The Graduate Voices Project - A Toolkit for developing interview-based resources with alumni
This resource is a Toolkit to create interview-based resources with Alumni. The outcomes of our Toolkit are resources such as these.
Motivation: An ongoing challenge for educational institutions is to provide employability advice and support which is relevant and inclusive. An approach we took at the University of York (UoY) to develop this provision was to interview UoY alumni with diverse lived experiences to find out what we can learn from them and their experiences. The intention of this initiative was to make sure diverse voices are represented and advice is derived from as many different backgrounds as possible to best support our diverse student body. We wanted to know what challenges our alumni have faced, what advice they can dispense, and how we can improve as an institution.
In 2023-24 the UoY recruited 10 students predominantly from underrepresented backgrounds in the faculty of sciences to form a collaborative initiative between our past and present students. Their job was to locate, interview and understand the lessons learned from their predecessors, namely STEM alumni from similarly diverse backgrounds. This was the Graduate Voices Project and it forms a body of interview-based resources.
We produced a selection of nine videos developed from the themes drawn out in this initiative after interviewing more than 30 of our alumni. These resources, from the editing to the interviews themselves, have been created from scratch by our students. Quick links to all of the videos are available below.
This Toolkit contains everything you need to run a project of this type, or to focus on subsections pertaining to what you need from these resources. The contents are fairly comprehensive and span the entire timespan of the project from conception to dissemination (including suggested class exercises):
- Overview: What is the Graduate Voices Project?
- The Original Graduate Voices videos
- Pedagogical rationale
- Initial setup and intern recruitment
- Intern training
- Running the project
- Outcomes and student feedback
- Dissemination
- Challenges running this project and closing advice
- Blank Graduate Voices Logo for use at other institutions
- Acknowledgements
If you have used these resources please kindly give us feedback and let us know by completing this form.
Funding
Internal funding at the University of York (the Teaching and Learning Fund) and Careers and Placements Services
History
Advance HE Fellowship status
- Fellowship
Author's role
- Academic staff
Accessibility status
- Has passed accessibility checks
Twitter username
https://bsky.app/profile/alexanderreid.bsky.socialAffiliation
University of YorkDate of resource creation
January 2025Language
EnglishLearning Resource Type
- Teaching/Learning Strategy
Target Group or Audience
Higher Education Students, Widening Participation StudentsLearning Outcome
Employability enhancement, confidence, dealing with imposter syndromeTarget Expertise or Skill Level
- Beginner