The ‘Non-Advising’ Advising Model
In this presentation we will introduce a unique model of student engagement that is student-centred, holistic and realistic. The Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice are cross-disciplinary courses designed to provide students with tailored professional development. Each student’s combination of units is uniquely their own, chosen to deliver the knowledge they need for their next career transition. At the heart of the course is the core unit, DYPP500, Developing Your Professional Practice, a career development unit that delivers relevant student resources in an asynchronous, individualised online learning environment.
The online component is complemented by a team of qualified and experienced career professionals, who provide information, education and career coaching to students, consciously connecting study to professional aspirations.
Over the three years that we have been offering these courses, the overwhelmingly positive feedback from students has vindicated our original design brief. This model of student ‘advising’ is scalable and could be replicated in other contexts.
Airlie is a qualified careers professional and has worked in the field for 20 years. Her interests include the role of serendipity, creativity and curiosity in driving transitions for individuals and organizations in complex dynamical systems. In 2017, she was awarded the CDAA National Award for Excellence – Career Practitioner of the Year. She is the course and unit coordinator, and leads the Career Concierge Team, responsible for the development and delivery of the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice. Airlie taught the CICA and DET accredited Graduate Certificate in Career Development through the UNE School of Education for 10 years (2011-2020). Airlie has degrees in Economics and Social Science, and in her first career worked as a management consultant with PwC. She consults to government and corporate clients, particularly in relation to regional employment and education.
Kate Pardy has worked at UNE for ten years, across a range of student support functions. Kate is a key member of the design team for the Graduate Certificate in Professional Practice, and the DYPP500. She team teaches in the DYPP500. Kate is an accredited careers practitioner, and in her role as Career Concierge Kate assists students with reflecting on and consolidating their professional identity and affecting positive agency so they may successfully navigate their desired career transition. As part of the teaching team for the core unit, Kate’s role encompasses the functions of career coaching, education and information provision for students. She provides a point of contact for students, a sounding board and a guide for them consciously connecting their study to their professional aspirations.
Anna’s role within the Career Concierge team has been as an advocate, offering holistic support for students studying the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice. Anna has a skill for traversing the tricky and sometimes laborious university systems and processes, advocating on behalf of the student and actively listening to their needs and what they require from university. Anna acts as the conduit between the student’s world and the university world. Having studied extensively at university in the areas of science, social health and human nutrition, Anna is able to empathise with the demands students face as they juggle life, family, work and study. Her focus is ensuring students are successful in their academic pursuits, but also their time at UNE has fulfilled their personal and career aspirations in achieving postgraduate qualifications.