Over 125 UNE Education students explored career options at an “about to graduate” event hosted by UNE Sydney and the UNE Student Teacher Society on Saturday, 28 March.
Education Careers Connect 2020, which is open to UNE education students based in Sydney, Tamworth and Taree, usually features stalls and people milling around.
But as restrictions on people’s mobility escalated because of the coronavirus pandemic, a quick redesign was in order.
Face-to-face sessions were converted to online through a newly created Moodle unit. This quick pivot allowed the event to continue with key employers, TeachNSW, NESA and TeachQLD, linking with students via Zoom.
“On the day over 60 students accessed the sessions live and received key information on future employment as a teacher in NSW, Queensland and the UK,” Elise Dale, Student Support officer and event organiser said.
Elise’s co-host, Rhiannon Davidson is President of the UNE Student Teacher Society and was also very pleased with the event outcome.
“Key stakeholders including Teachers Mutual Bank (TMB) talked about TMB scholarships they have available while social media specialist Janna Hayes from UNE highlighted the potential of LinkedIn for teachers and how it can assist them with their career plans,” Rhiannon said.
UNE’s Office of Professional Learning hosted two sessions, speaking to students about all things placement. TeachNSW focussed on rural and remote jobs in NSW, a key opportunity for teachers looking to broaden their teaching experience in three regions supported through employer incentives while Smart Technology presented on SMARTBoard software and its uses for the classroom and lesson planning.
Overall, both students and staff thought the event successful. “We have all also learned much about online event delivery,” Elise said.
“Key take home tips include ensuring presenters home background are neat and tidy, that another person is available to moderate chat questions, and how to use the follow-on option for further discussion in the forum activity.”
Overall, both UNE Sydney and the UNE Student Teacher Society were very pleased with the inclusiveness the online platform offered students.
“We had participants from rural and regional locations such as Gunnedah and Broken Hill as well as Queensland-based students,” Elise said.
The sessions were also recorded and will be uploaded into the Moodle unit site for students who weren’t able to join in on the day.
“We want to thank the UNE Online Learning Team for supporting such a rapid transition. We are now set up to organise future events using the new Moodle unit site, which will ensure continued inclusion for our students across Australia.
For more information contact Elise Dale email sydney@une.edu.au
