The Lancaster Award: overcoming
obstacles by adaption and engagement
Jo Hobbs
Diane Richardson
In the beginning………..
LA introduced in 2009
Feedback from employers suggested that students were failing to
articulate the skills they had gained through extra-curricular
activities
Intention was for first year students to start working towards the
Award and complete in their final year.
98 final year student submitted in December 2009
Award Requirements
2 x Campus and Community
1 x Work experience
1 x Insight Course and 1 other workshop
1 x additional skills
Submission Procedure
• Activities Checklist
• Skills Bank
• Application form
• Employer interview
Problems…..
• Students still completing in final year
• Interviews were resource intensive
• Applications not being marked until spring
• Activities had a strong campus focus
• Application procedure was complicated.
Review and Change
Moved the deadline to penultimate year
Removed application form and interview
Compulsory voluntary activity
Online enrolment
Moodle module
Example image
More rigorous marking of the
Skills Bank
Award Submissions
Award Revamp
• Points-based
• Three tiered
• Workshops no longer
compulsory
• New assessment
elements
• More flexibility
• Wider appeal
Example image
Redevelopment of the Award
Points-based with three tiers:
Redevelopment of the Award
• New assessment elements:
Promotion and engagement
Online:
• Website
• Social media
Visual:
• Posters
• Leaflets
• Newsletters
• Promotional goods
Events:
• Open Days
• Freshers’ Fair
• Careers Fairs
• Coffee mornings
Value
• Need to engage university staff
– Departments
– Professional Services
– Students’ Union
• Ensure that we are preparing students for the recruitment
process
• Demonstrate the value of the Award to all students
• Students must understand that the value of the Award is not
the certificate.
Management and Delivery
Management of Award:
• Currently 1,117 students registered for Lancaster Award
• Lancaster Award team itself is comparatively small – it is managed by
Diane along with 4 Careers Advisers
• LA Questions – managed inbox for LA queries
Improving delivery efficiency:
• Online enrolment for students
• Online workshops – introductory session used to run twice weekly
• More online guidance sheets
Submissions and Deadlines
• Moved deadline to end of penultimate year.
• Deadlines are set a year in advance
• Reminders are sent out throughout the year
• October deadline for placement / year abroad students
• Extensions permitted in exceptional circumstances
• Deadline is an important element of the Award process.
Application Standards
Improving submission standards:
• Run skills workshops and STAR sessions
• Example competency answers from previous students
• Offer practice video interviews/run webinars on LinkedIn
• Information guides on Moodle
• Can discuss queries at drop-in sessions
• One skill check
• Students who do not pass on first attempt can resubmit once
Lancaster Excellence
Students who achieve an ‘excellent’ grade at first attempt are
eligible to apply for ‘Lancaster Excellence’.
Assessment
Marking:
• Transparent marking guidelines for written and verbal
responses are shown on the Moodle page
• Graded either: Poor, Further work required, Competent or
Excellent
• CV/LinkedIn marked as either Pass or Fail and individual
feedback is provided
Assessment
• Applications mainly submitted in June so we have time to provide indepth feedback for all applicants – this is the real value of the Award
• Maintain value of Award by not simply passing everyone who submits
• We will fail students on 2nd submission if feedback has been ignored
• Majority of students who do not achieve Award are those who failed
to resubmit following extensive feedback
Future Plans
• Introduction of department specific elements
• Moving more on-line
• Possible move to strength based interview questions to
complement the current focus on competency questions
• Engagement with students on
industrial placement degrees
Lancaster Award Ceremony