From Classroom to Career: Intentional Competency Development in a Caring Undergraduate Learning Environment
Keywords:
caring climate; NACE; Communities of Practice (CoP); career-readiness; health scienceAbstract
This study examined a redesigned professional development course that embedded the eight National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career-readiness competencies into classroom practice. Using a caring climate theoretical framework as the foundation, communities of practice (CoP) strategies were implemented to support student engagement, collaboration, and applied learning. Undergraduate students completed pre/post assessments of career competencies and rated the classroom climate. Results of t tests revealed significant gains across all competencies, suggesting that a caring climate enabled successful integration of career competencies into the classroom, ultimately helping students articulate their competency growth to future employers.
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Due to restrictions imposed by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), the data supporting this study are not publicly available. However, de-identified data may be made available by the author upon reasonable request and with appropriate ethical approvals in place.
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