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 Center for Career and Professional Development, 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

Career navigator module home screen graphics

A career readiness module has been in place since fall 2022, as required from the Florida Board of Governors. The Career Navigator module 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

female student sitting in classroom intently listening to lecture

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

bearded faculty member having a one-on-one conversation with female student in college break area

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

female Career Peer meeting with another female student in Career & Professional Development discussing internship takeaways

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

male intern for ESPN Athletics broadcasting working on computer to support live streaming of event

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.