Digital Identity: Implementation of Digital Professionalism Activities to Support Students in Recognizing the Impact of Their Online Presence

Many students will have started their digital footprint before they have even begun their University experience but do our students know what they should or shouldn’t post on social media and the consequences that any ill-considered posts may have on their future employability? At VetEd 2017 we presented a needs analysis survey which identified key areas of digital identity, wellbeing and professionalism which concerned undergraduate veterinary students. We went on to develop resources to support students in recognizing the impact of their online presence and introduced these into our curriculum. The “Digital Professionalism & Your Online Presence” activity was integrated as a required activity in the Professional and Legal Responsibilities section of the Professional and Clinical experience (PaCE) programme in the third and fourth year of the BVMS programme at Glasgow University Vet School. Students were required to review online resources designed to enhance their awareness of their own online presence and to understand the privacy settings on various social media accounts. They were then tasked with viewing their own online self from the point of view of an employer and report their findings. This self-directed online task was well received by students and provoked some interesting discussions. It was simple to introduce and required relatively low staff input to run. This poster will present further details of the implementation of these activities, an analysis of the student experience and our planned next steps