Online Delivery of Career Choice Interventions: Preferences and Experiences of

Undergraduate Business Students

Melissa Venable, Ph.D. University of Hawaii at Manoa

Oma Singh, M.S.University of South Florida

Sloan-C International Symposium 2008 - Carefree, AZ

IntroductionProblem• Career Centers are currently faced with

decisions about technology• Trends in Student Services

Purpose• Understand student preferences for use of

technology• Plan for development and provision of future

services

1. What are students’ preferences for the delivery method of career decision-making interventions?

2. What previous experience do students have with specific delivery technologies?

3. To what extent is there a difference between student preferences for and experiences with specific delivery technologies?

Questions

Framework

Career Decision-Making Interventions

• Written Exercises• Individualized Interpretations and Feedback• Information on the World of Work• Modeling• Attention to Building Support

(Brown & Ryan Krane, 2000)

(Brown, Ryan Krane, Brecheisen, Castelino, Budisin, Miller, & Edens, 2003)

Participants• Introductory course pre-requisite

– College of Business – Fall 2007

• Voluntary participation

Instrument (Web-based Survey)• Introduction and consent• Demographic information• Experience with technology• Preferences for delivery of career activities

Data Collection

Student DemographicsParticipant Characteristics• n = 125• First year of college after graduating from high school• Business/pre-business majors

Gender Male 47.2%, Female 52.8%

EthnicityWhite 66.4%, Hispanic 16.8% African American 9.6%, Other 7.2%

Average Age18

Average Credit Load15 credits (full-time)

Student Demographics

Online Course Experience

N %I have never taken an online course 94 75.2I am in my first online course this semester

3 2.4

I have completed 1 or 2 online courses 25 20.0I have completed 3 or more online courses

3 2.4

Student Demographics

Career Counseling/Advising Experience

N %I have no experience with career advising

61 48.8

I have very little experience 39 32.2I have some experience 23 18.4I have a lot of experience 2 1.6

Student DemographicsImportance of Career Planning

N %Not important - -Somewhat important 37 29.6Important 49 39.2Very important 39 31.2

“For each activity, please select the way(s) in which you would prefer to participate. Check all that apply.”

Example: Get feedback on my job search skills, such as resume writing and interviewing.

___In person___E-mail___Discussion Board in Blackboard___Audio or Video Recording or Podcast___Website, Wiki, or Blog___Telephone Call___Text Chat/Instant Message___Virtual Room with Real-time Interaction

___I am not interested in participating in this activity

Preferences

Information on the World of Work1) In Person 2) E-mail 3) Website-Wiki-Blog

Written Exercises1) In Person 2) E-mail 3) Website-Wiki-Blog

Individual Interpretation and Feedback1) In Person 2) E-mail 3) Telephone

Attention to Building Support 1) In Person 2) E-mail 3) Telephone

Modeling1) In Person 2) E-mail 3) Telephone

Preferences

Not Familiar

None Very Little

Some A Lot

% % % % %E-mail 0.8 0.8 0.8 12.8 84.8Discussion Boards 9.6 16.8 19.2 36.8 17.6Recordings/Podcasts 14.4 24.8 23.2 28.8 9.6Website/Wiki/Blog 0.8 4.8 10.4 35.2 48.8Text Chat/IM 1.6 - 2.4 19.2 76.8Virtual Rooms 24.0 27.2 24.0 16.8 8.0

Experience“What is your experience level with each of the following types of technology?”

Comparison

DiscussionImplications for Practice

Resources and Planning• Developing Specific Services

Information on the World of Work• Integrating Specific Technology

E-mailWebsites/Wikis/BlogsTelephone

DiscussionImplications for Practice

MarketingAll students, on and off campus

Career Counselor/Advisor TrainingExisting StaffCounselor training programs

DiscussionSuggestions for Future Research• Other student populations

– Transfer students, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

• Explore e-mail delivery further• New Technologies – Virtual Worlds• Longitudinal studies

– Satisfaction with career choice and participation in career choice activities

Online Delivery of Career Choice Interventions: Preferences and Experiences of Undergraduate Business Students

Questions