Exploring Career Preparation Through Learning Outcomes
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The document outlines the U390 career preparation course at Western Illinois University, focusing on aiding students in their transition to professional careers through various topics such as resume writing and interview skills. It emphasizes the importance of creating effective learning outcomes by gathering and organizing feedback from all participants involved. Additionally, it discusses strategies for shaping a learning-centered environment, recognizing the dynamic and personal nature of the learning process.
Exploring Career Preparation Through Learning Outcomes
- 1. Suzanna S Farner Western Illinois University
- 4. U390: Career Preparation Course U390 is upper division 8-week course provided by the Career Development Center (CDC) that targets juniors and seniors who are preparing for the career after graduating Western Illinois University. The curriculum focuses on the job/graduate school search process and preparing the materials necessary for a smooth transition into the next chapter of our students lives. Topics covered include and are not limited to resume building, interview skills, and effective job search skills and resources.
- 6. Guideline to Writing Learning Outcomes 1. Ask your self: “What do you want the participants in this experience to learn?” 2. Collect Feedback from any Participants that are influenced or have influence in the experience (**Don’t forget to include all the participants**) 3. Organize feedback into major themes or topics for learning 4. Write and analyze learning outcomes on components and the dimensions of development. 5. Repeat Step 4 about 7 times or until you feel you have a comprehensive list of learning outcomes
- 7. Collecting Feedback Who are the active and influential participants in the U390 experience? • Students of U390 • Instructors of U390 (past and present) • Career Development Center Professional Staff • Employers • Mission Statement
- 8. Our Mission The mission of the Career Development Center (CDC) in 125 Memorial Hall is to support student and alumni by providing comprehensive services to educating individuals on how to create and achieve their personal career goals through career planning and preparation. The CDC empowers students for a successful transition between college and professional careers through individual appointments, workshops, and partnerships with employers and faculty/staff at WIU. In support of the mission of the university, we strive to prepare students to "thrive in and contribute to our global society."
- 10. Feedback Themes The major themes for learning that I identified in the feedback were: • Goal Setting/How to Use it • Understanding “You” / Personal Professional Development • Resume, Cover Letter, and References • Non-verbal Representation • How to Represent Yourself/Networking • Job Searching • Interviewing • Professionalism • College Job Transition
- 11. Building a Learning Outcome: Components The students of U390 will identify * and utilize* the actions steps of goal setting to create* their own professional and personal goals * Comprehension, Application, Synthesis KEY Audience Action Degree* Condition
- 12. Building a Learning Outcome: Dimensions The students of U390 will identify and utilize the actions steps of goal setting to create their own professional and personal goals KEY Cognitive: Memorization (Identify) to using their experience (Create their own) Intrapersonal: What do the students believe they need to achieve based on their internal belief and values system Interpersonal: How they see themselves in relation to their professional identity and in relation to the expectations of their chosen careers
- 13. My Learning Outcomes The Students of U390 will: 1. Identify and utilize the actions steps of goal setting to create their own professional and personal goals 2. Share their experiences, extrapolate their current skills, and apply them to their lifelong career development. 3. Create professional resume, cover letter, and references and explain the purpose of each document in the job search process 4. Summarize appropriate online etiquette and use them to modify their electronic identity through email, social media, and online networking. 5. Classify the different settings of networking and define the importance of building connections in career development. 6. Explore their professional interests by analyzing various functional careers and reflecting on their career development through their experiences. 7. Recognize and demonstrate confidence in responding to the different types of questions in professional/career-based interviewing.
- 15. How Do I Shape the Environment to be Learning- Centered? What is my understanding of Learning???
- 17. The Nature Of Learning 1) “Learning does not proceed in a linear way but stops and starts, reversals and breakthroughs” (Zull, 2002, p. 235) LIKE A WEB!!! (Yay! for intentional graphic design themes) 2) “If indeed learning begins through sensory experiences, then the teacher is in a trap. Anything she does can produce learning, because it is a sensory experience” (Zull, 2002, p.20) Learning happens everywhere. 3) “Self is central to knowledge construction” (Baxter Magolda, 2004) Knowledge is not transferred -it is created by each individual in the learning experience.
- 18. What is Needed for Learning to Happen? 1) Abstract Concrete 2) Ownership of Learning 3) Emotion 4)Motion 5) Prior Knowledge 6) Patterns & Repetition 7) Mutual Construction of Knowledge 8) Action (Zull, 2002; Baxter Magolda, 2004)
- 19. My Teaching Traps How have I been taught? What are my experiences with teachers and learning? • Banking-Method: Students come to us empty • “wrong” experiences vs “incomplete” experiences (Zull, 2002, p.123) • Preparing for the subject vs preparing for the students • Emotion inhibits learning “ We start where we are not where they are” (Zull,2002, p.103)
- 21. How Do I Shape the Environment to be Learning- Centered? Major environmental themes I would like to incorporate into the U390 experience: 1) Challenge and Support 2) Push vs Pull 3) Mutual Construction of and Shared Authority in Learning 4) Creating Connections
- 22. Helpful Diagrams (Baxter Magolda, 2004; Zull, 2002)
- 23. Strategies to Shape the Environment 1) Learning Bucket List: Work with the students to create a list of what they want to learn in their career preparation process. 2) Reflection Packet: This tool can be used to challenge the students of U390 to continuously reflect one their concrete experiences and apply it to concepts discussed in class 3) Share about myself: As instructor there are many ways that me sharing about myself can influence the environment 4) Exploring language: In our course we use a lot of “common terms” for career preparation and asking the students to define it for themselves can incorporate active testing and their own meaning making
- 24. Strategies to Shape the Environment Continued 5) Focuses on the process not the answers: Spending more time focusing on how the students are understanding key concepts will facilitate and emphasize making connections and not answers. 6) Incorporating “motion” into my teaching: Exploring different venues for learning
- 26. How to Asses Learning Formative: • Reflection Packet • Revisiting the Learning Bucket List Every Class Summative: • Final Reflection • First Job Paper • Course Evaluation
- 28. Limitations 1) Time 2) Resources 3) Learning is a lifelong process and like many things this is only the beginning of my understanding of learning outcomes
- 29. ? Questions?
- 30. References Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2004). Learning partnership model:Aframework for promoting self- authorship. In M.B.BaxterMagolda&P.M. King (Eds), Learning Partnerships:Theory and models of practice to educate for self-authorship. (pp. 37-62). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. Kegan, R., &Lahey, L, L. (2001). Seven languages of transformation: How the way we talk can change the way we work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Zull, J. E. (2002). The art of changing the brain. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.