O NE C LASS, M ANY D IRECTIONS : E XPLORATION IN THE C LASSROOM Tiffany Fritz Academic Advisor and ALS 114 Coordinator Oregon State University

A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT … Academic Learning Services (ALS) 114: Career Decision Making is a 2-credit, graded elective class that provides structure to students’ academic and career exploration to help them make well-informed decisions regarding their futures. Restricted to students with less than 90 quarter credits (first and second year students) ALS 114 meets twice a week – one hour is lecture based and a second hour is small group discussion with activities to help students explore individual career paths.

A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT The class has been housed in University Exploratory Studies Program (UESP) since 1995 Coordinated and taught by an advisor within UESP with the help of campus professionals, graduate teaching assistants, and interns I took over the class fall of 2008 – shift in perspective/philosophy

W HY RESTRICT ENROLLMENT ? To get first and second year students thinking about academic options and career development early in their academic careers Heavily geared towards self-assessment and exploration Exposes them to resources early in their academic careers

W HO ENROLLS IN THE COURSE ? University Exploratory Studies Program students and students in declared majors Students who have identified a major, but are unsure what they would like to do with it Students that have identified a career field, but are unsure how to get there Students that are unsure about both their academic and career options Students that have been advised to take the class by their advisors, but aren’t quite sure why they are in the class…

ALS 114 L EARNING O UTCOMES At the conclusion of the course students will: 1. Know how the career/life decision-making model can be used to make exciting career choices. 2. Have identified career-related values, interests and personality and use this information to consider college majors and careers. 3. Know how and where to gather information in the present and future, about college majors, careers, and the job market.

ALS 114 L EARNING O UTCOMES At the conclusion of the course students will: 4. Know how to effectively explore occupational possibilities and obtain the information for informed decision-making. 5. Have developed effective written and oral communication skills for the world of work.

ALS 114 E NROLLMENT D ATA Fall 2011 Total enrollment: 85 students Percentage of the class coded as UESP: 74% Winter 2012 Total enrollment: 85 students Percentage of the class coded as UESP: 69% Spring 2012 Total enrollment: 87 students Percentage of the class coded as UESP: 61%

ALS 114 E NROLLMENT D ATA Fall 2012 Total enrollment: 75 students Percentage of the class coded as UESP: 72% Winter 2013 Total enrollment: 87 students Percentage of the class coded as UESP: 71% Spring 2013 Total enrollment: 74 students Percentage of the class coded as UESP: 62%

Decide and act Explore academic & career options Assess yourself P HILOSOPHY : C AREER D ECISION MAKING M ODEL

C AREER D ECISION M AKING C ONTINUUM Very Decided Tentatively Decided UndecidedSeriously Undecided Indecisive You know! Confident, beginning to implement In Process! Perhaps feeling pressure to make the right choice Not Ready Actively exploring, some anxiety but you know you’ll figure it out Feel Overwhelmed High level of anxiety, unclear of your goals at this time Feel Incapacitated No idea where to start, and anxious about looking

S ELF A SSESSMENT – C AREER C OMPONENTS Career Options Personality Values Interests Skills

S ELF A SSESSMENT Skills Inventory Hard skills versus soft skills Transferable skills Values Identification and Ranking Strong Interest Inventory Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

E XPLORING A CADEMIC AND C AREER O PTIONS Online Resources Oregon State University website Sigi³ Occupational Outlook Handbook Career Services website College Presentations Informational Interviews Roadtrip Nation Career Services/Career Fair Experiential and Service Learning

D ECIDE AND A CT Goal Setting (SMART Goals) Specific Measurable Attainable/Action-Oriented Realistic/Relevant Time-Oriented Money Matters Active Reflection Identification of transferable skills Engaging in the decision making process

ALS 114 A SSIGNMENTS O VERVIEW AssignmentFormatLearning Outcomes Values Reflection PaperOut of class2, 5 Assessments Reflection Paper Out of class1, 2, 3, 4, 5 College Exploration Worksheet In class2, 3, 4 Informational Interview (Proposal, Summary, Pres.) Out of class/In class 2, 3, 4, 5 SIGI³ WorksheetIn class2, 3, 4 Career Research Assignment Out of class2, 3, 4 Final PaperOut of class1, 2, 3, 4, 5

F EEDBACK AND E VALUATIONS "This course has taught me a good number of things about myself. A lot of the activities helped me learn more about myself and I think that is great. My interests have become a lot clearer to me now so I can move forward with the process of making a career decision." (winter 2012)

F EEDBACK AND E VALUATIONS “I really liked taking the MBTI and SII, to see which jobs fit my type of values and characteristics. I also like learning more about my values. Beaver job net was also a handy tool available for us to use. I had no idea about it before and now I will look into careers using this.” (winter 2013)

F EEDBACK AND E VALUATIONS "Thank you so much for helping me through my decision making. I feel confident that I have the correct tools if I ever change my mind again. I'm so grateful to have had the experiences I had in your class. Thank you so much!" (fall 2012)

ALS 114 I NSTRUCTION Professional Advisors Career Services Counselors Graduate Teaching Assistants Graduate Interns Counseling and Psychological Services Interns Teaching Faculty

ALS 114 I NSTRUCTION … IS IT SUSTAINABLE ? Things to consider: How often is it offered? What is the structure of the class? Discussion? Lecture? Who do you have teaching the class? What office/department/college is supporting the course?

Q UESTIONS ? W HAT ARE YOU DOING ON YOUR CAMPUS ?