Looking for New Assignment Approaches to Support Students’ Career Development?
Career-readiness workshop series helps faculty highlight transferrable skills
Alexi Ginther | Senior Career Counselor, Career Center Jun 28, 2026
As students try to figure out a career path or determine where and how to use their degrees, it can help to learn more about themselves. The Career Center has a variety of tools and assessments that guide students through evaluating and articulating their values, skills, and strengths.
In Session 3 of the Career Readiness Integration Series, faculty members explored some of these tools and discussed how they could integrate them into assignments. Tools also included guides to writing resumes, interviewing, and more. Here is a list of tools they explored, as well as suggestions on how to begin exploring them.
Civil Engineering Professor Dr. Nicholas Coppola shared, “learning about the variety of other assessment tools was eye-opening. Equally valuable was hearing the creative and thoughtful ways others plan to incorporate these tools into their courses”
Reflection is an important part of the process. Rather than just directing a student to an assessment, providing time and space for reflection after using one allows students to process what they learned, recognize emerging skills, and make connections between course assignments and future career goals. It is important to emphasize with students that they should not rely on any single assessment, tool or AI platform to make a career or major decision for them. These tools are meant to provide information to support the decision-making process rather than making decisions for students.
“I didn't know that students had so many resources available to engage in career exploration,” said Dr. Edelina Burciaga, Associate Professor with the Sociology Department. “Raising my own awareness about these resources gives me more confidence in supporting students' career development and goals.”
The second part of session 3 focused on integrating career development skills or NACE Career Readiness Competencies into syllabi. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) identified the top skills employers look for in college graduates; they can be found here. Career Center staff shared examples of how professors at other universities integrated the Career Readiness Competencies into syllabi. Highlighting competencies shows students how a course supports their career development.
“After spending years focused on teaching theory, this workshop was a clear reminder that career readiness goes beyond knowledge,” noted Communications Professor Ali Nassiri, “It’s really about how effectively students can apply what they’ve learned in real-world situations.”
Career Services plans to host another Career Readiness Integration Series for faculty in fall 2026. If you are interested, keep an eye on the TIPS funding page for an announcement.
Civil Engineering Professor Dr. Nicholas Coppola said, “Each career readiness workshop has continued to open my mind to new opportunities for expanding my curriculum and learning from colleagues who share a strong enthusiasm for student development and innovative teaching ideas.”