ICT in career guidance. A Case Study of a "Blended Learning" Career Guidance Programme for Music Students

Information and communication technologies can play a significant role when helping students explore the wide array of possibilities that comprise the professional world. A career guidance project developed in a music conservatoire in Madrid (Spain) is examined in this paper. The use of ICT in this project had the aim of favouring interactions between students and professionals, as well as allowing students to enhance their knowledge of the professional world of music. Project aims are explained, together with the reasons that justify the choice of a blended learning modality involving face-to-face coaching sessions and a purpose-built online course and radio programmes. Examples of activities are given which show the diversity of interaction modalities that ICT make possible, including interaction between professionals and students via discussion forums, e-mail, chat, and videoconferencing. Apart from the positive outcomes, the challenges that can be faced in a blended learning process are also mentioned. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Academic World Education and Research Center.