Online Resume Course Pilot (August 1997): Summary Report

By Kerry Mahoney

Introduction, Rationale and Staffing:

As with many innovations, a long-time need, coupled with a chance discovery, set the stage for change. Throw into the mix a staff member (me!) with an interest in, and some experience with, online education and what do you get? An online resume course, of course!

New co-op students are overwhelmed when they arrive on campus and are told that resumes are due in just a few short days. In the past, our Department, Co-operative Education & Career Services, has attempted to assist these students through advance resume tips brochures and early face-to-face seminars. However both were lacking from a personal attention and timing perspective.

In late spring, a meeting of interested staff and faculty was called to check out a beta test version of an online conferencing package called Virtual University. After the talk, I met with our distance education learning technologist, who agreed to assist with our course design and the technological aspects of getting the course running. He also pointed me to a faculty member who might have a student who could help. An independent studies student was subsequently employed to assist with the course.

Having recently completed a master’s project in which I reviewed the online literature and then designed and facilitated an online interview skills course, I felt ready to embark on the larger, and more technologically complicated resume course project.

I knew I would need help with facilitation as well. Originally six, and once we realized the scope of student interest, nine Co-operative Education and Career Services staff members offered their services as conference group facilitators.

Because of the overwhelming response and the short time to get the course started, facilitator training on both the conferencing software as well as discussions about online learning and resume advice, did not take place until the day prior to the official course launch.

Course Overview:

While titled “Online Resume Course”, the course was more encompassing from a career development perspective. The two and a half week course was also designed to enhance student skills such as self-assessment, written communication, and giving peer feedback.

The course was clearly of interest to students as within three days, one hundred and nineteen registered. We had planned to admit eighty-four students, but as the calls and emails came in, additional facilitators were recruited. Discussion (conference) groups were set up so that each facilitator would be assigned two groups of six students. Each student would interact with only the six students in their group on a regular basis.

In their conference groups, the students were asked to do the following:

• post a self-introduction
• complete and share summary of self-assessment exercises
• read about resume preparation
• critique several resumes provided as examples
• write and post own resume
• critique other group members’ resumes
• provide feedback about the course

Despite its dismal use in my online interview course, I decided to set up an online, non-course chat area as well. Much to my surprise, this chat area proved to be a very popular networking tool. More than sixty messages were posted. Students found out who was going to be residing where, what good clubs were around, and some peer advising on academic programs was even apparent.

Similarly, a conference for facilitators was set up so that issues of general interest could be easily communicated. This was used, although in a limited way, to share success stories as well as to communicate technical information which could be passed to students.

Student Completion Rates and Feedback:

Sixty-seven of the one hundred and nineteen students completed the entire two and a half weeks. The faculty breakdown of those who completed was: 26 math, 25 engineering, 9 science and 7 arts. In error, applied health sciences students were not included in the mailing about the course and so none were registered. Approximately twenty students who registered never actually appeared in the online environment. Several of these sent explanatory messages. Much to my dismay, and despite repeated advance communications of the amount of time and effort that would be required of participants, another twenty students introduced themselves and then disappeared from the course!

Of the sixty-seven who persevered, thirty-four completed the evaluation. In short, the course was a big hit! Both course content and facilitation were rated highly. And, one hundred percent of students said that they would recommend the course to a friend. Specific facilitator feedback, as provided by the students, was passed on to each facilitator confidentially.

Instructor Comments:

Overall, I felt the pilot to be a great success. The students enjoyed the course and came to campus “resume ready”. I believe that this helped to minimize their stress around co-op deadlines. Although I failed to measure students perceived improvement, I believe it would be fair to say that the students also enhanced their communication skills as well as their understanding of their own skills and achievements. The completed self-assessment exercises will help these students as they move forward in their career planning process generally and, specifically, with answering interview questions.

Online facilitation is time consuming. There is no denying it. However, I believe that the level of service that these students received and their satisfaction with this service should not be underplayed. And, a number of facilitators admitted that because they were engaged in the process they may have spent more time online than they might have. Next time these facilitators would be more experienced and comfortable in the online conferencing mode and would likely take less time in facilitation.

In offering the course again, I would do a few things differently. Student registrations could be more easily managed through a web-based registration form. Although we recognized this, we did not get approvals in time for this course run.

In addition, a greater number of students should be assigned to each conference group so that attrition would not decrease groups to such small sizes (2 and 3 students in some cases) and discussion would be less adversely affected.

The technology was frustrating at times. Servers were down, support staff were on vacation and a couple of registered students were never able to gain access to the conference groups. I understand that UW technical support for Virtual University is going to be increased as more courses are being designed for this environment. This should help.

Additional Facilitator Feedback:

A month after the course was completed, the facilitators met to discuss the pilot and make suggestions on the future of the course.

Discussion topics included: timing and frequency of the course (e.g., when to offer again, stagger course start times, each term or once a year, during continuous phase, during work term), time spent in facilitation, which students should take the course (e.g., volunteer registration to whole new co-op group vs. recommending to “needier” co-op students, non-co-op students, distance students, alumni), technical issues, training needed, other online options (e.g., synchronous chat), learning styles, different levels of service, value of assignments (e.g., should keep all, debate on self-assessment), how much time was spent by students on the course, facilitator photos online, face-to-face student get together, and who would facilitate next time (6 yes, 2 maybe, 1 absent from discussion).

Recommendations:

1. Offer the course again.
2. Offer the course in August ’98 but continue to consider alternative times such as during work terms or during continuous phase of interviews.
3. Offer to co-op students only in August ’98, but after that open up it up to others on a smaller scale. Ensure that course mailing is received by all students.
4. Change the sample resumes to be critiqued. At least one should contain less obvious flaws (i.e., it is good but can still be improved).
5. Don’t ask about instructor knowledge in final survey or indicate who is meant by “instructor” (i.e., Kerry).
6. Conclude the course with a face-to-face, on-campus meeting of all students and facilitators.
7. Give facilitators more time in advance to get familiar with the online environment and the technology implications.
8. Recruit a student to assist with course revisions, registrations and technical issues if UW campus support is not sufficient.
9. Get statistics comparing number of interviews granted to online participants vs. non-participants

About the Writer:

Kerry Mahoney is a University of Waterloo Co-operative Education and Career Services (CECS) staff member and a Partner in CareerCoach, a career/life consulting business. Her education includes a UW Sociology degree, a Master of Continuing Education degree and a Certificate in Human Resources Management.