Minimum Requirements
At a minimum, the career reflection activity in a 200- or 300-level course in each major must include the three common elements below.
Career Reflection Checklist
It is critical to connect a student’s career planning process to their major. This midpoint career reflection allows students to pause and synthesize their college experiences and how they relate to their future life and career goals. It is a low-stakes and high-impact moment for students and faculty to discuss and articulate students’ growing understanding of their degree, plans, and purpose.
This checklist can be used to build a career reflection activity or to assess existing career reflection activities in a 200- or 300-level course in the major.
Three Common Elements
Looking Forward: Students explore and articulate their post-graduate intentions
What do they want to become as a learner, as a citizen, or as a professional?
Broader questions like: “What do you hope to do after graduation? What’s next for you?” can prompt them to reflect on their interests and intentions for the future and what jobs, fields or careers they are looking toward. Students will be at various stages (some will have set plans; some will be adjusting to plans that have changed; some will respond: “I don’t know!”)
Looking Back: Students reflect on their experiences
As a result, what do they know/what have they done/what they have learned?
Given their post-graduate intentions, students can brainstorm how their in- and out-of-classroom experiences have helped them develop competencies, expand their interests, and/or evolve their values regarding what’s next. Encourage them to support their conclusions with evidence from their experiences.
Next Steps: Students describe actionable steps necessary for achieving their plans
What’s next–what immediate next steps should they take?
Where are students in relation to their post-graduate intentions? How can they make the most of their time left at Boise State? What gaps can they identify (in skills or experiences) and how might they fill them? For example, students can make a list of tangible next steps, associated timelines, and potential resources/support.
While descriptions are provided for each element above, the guidance is not meant to be prescriptive or limiting. The specifics of the career reflection activity (and how these elements are incorporated) are at the discretion of each major and department. All three elements may be included in one assignment or split up within a course or series of courses. Given the circular nature of the reflection process, even the element order is fluid. Yet the university-wide use of these common elements (at the midpoint as well as in Finishing Foundations) will enable students to connect their reflection activities throughout their university experience.
Resources
Go to the Integrated Career Education Resources page to learn more about example reflection questions, activities, a ready-to-use assignment and a fully developed Canvas module.
Career Services would love to support you in this work! Reach out to Debbie Kaylor, Career Services Director, at debbiekaylor@boisestate.edu with questions or to schedule customized consulting.