Month: June 2021
Reflection on Networking
When I selected this subject, I knew undertaking research would be a challenge for me but I decided to take it on as I know research is an important part of any job this degree will take me into. I enjoyed the research project more than I thought I would as it was a topic I selected and therefore, something I was interested in. The topic I chose was discovering whether networking during online university has been hindered and whether students are at a disadvantage going into the workforce because of this.
I felt like this was a solid research topic as all students in the BCM212 cohort had been learning online and would have input into the topic. This is something I was also passionate about due to my own experience of a lack of meeting people in my degree as I spent two weeks doing face-to-face classes at the beginning of my degree before online learning was introduced. However, I realised this may affect the reflexivity of the research as I had a point I wanted to make rather than showing with research. I learnt that this was okay as long as I was able to recognise this and point it out early.
Some issues I ran into were:
- A small number of respondents to my survey (23) – I felt this wasn’t too little not to carry out the research but I would have liked to have more respondents. I tried to get as many respondents as I could by distributing the survey on Twitter with #BCM212. I also responded to others’ surveys and left links on their posts to my survey for them to return the favour, however not a lot did.
- Writing the opinion piece – I struggled a little bit to put numbers into words and try and elevate the findings of my research into something meaningful.
- Procrastination/deadlines – I felt I did a relatively good job with persevering when I felt at a cross road however, I could have done better by planning my final task in advance to avoid clashing with other deadlines.
I believe my survey questions were well thought out and structured so the respondents had a clear question that also had clear answers to choose from. Next time when undergoing a research task I will plan an alternative method when not getting many respondents on my survey. Although I had stated this as a possibility in the risk matrix, I didn’t have a plan to combat this until it was too late.
Overall, I really enjoyed the topic and have since been researching a lot of different topics with the lessons in mind that I’ve learnt from this subject when reading about research findings. The findings of my research were similar to what I had predicted would come of the results which was that students’ abilities and opportunities to network have been affected. However, although it is clear that networking can play a major role in securing employment, it is unclear whether students are at a disadvantage because of a lack of networking.
Networking abilities and opportunities affected by online classes?
Networking is one of the main reasons why university is a thrilling experience. Meeting people and building relationships that can be beneficial to you in the future are a few of the most important things to come out of the university experience. The Oxford Lexico Dictionary defines networking as “the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.”
However, the impact of the COVID19 pandemic has shifted learning online and has lessened our opportunity to network. The concept of my research for this subject was based around the question of how has online learning affected students ability to network and are they at a disadvantage going into the workforce because of this?
Methodology
The main research method undertaken was a survey that had 23 respondents from the cohort of ‘BCM212 – Undertaking Research Practices’. I found this to be an adequate number to be able to discover the findings as I believe I took all possible steps to get as many respondents as possible by linking my survey a number of times on Twitter and answering many other students surveys and leaving links for them to answer mine however, only a small number returned the favour. Another method was polling on Twitter which didn’t have as many respondents and I found unreliable as students could answer one question and ignore the follow up questions, skewing accuracy of results. Therefore, I decided to just use the survey results. (Find a full report of the results here) All respondents agreed to and accepted the terms of participation through active consent questions that were provided to ensure ethical standards were met.
Networking & Interacting with other students
“Connecting with other students can give you a unique perspective on certain topics and can increase your opportunity pool.” Jacqueline B, (2018). With the change to online university, interacting with other students was hindered significantly as the research saw 18 respondents (78.3%) believe that online learning has affected their ability to network with other students. With this, 10 respondents (43.5%) suggested their networking skills have been affected by online learning and 11 (47.8%) suggested they have been somewhat affected. This shows that the majority of respondents feel their networking abilities and opportunities have been hindered by online learning which has been the reality for UOW students for the past 14 months since coronavirus put a stop to face-to-face learning in March 2020.
