WKU Dual Credit has developed an innovative pilot project to help prepare high school students for their future career paths. “College & Career Exploration” is an interactive online course designed to help students develop college and career decision-making skills and to explore possible post-secondary and career paths. Students from seven area high schools — Adair County, Hart County, Logan County, Monroe County, Ohio County, Bowling Green and Warren Central — are participating in the 1-credit-hour course which launched in late October.
Through a guided process, students will assess their career interests, examine their values, explore occupational opportunities and determine their educational, technical and soft skill literacy. Students will then develop a multi-tiered actionable career plan and work with WKU instructors on activities that help them through the decision-making process.
Monroe County High School decided to offer the course to their sophomores to encourage them to begin planning for life after high school. Principal Phil Bartley said that the course appealed to them because it targets all students, regardless of their college and career plans. “This class offers an opportunity for all of our students, not just those currently planning to go to college, to develop a plan of action for their future,” Bartley said.
A team of WKU faculty and staff developed the pilot project. The team included Dr. Merrall Price, associate dean of University College; Laura Ricke, director of Academic Outreach; Dewayne Neeley, Dual Credit program coordinator; Dr. Peggy Crowe, Housing & Residence Life assistant director of student programs; and Dr. Lynne Holland, director of WKU Career Services.
According to Holland, the course curriculum was developed to help students determine the various career opportunities that fit their personality and interests. “Students need to do reflective, self-assessment to determine where their strengths and interests lie, to determine what excites and appeals to them relative to work and to determine where they think their interests, skills, etc. can be most useful,” said Holland who, along with Dr. Crowe and Dr. Price, helped develop the curriculum.
The pilot course runs through December. The WKU Dual Credit Program plans to offer “Career & College Exploration” each semester following assessment of the program’s success.
WKU Dual Credit is a unit of Extended Learning & Outreach.
Contact: Laura Ricke, (270) 745-2481 or laura.ricke@wku.edu
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