Promote learning survival skills through technology integration in course design

Abstract

In an integrated, dynamic and ever changing world, it is imperative that students are able to transition between jobs irrespective of qualifications. Studies show that graduates are inadequately prepared for the working world. In an attempt to address this need a postgraduate certificate course was redesigned to follow a constructionist approach integrated with mobile technology. Data was collected from 2 learning designers and 29 students, forming a qualitative study. An evaluation of the activities and learning survival skills in the course was done using the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). The results indicated that technology was integrated on various levels and students achieved a multitude of skills, making them more confident in their use of technology. Feelings of anxiety, incompetence and resistance were transformed to resilience, motivation and comfort. The art to address graduate preparedness for work lies in effective course design and a constructionist forward thinking approach to learning.