Human Resource Management Reimagined: A New Perspective on HR Courses for Contemporary Careers

Abstract

In the constantly evolving career landscape, knowledge about human resource management practices could prove very beneficial for undergraduate college students who want to construct protean careers. With its broad content coverage, the introductory HR course is best suited to teach students about key HR functions and practices instrumental to their career outcomes. The current introductory HR course at the undergraduate level may fall short of this promise as it primarily caters to aspiring HR professionals. We propose to re-imagine the undergraduate introductory HR course from the perspective of students as future employees instead and illustrate the role of HR functions in career progression and how students could use HR knowledge to advance their careers that align with their values. We offer a detailed framework with updated learning goals and sample experiential activities for each major HR topic. We believe that the new approach will make the course more relevant to all students, which could improve learning outcomes and help students construct and manage their protean careers.