The Tertiary Preparation Program Intensive School for Year 12 school leavers offers young people from low socio-economic backgrounds an alternative pathway to university, a second chance at tertiary entrance and ultimately for some, a fast track to a better future. By adding Facebook and other social media to the teaching toolkit, opportunities expand for the students from non-traditional backgrounds to transition to university culture and to expand their social networks

Hopkins, Susan

Ryan, Naomi

English

University of Southern Queensland ePrints

Dr Susan HopkinsNaomi RyanThe University of SouthernQueensland’s Open AccessCollege has long offered anexemplary Tertiary PreparationProgram (TPP) which gives individuals theskills they need for tertiary study andguaranteed entry to a USQ undergraduatedegree. Extending this work, the USQToowoomba campus trialled an Intensivemode TPP with the intention of wideningparticipation and raising aspirations ofrecently finished Year 12 school leaversfrom low socio-economic status (LSES)identified schools1. Participating students in the first USQTPP Intensive School were a uniquegroup of twenty 17–18 year olds fromidentified LSES secondary schoolsacross Toowoomba, Brisbane andIpswich, and smaller rural towns such asMillmerran and Pittsworth. With a focus on assisting this group ofschool leavers with their lifelong careerdevelopment, an innovative use of socialmedia was employed; with Facebookproducing a number of surprising andpositive outcomes across academicdevelopment and social integration. These students faced challengesexceeding the usual obstacles faced byyoung people from economicallydisadvantaged backgrounds. Comingstraight to us from Year 12, they did nothave the same opportunity to mature overa long summer holiday which otheruniversity students enjoy. Many had neverbeen away from home before and did notknow anyone else enrolled in theprogram. As well as adapting to a fastpaced academic schedule within a cultureof independent learning, the studentsalso needed to acclimate to sharingaccommodation and meal times with theirpeers, within the culture of residentialcolleges. Pastoral care was an importantaspect of the program. This wasenhanced by having a Residential Adviserwho coordinated social activities andassisted after hours with study sessions.Lecturers faced challenges too. Not onlydid they need to teach mathematical,academic communication, studymanagement and career developmentskills essential to completing anundergraduate degree, but to alsoprovide a social and cultural experiencewhich would help the students settleinto and experience university life. Our solution was to create a TPPIntensive Group within the socialnetworking site Facebook. It proved tobe a great success as it facilitated andfast tracked both learning managementand social integration.There was an immediate uptake by themajority of the students who alreadyhad Facebook accounts and profiles. Weplaced notifications on the site inrelation to arrival at campus, orientationand planned social events—and by thefirst day of teaching, students haduploaded and shared photos of eachother and their new environment.Informal peer learning had also begun inFacebook and the fast-track to betterfutures for disadvantaged youthMs. Naomi Ryan Career Development PractitionerDr. Susan Hopkins Associate LecturerOpen Access College, University of Southern Queensland( +61 7 4631 2603 ˝ facebook.com/#!/groups/428105350577140/?fref=tsAustralian Career Practitioner Spring 2013 13FEATUREThe Tertiary Preparation Program Intensive School for Year 12school leavers offers young people from low socio-economicbackgrounds an alternative pathway to university, a secondchance at tertiary entrance and ultimately for some, a fast trackto a better future. By adding Facebook and other social media tothe teaching toolkit, opportunities expand for the students fromnon-traditional backgrounds to transition to university culture andto expand their social networks. The Intensive School provides not only fee-free tuition, but free transport to and from campus, accommodation in the University ResidentialCollege for those who require it, and meals and social activities. response to the uploaded teachingresources. Most were already familiarwith the informal language and‘friending’ conventions of thistechnology from their everyday sociallives, so they were comfortable using itin their transition to higher education. In post-program evaluation surveys, 67%of respondents rated the Facebook siteas ‘Excellent’ while 33% rated it ‘Good’.Even after accessing the official onlineLearning Management System ourstudents tended to check their Facebookprofiles more regularly than the USQStudy Desk and email accounts throughtheir ever-present ‘smart’ phones andother mobile, personal, ‘always on’communication technologies.Students commented: “Facebook site… Love it” and that the Facebook sitewas “Simple. [and a] Reliable way tocommunicate with friends and teachers. Facebook allowed us to chart the growthof the students. And even after graduation,they continue to visit the site to supporteach other and compare experiences ofundergraduate study. It has facilitatedsocial