Developing Professional Skills Portfolio for Psychology Students

Swingler, M. (2023) Developing Professional Skills Portfolio for Psychology Students. Project Report. University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Professional Skills aims to support students in identifying and reflecting on existing skills to enhance opportunities in line with future career goals, informed by the QAA benchmark statement’s emphasis on development of transferable skills throughout the degree (QAA, 2019). A BPS accredited psychology degree is required for graduates to be eligible for further post graduate training as a practitioner psychologist (BPS, nd). The course learning activities address BPS accreditation standards by supporting students’ personal and professional development in articulating how their learning equips them with transferable skills and taking responsibility for their own learning and skill development (BPS, 2019). Students collate an individual portfolio using 2 assessments from a choice of 5 areas: CV and application; reflection on volunteer/paid work experience; science communication; open science; and a reflection on graduate attributes and goal setting. Students develop a rationale for their choice of assessment focused on their career goal and a reflect how the activities developed their professional skills, and support for developing a rationale is provided in the first lecture. The course is informed by the British Psychological Society career pathways (BPS, 2022), but also recognises that at least 80% of psychology graduates go onto non-psychology careers (Morrison-Coulthard, 2016). Thus, the focus of the activities and resources is transferable to a range of graduate career opportunities and subject disciplines. This case study outlines three of the portfolio assessments: 1. Graduate Attributes Reflection and SMART goal; 2. Volunteer/work reflection; and 3. Succeeding as a candidate (CVS and application).

• Item Type: Research Reports or Papers (Project Report)
• Keywords: Employability, professional skills, graduate attributes, Higher Education.
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Swingler, Dr Maxine
• Authors: Swingler, M.
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology; L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education; L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2361 Curriculum
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
• Research Centre: Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) > Quantum and Nanotechnology
• Publisher: University of Glasgow
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 University of Glasgow
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with the permission of the author

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