshop, students may deprioritise it. Many courses assess presentations skills and therefore this workshop could be summatively assessed, promoting higher student engagement.
What did you learn?
The ‘LinkedIn to Get In’ workshop provides staff with alumni destinations, allowing us to discuss diverse career pathways with students and help to support their learning and skill development, ensuring they are equipped for their next steps. The discussion that comes out of the student presentations enables staff to reflect on what, how and why we teach, ensuring our curriculum is up to date, accurate and prepares students for the workforce.
What advice would you give to others?
Work collaboratively with colleagues across the university to deliver this session. As an academic, I can bring subject specific knowledge and experience to the workshop but I am not an expert in the employability or have insight to labour market information. It’s essential this workshop is delivered by a cross-disciplinary team who can bring their insight into the delivery of the session.