Using Career Development Learning in Science and Information Technology Courses to Build 21st-Century Learners

Abstract

The aim of education in the 21st century is to cultivate a whole person, not just a professional. Therefore, obtaining an academic qualification (standard credentials) is not enough and other qualities (soft credentials) are also important, including the ability to properly package and present one’s credentials and capabilities. This article focuses on a pilot study on career development learning (CDL) in an undergraduate science course and an undergraduate information technology (IT) course from two universities in Australia. We used career intervention suitable to individual disciplines to improve student career-associated self-efficacy. A 25-question Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale was used to evaluate the CDL. Altogether, 58 of 86 (67.4%) students voluntarily participated in the joint survey study. The number of valid responses is 91.3% (53/58). After the CDL interventions, students (N = 53) were significantly more confident in all five career-associated aspects of self-efficacy: self-appraisal, goal selection, occupational information, planning, and problem solving (Wilcoxon, p ≤ 0.022). The results of this pilot study support the extension of this approach to more undergraduate courses.