Current QEP: ExCeL
Strategies
To foster student success in a global environment, an emphasis on experiential learning and career development must be infused in all aspects of the educational environment. The coordinated efforts of the , Innovative Education, Office of High Impact Practices & Undergraduate Research (HIPUR), Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL), Education Abroad, and select faculty will make strides to expand meaningful experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students at USF and increase career readiness of graduates.
In particular, a focus will be on increasing engagement in the experiential learning opportunities that have been linked to positive first destination outcomes, including: undergraduate research, internships (domestic and abroad), cooperative education, and student employment.
The following strategies have been designed to accomplish this.
Leverage Mandatory Career Readiness Module
A career readiness module has been in place since fall 2022, as required from the
91社区 Board of Governors. The has been updated in 2024 to infuse career exploration and assessment to initiate
the discussion with all first-year students. Upon completion of the module, students
have a better understanding of career exploration and what to look for in their major
and future profession. This will lay the foundation to action planning and critical
evaluation of opportunities.
Program Specific Career Modules
College program specific career modules will be created as a collaboration between
Innovative Education, the Center for Career and Professional Development, and program
faculty to seamlessly infuse career readiness content into the existing curriculum.
The use of subject matter experts and learning designers will create engaging educational
content that will feature both employers and graduate school admissions representatives
to share important information directly to students. This tailored approach will allow
timely and appropriate information to be conveyed and encourage students to engage
in appropriate experiential learning opportunities.
The ExCeL QEP pilot will focus on three programs of study:
- Philosophy
- Sociology
- Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
These programs were chosen because they historically do not have a high level of experiential
learning engagement to help students be more successful reaching their career or educational
aspirations.
Faculty Champion Program
Faculty will have the opportunity to participate in a cohort to engage in career readiness training in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning and work with the Center for Career and Professional Development to update syllabi to identify career readiness competencies being strengthened in the course, as well as projects that build these skills. The consistent infusion of career readiness language will make it easier for students to communicate what they are taking away from their courses and specific projects that exemplify these abilities.
There will also be a recognition ceremony each year to showcase the efforts of these
faculty and the impact they are making on their students.
Strengthening Experiential Opportunities
Participating in experiential opportunities is step one, but often students do not fully comprehend what they experienced or how to communicate this to others.
Professional development will be created and offered to student employees, interns, co-op students, and those in undergraduate research to identify what they gained and contributed during their experiences, as well as how to market these effectively to employers or graduate schools.
Additional assistance will be offered to employers and supervisors to enrich these
experiences and advocate for paid internship opportunities.
Funding for Experiential Opportunities
A fund will be developed in the Center for Career and Professional Development with donations from the community and employers with the goal of increasing access by lessening the financial burden on students who would like to engage in valuable experiential opportunities. Students will have the opportunity to apply for funding.