Career services' contributions to learning outcomes of seniors at a research intensive university.

Abstract

Few empirical research studies have delved into what college students learn by participating in the services offered by career services, specifically one-on-one advising/counseling, workshops, resource use, events, on-campus recruiting and resource library use. This study examined the extent to which college seniors achieve learning outcomes based on the use or non-use of a career services office. Subjects from both groups were compared on both institutional and career development learning outcomes through an on-line survey. They were also compared based on categorical variables including gender, race/ethnicity, undergraduate degree, graduation date, and school of enrollment. A total of 204 (26%) subjects responded to the survey. The results indicated that a B.A. undergraduate degree (p<0.05) and being registered in the study school of arts and sciences and the school of education and social policy (p<0.05) were associated with the use of career services. There was a significant association between the institutional learning outcome "perspective on how my degree will contribute to my overall career" (p<0.01) and the career development learning outcomes "decide on a career field that fits you" and "develop an understanding of how your degree fits in the working world" (p<0.05) and the non-use of career services. For both institutional and career development learning outcomes, the use of resources other than career services had more impact. The only gender difference was for the institutional learning outcome "knowledge about the importance of being engaged in civic activities in the community" (p<0.05) for which females had a higher association than males. Results indicated that the services "on-campus interviews" and "on-line resources" had the greatest impact on users of career services, while "one-on-one advising/counseling" and "workshops" did not have a significant impact. Learning levels were also found to be similar for users and non-users of career services.