Career Services & Technology: 2005 and Beyond

Darren S. Kaltved, M.Ed.Assistant Director, Career Services

St. Mary’s College of Maryland18952 E. Fisher Rd.

St. Mary’s City, MD 20686(240) 895-4203

dskaltved@smcm.edu

Program Objectives Define the impact of technology on career services

Identify strategies of incorporating College Student Development Theory through technology-based services

Develop methods to ease the transition of technology and career services into 2006 and beyond.

St. Mary’s Career Center OFFICE PROFILE:

3 Full-time professional staff 2 counselors (Director and Assistant Director) 1 support staff

Career Consultants (student paraprofessionals) 6 undergraduate student volunteers 3 hours per week (up to 5 depending on the week)

INSTITUIONAL PROFILE: Public Honors Liberal Arts 1800 undergraduate students Located in southern Maryland, 90 miles south of Baltimore

List of Services (St. Mary’s)TECHNOLOGY-BASED E-mail Counseling Office Web site

Databases Resources Calendars Contact Information

Online Databases Mentornet (Alumni career mentoring

database for students)) Internship (searchable database) Resumeweb (searchable database for

employers)

NON TECHNOLOGY-BASED Face-to-Face Counseling Sessions Career Day (job Fair) Event Registration Alumni Career Panel Discussions On-campus Recruiting New Graduate Survey Internship Advising (walk-in hours) Career Library Resources Personality/Interest Assessment

Instruments (Strong, etc.) Credential Files (Education majors) Career Consultant Program Services Mock Interviews All events and programs

How Technology has Diminished our Services Lack of personal contact with students (high tech/low touch)

It contradicts the College’s mission (i.e. a major selling point of the college is personal interaction)

Being able to incorporate students service delivery expectations into our day-to-day operations

Ability to use good counseling skills and assessment

Decreased the use of College Student Development through e-mail counseling

Following up with students and/or alumni

How Technology has Enhanced our Services Increased Visibility

Provides services to students on a 24/7 basis

Automates some service delivery (i.e. Internship, Resume, and Alumni Databases)

Provides the opportunity for Distance Counseling

Survey ResultsDEMOGRAPHICS: Survey Responses – 16

Institutional Enrollment Size 4 institutions with less than 2000 4 institutions with 2000-4999 3 institutions with 5000-9999 5 institutions with 10,000+

Institution Type 6 public 6 private 1 technology-based 3 did not distinguish

Staff Size 11 institutions with 2 -5 staff members (professional and support) 5 institutions with 6-10 staff members (professional and support)

Summary of Technology-based services Average number of services provided primarily via

technology – 5.2

Most common service examples include: Interview Scheduling Alumni/Career Mentoring Database Virtual Job Fair Email Counseling On-line job search databases/web

Summary of Non Technology-based Services Average number of services provided primarily via non-

technology services – 5.1

Most common service examples include: Individual appointments/career counseling Interest Inventories On-site Career Fairs Workshops Campus Recruiting

Summary of Percentages for Questions 2, 3, 4, 5QUESTION 2: Describe how technology has enhanced your services Availability - 63% Access to current information – 75% Networking – 50% Accessibility – 69% Programs/Workshops – 44% Email Counseling – 50% Alumni Resources – 56% Faculty Outreach – 13% Easier Data Collection – 50%

QUESTION 3:Describe how technology has diminished your services Website Maintenance 56% Higher student expectations – 63% Decrease in face-to-face interactions with students – 38% Ability to complete other projects – 44% Increased responsibility – 50% Email Counseling – 1% Technology has not diminished our services – 13%

QUESTION 4:What actions have you taken to address the negative of technology on your services Individual appointment - 38% Recommend Hire new staff – 19% Restructuring job responsibilities – 19% Classroom visits/faculty outreach – 44% Offer Walk-in hours – 19% Have not addressed – 31% Promote office visits – 63%

QUESTION 5:Does your office incorporate College Student Development Theory into technology based services Yes – 38% No – 63%

College Student DevelopmentDEFINITION:

Those learning outcomes that occur as a result of students being exposed to higher education environments designed to enhance academic, intellectual, psychological, psychomotor, moral, and faith/spiritual (for some institutions) development. This concept is based on application of human development theories within the unique context of higher education.

Miller, T. K. (1999). CAS: The Book of Professional Standards for Higher Education 1999. Council For The Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, Washington, DC.