links based on mutual benefit andcollaboration which provide strong socialsupport networks; an important factordetermining career and study success,especially for young people. Career development practitionersunderstand that students need more thaneducational credentials or educational‘capital’ to successfully manage theircareer lifelong; they also need socialnetworks or social capital. For the digitalgeneration, Facebook is a tool forbecoming networking savvy alongside thedevelopment of academic skill sets. Notonly is a sense of social cohesion andconnectedness useful in the short term ofa preparatory course, the capacity tonetwork and maintain mutually beneficialsocial relationships is increasinglyessential for long term career success. It is “imperative that people developnetworking skills”2 because theyenhance the individual’s social capitaland without it, students are more likelyto feel isolated and disconnected. It mayultimately see a student drop out. Putsimply, in a competitive job market, acredential is almost worthless withoutprofessional ‘others’ to mentor andsupport and vouch for you. In post-industrial workplaces where employeesare increasingly expected to be flexible,mobile, entrepreneurial and adaptable,online or ‘virtual’ social capital can helpsmooth transitions and maximise career opportunities.The internet is a powerful tool offeringaccess to a career resource library, amarketplace of opportunities, and aspace for exchange of social capital3.Career practitioners are already involvedwith the use of ICT in their servicessuch when teaching clients to use socialnetworking to assist with job searchstrategies, but it is also necessary toprovide instruction in their benefits tocareer development.Preparatory programs such as this,aiming to improve the life chances fordisadvantaged groups, need to takesocial networking seriously and explicitlyas a skill which can be learned andpracticed. Bridging this gap is oftenabout making connections through socialnetworking sites—and for young people,just as important as formal and moretraditional forums and networks. Career development is an importantaspect of the TPP program. Thecurriculum is written to covercompetencies mapped to the AustralianBlueprint of Career Development (ABCD)and is aimed at both adults and studentsin senior/post compulsory school or itsequivalent. Creatively, student onlineFacebook profiles, where studentsexplored and exchanged potential new‘selves’ and potential new futures online,complemented the work within the‘Developing and Maintaining PositiveSelf-concept’ competency of the ABCD . The curriculum introduced the studentsto career education and decision making—requiring them to completetwo assignments: a self-assessment and career exploration exercise using the myfuture website(www.myfuture.edu.au); with thesecond about career decision makingusing a rational and logical approach.Students also received a presentationfrom a career development practitionerfrom the USQ Careers and EmploymentService to affirm the services availableto them. In addition, career counsellingsessions were offered within the firstweek of the Intensive School and alsothe last. This helped each student toestablish dialogue on what they hopedto achieve out of the Intensive program,why they had chosen to participate, andto offer information on career pathways. The high level of career assistanceproved extremely useful for studentsand evidence suggested it also assistedwith the raising of aspirations.Disadvantaged or marginalised youthwho may or may not have had careeraspirations were able to spend timelearning about themselves, learningabout the world of work, exploringcareer opportunities and also building ontheir self-concept through the use ofsocial media. This all occurred whilst in asafe environment amongst peers whileconcurrently, gaining academic skills toprepare them for further study. In post program evaluation surveys, 80%of respondents indicated that the TPPIntensive School had assisted them inrealising their potential. The raising ofaspirations had taken place and more than85% of the students went on to enrol inundergraduate programs for 2013. The TPP intensive School will run in thesummer of 2013 the at the Toowoombacampus of USQ. We welcome enquiriesfrom career development practitioners—and do ‘friend’ us on Facebook! 1 Funded through the Higher Education Participation andPartnerships Program (HEPPP) 2011 PartnershipsCompetitive Grant Process2 Sommerlund & Boutaiba, 2007, p. 536 as cited inStrehlke, C. (2010). Social network sites: a startingpoint for career development practitioners. Journal ofEmployment Counseling, 47, 38–48.3 Hooley, T. (2012). How the internet changed career:framing the relationship between career developmentand online technologies. Journal of the NationalInstitute for Career Education and Counselling, 29, 3–12.Australian Career Practitioner Spring 201314FEATURE

Facebook and the fast-track to better futures for disadvantaged youth

http://eprints.usq.edu.au/35008/1/FBandFastTrackFutureACP_Spring%202013%2013.pdf

Facebook and the fast-track to better futures for disadvantaged youth

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