Roxanne Conlon, Employability Adviser, University of Kent
Alumni spotlight
In 2018, as a relatively new employee at the University, Roxanne enrolled for the MSc in Professional Practice. She graduated in 2020.
Roxanne moved into a new role at the University after completing her MSc, and says that doing the course gave her confidence to embrace a new challenge.
Roxanne shares her experience of studying whilst working full time and the benefits this has brought to her career.
What inspired you to apply for this programme?
I had always known that I wanted to complete a Master’s degree one day, but funding was an ongoing concern (when I finished my undergraduate course, postgraduate loans were not a thing, so I had gone into teacher training and then into employment instead). Because of this, it was a priority for me to find a course where I could get financial support and continue working full-time. Luckily, because I already worked at Kent, I could get a 50% fee remission, and in the first year I also obtained central development funding from the university. This meant the course fees were zero in my first year and half price in my second!
Additionally, because I had already done some postgraduate study as part of my teacher training, I was able to APEL in a number of credits, meaning I could complete the course in 2 years instead of 3. This was another huge draw for me, as I was on a fixed-term contract at the time.
Finally, I liked the flexible and student-led nature of the course, which meant I would be able to choose the topics I would research as part of my assignments. This appealed to me, as I liked the thought of being able to apply my studies to my work in a practical way.
How have you used what you learnt on the course in your job role?
I presented the findings from one of my academic assignments (on parental engagement with higher education) to my team, which helped generate ideas for new workshops and events that we could trial, such as bringing parents onto campus for a widening participation activity.
After completing my dissertation, I again presented the findings to the wider department, which was useful in generating discussions about the relationship between widening participation and recruitment activity, and the ways other institutions were using digital means of reaching target students. This was particularly relevant at the time, as we were still in the early stages of the pandemic and the move to virtual learning activity.
I also used what I learned about reflective practice from one of my online modules to suggest a new process for reviewing curriculum content.
Has doing this course changed your viewpoint on your profession and your job role?
Yes, it made me appreciate the importance of keeping up-to-date with best practice, though often it was difficult to find time to do this due to day-to-day operational pressures.
It also gave me the confidence to look for a new job role, as my previous post had been fixed term. In subsequent applications and interviews, I have been able to demonstrate not only the field-specific knowledge I gained about the pressures on students within higher education, but also the transferable skills the course gave me, such as enhanced time management and organisation, and the ability to communicate and build rapport with diverse individuals. Interestingly, these are all skills that I speak about with current students on a regular basis in my role as an Employability Adviser, so the course clearly has real-world employability value!
How did you find the course overall?
I really enjoyed the course and the opportunity to explore aspects of my practice in an academic way.
The flexibility to pursue my own areas of interest – while still being closely supported by the team of academics – was a particular highlight for me, as this kept me motivated whenever the work grew challenging.
I cannot thank the staff enough for their time and commitment to supporting students in an individualised way, and for never making me feel like just another bum on a seat.
Find out more about our Professional Practice and Professional Development programmes here.