Widening Participation and Employability: New Opportunities for Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences (GEES)
LTSN-GEES Residential Conference
Monday July 5th and Tuesday July 6th 2004
The Royal Court Hotel, Warwickshire
Contents:
What is this Conference About?
Widening participation and student employability are two of the key agendas facing Higher Education in the UK. However, despite considerable expansion across the sector as a whole, students from low socio-economic backgrounds still remain a minority group. As a result, all institutions are now expected to give priority to recruiting from these backgrounds. Teaching the more diverse body of students will open up new opportunities for learning and teaching in GEES.
As well as needing to take a closer look at students on entry to HE, institutions are also required to assist their students in preparing for exit to the world of work, and with top-up fees, departmental employability records are likely to become still more central in relation to both recruitment and league tables. So, if we are going to attract a more diverse student population into GEES, then these same students will have to believe that our degrees will result in them obtaining a rewarding and fulfilling career. Capitalising on these two important government agendas can provide new opportunities for GEES staff to enhance the student learning experience.
Key questions to discuss at this important event will include:
- How can we attract more students from disadvantaged backgrounds into GEES?
- What are the implications for learning, teaching and assessment?
- How best can we link the widening participation and employability agendas?
- What can be done to enhance our GEES students' employment prospects?
- And, what support and advice is available for GEES staff working with these agendas?
This timely and unique residential conference will feature workshops, presentations and scenarios on these key learning and teaching issues. Add to this keynote speeches, plenaries and plenty of informal networking, and you have a conference forum ideal for lively debate and action planning.
Through show-casing good practice in these areas, delegates will be able to improve their personal management of the widening participation and employability relationship and in addition help lead the debate and stimulate change within their own departments and institutions.
Finally, don't forget the conference BBQ, cheese and wine reception and the hotel's health and fitness club (including indoor pool, gym, sauna and steam rooms) - all included in the conference fee!
How Can I Contribute?
Delegates will be given the opportunity to formally contribute to the conference through short paper presentations on the conference themes of WP and employability. Contributions can be made on both days.
To encourage participation we will be offering a prize to the 1st abstract received, the 5th, 10th, 15th and so on...
Guidelines for contributors has further details of how you can contribute (including formats and deadlines).
Programme
DAY 1: Monday 5th July 2004 (Main Theme: Widening Participation)
10:00-10:30 Coffee and Registration
10:30-10:40 Welcome and Introduction
(Brian Chalkley, Subject Centre for GEES)
10:40-11:15 Keynote 1: Widening
Participation - Opportunity and Challenge (PowerPoint - 700KB)
(Sue Hatt, Aimhigher: Partnerships for Progression)
11:15-11:45 Keynote 2: Recruitment
and Retention in GEES (PowerPoint - 80KB)
(Bill Chambers, Dean of Widening Participation, Liverpool Hope University
College)
11:45-12:00 Coffee
12:00-1:00 Parallel Paper Session on Widening Participation
and Employability
Windsor Room - Chair: Yolande Knight, Subject Centre for GEES
- Listening to Students: The Experiences of Disabled
GEES Students of Learning in HE (PowerPoint - 60KB)
(Mick Healey and Tim Hall, School of Environment, University of Gloucestershire) - An analysis of student applications to Geography programmes
(Seraphim Alvanides, School of Geography, University of Newcastle)
Blenheim Room - Chair: Steve Gaskin, Subject Centre for GEES
- WP in Geography at the University of Exeter (PowerPoint
- 230KB)
(Richard Jones, Department of Geography, University of Exeter) - A Geomorphology Resource Pack for schools: Upper
Wharfedale (PowerPoint - 1MB)
(J. Holden, C. Keylock and A. Howard, School of Geography, University of Leeds - presented by Pauline Kneale)
- Geography at Work: concept, integration and implementation
(Brian Whalley, School of Geography, Queen's University Belfast)
1:00-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:30 Workshop: Learning and Teaching
in the 21st Century (PowerPoint - 17KB)
(Helen King and Sharon Gedye, Subject Centre for GEES)
3:30-4:00 Coffee
4:00-5:00 Keynote 3: Widening Participation
- a HEFCE perspective (PowerPoint - 230KB)
(John Rushforth, Director of Widening Participation, HEFCE)
5:00-7:00 Free Time
7:00 Cheese and Wine Reception
7:30 BBQ
DAY 2: Tuesday 6th July 2004 (Main Theme: Employability)
07:00-09:00 Breakfast
09:00-09:05 Recap Day 1 and Introduction to Day 2
09:05-10:00 Keynote 4: 'Dancing
with Gorillas (PowerPoint - 300KB)'
(Paul Redmond, Head of Careers, Liverpool Hope University College)
10:00-11:00 Paper Presentations on Employability:
(Chair: Mike Sanders, Subject Centre for GEES)
- An evaluation of Level 1 student perceptions
about employability, career planning and careers guidance (PowerPoint -
200KB)
(Chris Ribchester and Helen Mitchell, Geography and Careers Service University College Chester) - Geography and employability: the Bulgarian experience
(PowerPoint - 220KB)
(Stelian Dimitrov, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Sofia University, St. Kliment Ohridski) - Developing an employability strategy (PowerPoint
- 230KB)
(Chrissie Gibson, Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University)
11:00-11:15 Coffee
11:15-12:15 Paper Presentations on Employability:
(Chair: Steve Gaskin, Subject Centre for GEES)
- PDPs and career planning: a critical evaluation
(Alan Dingsdale, International Studies, Nottingham Trent University) - Employability of Geography graduates in the GIS and GI-related fields (PowerPoint - 160KB) (Krystyna Brown, School of Geography and Environmental Management, University of the West of England)
- Enabling transition and enhancing employability through effective use of interoperable Individualised Learning Environments (ILEs) (David Croot, School of Geography, University of Plymouth)
12:15-1:15 Lunch
1:15-2:15 Workshop: Tips and Tools
for Enhancing Employability (rtf doc - 27KB)
(Pauline Kneale, School of Geography, University of Leeds and Helen King and
Sharon Gedye, Subject Centre for GEES)
2:15-2:45 GEES Graduate Employability
Survey: Key Findings (PowerPoint - 200KB)
(Sharon Gedye, Employability Research Officer, GEES Subject Centre)
2:45-3:15 Plenary Session: Question Time (with selected
panel members)
(Chair: Brian Chalkley, Subject Centre for GEES)
3:15 Close and Depart