Theoretical Bases of CSDA. Psycho-social Theories:

1. Chickering & Reisser2. Erikson3. Marcia/Josselson4. Schlossberg5. Cross6. Helms7. Cass

B. Cognitive Developmental Theories:1. Perry 2. Kohlberg3. Gilligan4. Baxter-Magolda5. Kitchener & King

C. Typology Theories:1. Holland2. Myers-Briggs

Comments/SuggestionsComments regarding the use of CSP Theory in technology-based services: Incorporate individual appointments using email for quick questions

but require in-person appointment for more involved advising. Offer resources and services via technology to varying degrees while

presenting information via this format using a developmental approach Use on-line inventories based on fundamental career development

theories Begin where the student is and assist individual in moving forward Increasing emphasis on personal responsibility for action with upper

level students Tailor email responses accordingly Use in the design and content of information on website Never heard of it!

Number of Students Advised by E-mail per DayThe overall average was 9.875 (9-10 students per day)

INSTITUTIONAL SIZE:0 – 1,999: 8.5 (8-9 students per day)

2,000 – 4,999 5.25 (5-6 students per day)

5,000 – 9,999 5.66 (5-6 students per day)

10,000 + 17.2 (17-18 students per day)

Note: 1 survey listed 100+ (office staff), 1 survey listed 35+, and 1 survey listed 20-30

Group Discussion Use the worksheet to come up with a list of your office’s

“technology-based” and “non technology-based” services

PROPOSED QUESTIONS:

1) Are you incorporating College Student Development through your “technology-based” services?

2) What are some strategies for improving the use of CSD is practice?

Taking Technology and Career Services into 2006 (Group Discussion)

Individual Worksheet (5 MINUTES)

Break Into Groups Who in the group is more high touch than high tech? Who in the group is more high tech than high touch? What are some ways to enhance technology-based

services? What are some ways to diminish technology-based

services and become more high touch?

Examples

Taking Technology & Career Services into 2006GAPS OR WAYS WE CAN ENHANCE TECHNOLOGY: Online “New Graduate” survey Online Assessment Instruments (e.g. Focus) Online Event Registrations Virtual Job Fair (expand employer access beyond regional

area) Increase visibility of office’s paraprofessionals and the services

they can provide via technology (e.g. Career Consultants) Provide an online credential folder program for all majors Provide online recruitment services (i.e. E-recruiting, College

Central, etc.) Include bio’s of office staff (i.e. pictures, background info, etc.)

Continued…IF TOO HIGH TECH, HOW TO INCREASE HIGH TOUCH: Tracking (e.g. Data Collection) for annual report and/or assessment data

Who was using, how often, and what were the results (e.g. seniors, alumni, first- and second-year students)

Are we meeting their needs? E-mail counseling Web site Databases

Offer a 1 or 2 credit Career and Life Planning Class Increase Passive Programming (e.g. workshops, residential programs,

etc.) Requiring an office visit prior to receiving on-line (e.g. E-mail) counseling

services. Senior Advising Appointments Build an understanding of what information they can and will receive, and

more importantly how to apply it.

NACE’s “Hot Topic” Survey Results:

Effects of Technology on Career Services Online interview scheduling is the most effective technology in the career services office, according to college members who participated in NACE’s Technology & Career Services Hot Topic Survey. More than 200 career services professionals participated in the survey, the first in a series of “hot topics” surveys that will address pressing issues for career services.

Following are respondents’ top-five technologies (5-point scale where 1=not at all effective and 5=extremely effective):

1.Online interview scheduling: 4.22.Online job posting system: 4.23.Career center web site: 4.04.Video interviewing: 3.65.Online tutorials: 3.5

NACE Spotlight Online, February 4, 2005. (NACE – National Association of Colleges and Employers)

Examples of Technology EnhancementsUNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO (SUNY): IM the Career Counselor Program: connecting to career counselors right

from the comfort and convenience of your own home, office or favorite place to work off-site.

CORNELL UNIVERSITY (ITHACA, NY): Just About Jobs program: offers free software and equipment to recruiters

who want to interview students from their office computer.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN The Candidate: Career Services and Reality TV join hands; watch as the U of M

Career Center follows 5 make-believe U of M students through their job search, creating resumes, fretting over interviews, and thinking about all their decisions in search of their ultimate goal: a job!

AcknowledgementsKelly J. Schroeder - Director of Career Services; St. Mary’s College of

Maryland

Dr. Delight Champagne – Director of SPA program, Springfield College

S.L.A.C. – Selective Liberal Arts Colleges Consortium (Maryland and Virginia)

M.A.C.C.A. – Middle Atlantic Career Counseling Association

E.A.C.E – Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers

M.C.P.A. – Maryland College Personnel Association

N.A.C.E. – National Association of Colleges and Employers

Questions & CommentsThank you for your participation!

2006 ACPA National Convention – March 18-22nd

Indianapolis, IN.