Dr. Joan E. Leichter Dominick
Associate Professor of Communications & Director of Portfolios for
Student Success Programs & Senior Year Experience

Creator of the College RACCE FolioThinking Process

Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw Georgia, United States of America

Ms. Karen Andrews

Director of Career Services Center and creator of the KSU Online Career Portfolio

Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw Georgia, United States of America

Presentation Abstract:    

     Research and reports are plentiful on the importance of “career maturation” to the retention of college students. The partnering of the Kennesaw State University First-Year Experience Program with the Kennesaw State University Career Services Center is addressing the importance of career maturation on our campus through the student use of the KSU Online Career Portfolio. The KSU Online Career Portfolio features the ability to record academic experience, international experience, technology experience, employment experience, community service while utilizing a grid which features the transferable skills needed by college graduates – leadership, communication, technology, problem solving, creativity, team building, which we triangulate with the learning outcomes of the First-Year Seminar. We call the process of creating the KSU Online Career Portfolio – Folio Thinking.

     The folio thinking process prepares students for life-long continued career development which demands an entrepreneurial approach of managing ones own progress as a knowledge worker in the 21st century. In our presentation we will share the academic approaches to creating e-portfolios as passports to student success, career maturation, and global citizenship.

     We feature the ways we have partnered the Kennesaw State University First-Year Success Program and Kennesaw State University Career Services for supporting student success, through career maturation with the strengthening of retention of college students.

     As of fall 2006, all KSU 1101: First-Year Seminars have used the Kennesaw State University Career Services Online Career Portfolio in their coursework. In fall 2006, 75 sections of KSU 1101 were offered and in spring 2007, 24 sections of KSU 1101 were offered.

     Every KSU 1101 class works closely with Career Services to ensure every first-year student meets a professional from the Center, either by classroom visits by a CSC professional or tours of the actual Center.

     Every KSU 1101 faculty member has been trained on the usage of the Online Career Portfolio.

     The Director of the KSU Career Services Center developed a Career Exploration section of the FYE which she taught for the first time this past fall and hopes to teach every fall. The eventual plan is to allow every Career Services Center professional to teach a section to increase further the career maturation of our first-year college students.

     As of fall 2005, Dr. Joan E. Leichter Dominick, Department of University Studies, was named Director of Portfolios for Student Success Programs, she is the departmental archivist for the KSU Online Career Portfolios used in KSU 1101: First-Year Seminar and all the subsequent Student Success Programs in the department.

ePortfolio for Career Maturation - Academic & Technical Assistance by:

Pauline Jones, KSU Career Services Center Counselor

Dalita Bullock, KSU Career Services Center Counselor

Lori Trahan, KSU Career Services Center Couselor

Cheryl Braunroth, KSU Career Services Center OLCP Tech Support

Sid Kemp, KSU ITS Web Folio Seminar Designer

Editorial & Graphic Assistance:

Ben Cope, EPOC Designs - Website Design & Development

Ben Cope, EPICWEBSTRATEGIES.COM: Using Web 2.0 Website Value

Stephanie Salter, The Write Way

Debbie Berk, Signature Dynamics

Continue the discussion of the presentation by joining us on our Online Journal Blog

Special thanks to President Emeritus Betty Siegel for beginning the Senior-Year Experience Program, President Daniel Papp, Dr. Lendley Black, and Dean Ralph Rascati for supporting Global Learning for the Engaged Citizen, and to Dr. Rebecca Casey, Chair of the Department of University Studies, for her constant support of the Folio Thinking Process in our student success programs. To Dr. Keisha Hoerrner, Interim Chair, Department of First-Year Experience Programs. To Dr. Randy Hinds and Mr. Karl Aldag for supporting my growth and development in the technology of teaching and learning.

                                      

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