Before classes went online, 13 respondents (56.5%) said they didn’t get to network with students as much as they’d hoped, 5 respondents (21.7%) suggested they did get to network with other students and the same amount suggested they didn’t get to network at all. Further, 14 respondents (60.9%) suggested that they experienced more value out of their learning during face-to-face classes. I believe this is because face-to-face classes allow for more informal discussions with students who are sitting nearby. Online learning allows for some discussion however, the discussion has to be to the whole class given the nature of the platforms used so students often don’t interact as much as they would if classes were ‘normal’. 82.6% (of 23 respondents) suggest that if classes were face-to-face, they would be able interact more with other students. As students are able to discuss class concepts and have casual meet-ups after class with each other more easily when learning is face-to-face, it is evident to see why many students don’t feel like they are getting as much out of their learning during online classes.
Social media has allowed for some connection during online learning but students don’t feel this is enough
Networking & Employment
Networking is important in creating professional connections to take into the workforce. Although only 8 of 23 respondents (34.8%) have gained employment in the past through a connection of some sort, 14 respondents (60.9%) believe that in the future, they plan to gain employment through a combination of either through contacts made at university or through an internship leading to full time employment. Further, 5 respondents (23.8%) plan to gain employment solely through an internship. These can both be linked to networking as contacts made through university is networking directly with peers, while being successful in gaining full time employment after an internship is made possible through effective networking and relationship building which is important “as the nature of work and career is changing, developing and maintaining relationships is essential for securing employment” Badoer, E. et al (2021).
When securing a job after university, we are aware that in order to be successful in securing employment that it is important to have experience in the field, references or contacts in the field. “Advice, referrals, and opportunities are the core reasons why networking in college is so important; it can play a crucial role in your professional success” Jacqueline B, (2018). Students also feel this is important as 16 (60.6%) respondents believe that networking is important in increasing chances of finding a job after university. With this, 17 respondents (73.9%) suggested that it is very important to have contacts in the same degree when seeking employment. “Competition for the best positions can be fierce. Having a strong network behind you can be the deciding factor. Remember that you and your allies are the driving force of your professional journey” (Carlson, K. 2016).
Conclusion
Overall, it is clear to see that online learning has affected students’ ability to network with their peers and their networking skills as a whole. Online learning has forced us to think about how we substitute these relationships and build connections for the future in this new environment. It is important for universities to attempt to return to face-to-face learning for students to be able to network with others and build relationships for the future. The University of Wollongong could take this report on board when doing so as it is evident that students are struggling to network as a result of online learning. As to whether this will affect students in the future is difficult to forecast however, I believe if learning doesn’t return on campus in the near future, it will begin to take affect on students’ networking skills and future employment.
References:
B, Jacqueline. (2018) The Importance of Networking in College
Emilio Badoer, Yvette Hollings & Andrea Chester, 2021. Professional networking for undergraduate students: a scaffolded approach, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45:2, 197-210
Carlson, Kathleen. (MSN, RN, CEN, FAEN) 2016. The Journal of Emergency Nursing, Building Relationships: The Power of Networking. Volume 42, Issue 4. P295.
The Oxford Lexico Dictionary: Networking
Resources:
- Canva
- Google Forms
Networking during online university – results
Networking is one of the main reasons why university is a thrilling experience. Meeting people and building relationships that can be beneficial to you in the future are a few of the most important things to come out of the university experience. The Oxford Lexico Dictionary defines networking as “the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.” Jacqueline B, (2018) explains “Connecting with other students can give you a unique perspective on certain topics and can increase your opportunity pool. Advice, referrals, and opportunities are the core reasons why networking in college is so important; it can play a crucial role in your professional success.”
The survey size included 23 respondents from the BCM212 cohort. Following are the survey results.
Structuring the survey, I started with a few basic questions to ease into the survey.
Next, the survey asked respondents about past and future employment. This was to get respondents to think about networking in a way they could relate to.
Then, the survey turned to networking as a university student during online learning and drawing comparisons to face-to-face learning.
This blog post analyses these results in detail, follow the link to find out more about networking and the affects it has on online learning.
chats with chels 