FOE project lends a hand to undecided majors

Three FOE student success coordinators began a pilot project fall 2006 that continues to be used. The project helps students who haven’t decided on a major to become acquainted with services the College offers to assist them in their choice.

The coordinators are Rick Barber, associate professor of Computer Science and Information Technology; Denise Penzkofer, associate professor of Physical Education, and Ken Swayne, associate professor and program coordinator of Electrical Engineering Technology.

These efforts are part of the College’s ongoing Foundations of Excellence program. Pellissippi State was selected in June 2005 by the Policy Center on the First Year of College as one of 10 “Founding Institutions” to participate in the development of a national model for excellence in two-year colleges.

First, the coordinators invited about 20 faculty to receive training on helping undecided majors.

“We want students who are still undecided to be able to explore their options and also have ample access to qualified guidance,” said Swayne.

The group of advisors discussed options the students had through the Student Assistance Center, site campus counselors and through a program called Kuder Career Planning System, which has been around since 1939. Using Kuder, participants answer a series of questions that create an inventory of interests, strengths and weaknesses. The inventories are used to help individuals make career choices. Some options for users include an education planner and resume help.

“A particularly useful aspect of the Kuder system is that it generates samples of careers that those with similar interests as the participant enjoy,” said Penzkofer.

Because of the training, the advisors are able to explain the basics of the Kuder program, and thanks to the effort, students also received a password and school code to access the career planning system directly at the Kuder Web site.

“Another large part of the advising,” said Penzkofer, “is that the advisors share their own experiences in choosing a major, since they often have experienced similar frustrations as the students.”

“We chose the Kuder system because it’s an effective tool that is accessible to our Pellissippi State students for widespread use,” said Barber.

Kuder resources are free to Tennessee community college students through a cooperative initiative between the Tennessee Board of Regents and EdAmerica.

Additionally, the group tried the Kuder assessments with a broad range of students in a Developmental Studies Program: Study Skills course (DSPS 0800 College and Lifetime Learning) before ultimately deciding to use it. Kuder has now become standard in the course.

The student success coordinators followed up with the first-semester students who met with undecided major advisors during final registration in January. Currently, student mentors are calling undecided majors, telling them who their advisors are and letting them know about the resources available to help them with choosing a major.

The callers are also encouraging the students to meet with their advisors during Priority Registration for summer and fall 2007, which begins April 2.

"Inside Pellissippi" is a bi-monthly electronic publication produced by the Marketing and Communications Office for the faculty and staff of Pellissippi State Technical Community College, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, P.O. Box 22990, Knoxville, Tennessee 37933-0990. All suggestions and comments should be sent to Julia Wood (jwood@pstcc.edu).

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