Creating A Collaborative Community

Callings and Careers

Dr. William Hensel

Career & Personal Counselor

What is God doing?

• At LeTourneau University

• Across Christian higher education

The Purpose of the University“Perhaps the most important contribution schools can make...is to give [our youth] a sense of coherence in their studies, a sense of purpose, meaning and interconnectedness in what they learn. Modern secular education is failing… because it has no moral, social or intellectual center. There is no set of ideas or attitudes that permeates all parts of the curriculum. The curriculum is not...a ‘course of study’ at all but a meaningless hodgepodge of subjects. It does not even put forward a clear vision of what constitutes an educated person, unless it is a person who possesses ‘skills’. In other words, a technocrat’s ideal – a person with no commitment and no point of view but with plenty of marketable skills.”

- Neil Postman, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology

The Mission of the University

• To give students a sense of coherence in their studies, a sense of purpose, meaning and interconnectedness in what they learn.

• To create a set of ideas or attitudes that permeates all parts of the curriculum.

• To put forth a clear vision of what constitutes an educated person.

Emerging Vision: Cultural Renovators

• The Student Outcomes Commission

• The Center for the Development of Christian Leadership

• The Personal Educational Portfolio

Emerging Vision: Collaborative Consensus

We are committed to collaboration toward excellence in

Five Areas of Student Growth and Development

Ethical Beliefs and Values

Intellectual Foundational Concepts

Professional Specialized Studies

Personal Holistic Development

Social Community Life

Career Services in Community

Co-educators with faculty and

professional colleagues

Co-creators with God of His

collaborative community

What is God doing?

Two trends:

• Integration in a community of learning

• ‘Pilot Study’ approach to development

Integration in a

community of learning

Exploring Call and Career…

A model consistent with what God

is doing at LeTourneau University

Exploring Call and Career

Questions we want to help students answer:

• What career best correlates with my sense of God’s call for me?

• Among my strengths and talents, which do I most want to use in my work?

• Which careers will provide the best opportunities for me to develop and use my key strengths and talents?

Exploring Call and Career

• In this career, will I be able, on a regular basis, to do what I do best?

• Will God be honored, and will my strengths and talents blossom and flourish, as I pursue this career?

• How will I model Christ in a global market place? In contacts with my colleagues? In my own organization and community?

Exploring Call & Career

A continuous developmental spiral:

Self-Discovery ����

Investigation ����

Decision Making ����

Implementation

Self-Discovery

• Opportunities for

students to integrate

interests, personality,

strengths, skills,

values, lifestyle

preferences, goals,

and dreams, and a

sense of God’s call.

Investigation

• Opportunities for

students to acquire

personally-relevant

information about

the changing world

of work and service.

Decision Making• Opportunities for the student to

assess purposes and goals and

plan means to achieve them.

• Building from outcomes of

Self-Assessment and

Investigation, the student

produces an increasingly

detailed and practical plan to

guide his or her development

vocationally.

Implementation

• Opportunities for

the student to take

action to achieve a

specific vocational

objective.

Vocational Implementation

Seeking, Securing and Succeeding…

in Being, Knowing and Doing…

as God Creates, Calls, and Enables us.

Exploring Career & Call

Three levels of Student Services:

Tier One: All students

Tier Two: Some students

Tier Three: One student

Self-Discovery

Tier 1 (All new students) – Fall Semester

– Assessment instruments

• CSI � Group and individual interpretation*

• StrengthsFinder/StrengthsQuest*

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator*

– CS website and SIGI Plus

– Personal ACTion Plan (PACT) / Personal Educational Portfolio (PEP)*

* Addressed in Cornerstones for Life & Learning course

Self-Discovery

• Tier 1 (All new students) – Spring Semester

– Activities coordinated with major programs

– Parallel activities for Undeclareds (see Tier 2)

– Familiarization with Career Services/

Achievement Center

• Staff and interns

• Services – Resource Center, website, SIGI Plus, Co-

op/internship/employment services, Credentialing,

Career Events, Alumni networking, Company

Seminars, standard instruments, and more.

Self-Discovery

Tier 2 (Undeclared & CSI-identified) – Fall

– MBTI Groups – ‘Taste-Test Your Strengths’

• Attend one of four 2.5-hour dinner sessions (N = 25)

• Faculty/staff facilitators with PA assistance

– SIGI Plus Groups – follow up MBTI sessions

– Peer Advisors work with individuals to

integrate strengths with PACT/PEP

Self-DiscoveryTier 2 (Undeclared & CSI-identified) – SpringMajor-selection activities

– Co-op Panel

– Individual reviews PACT/PEP with PA �

– PACT/PEP First-Summer Plan

– Information-gathering and decision-making

skills training

Self-Discovery

Tier 3 (unique individuals)

• Students usually self-referred or identified

through Early Alert process

• Individual or small-group involvement,

based on 1:1 consultation with CS

professionals

Self-DiscoveryTier 3 (unique individuals)Additional resources to include:

– Campbell Interest & Skill Survey (CISS)

– DISC and StrengthsQuest instruments & activities

– Spiritual gifts/Christian vocational assessments

– Referral for personal/academic/social/spiritual consultation (1:1 and small group modes)

– Other assessments and experiences – pending Assessment Task Force

‘Pilot Study’ approach to

development

Strengths Assessment Study

to guide selection and use of a program

of strengths assessment and

enhancement.

Strengths Assessment Pilot Study

Fall 2001

• Precepts for Success (1st-year course)

• 8 weeks, 1 credit

• 4 experimental sections

– Two using StrengthsFinder® (SF) (N=32)

– Two using CAREERQuest™ (CQ) (N=24)

• 9 control Sections (N=133)

Practical Issues:

• Is it worthwhile to incorporate strengths

assessment and enhancement in our

first-year course?

• Are there significant differences

between effects of SF and CQ in the

context of our first-year course?

Questionnaire

• Assess & compare effects of SF and CQ

• 56 items

• 7-point scale

• Completed at penultimate class meeting

Longitudinal Factors

• Focus groups

• Retention or planned transition

• GPA, community involvement, satisfaction

• Suitable academic program

• Qualitative assessment of portfolio

• Post-graduation surveys (1 and 5 years)

Practical Issues:

• Is it worthwhile to incorporate strengths

assessment and enhancement in our

first-year course? Emphatically YES

• Are there significant differences between effects of SF and CQ in the context of our first-year course?

Generally NO

Strengths Assessment Project

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SF

CQ

Control

No Significant Differences(16 of 56 items , p<.05, 2-tailed test)

• Ease in understanding & using course materials

• Peer Advisor availability

• Instructor concern

• Aware that teacher’s style may not match my learning style

• Growth in understanding and ability to make lasting friendships

• Understanding God’s gifts and call on my life

• Christian view of personhood and excellence

• Decision-making and goal achievement

• Belief that success involves optimum use of God-given strengths

• Examining strengths & values regarding vocation

• Understanding and considering my general career

preferences

• Confidence in deciding my major and career

NOTE: Career focus addressed in the course after the pilot

study questionnaire was completed.

Significant Benefits from SF/CQ(40 of 56 Items, p < .05, two-tailed test)

• Setting realistic goals

• Understanding self and others

• Course content interesting

• Student enjoyment of self-learning

• Perceived instructor enthusiasm & preparation

• Class interesting and effective

• Advising effectiveness

• Quality of activities & discussions

• Identification of own and others’ styles of personality and learning

• Understanding own personality and learning strengths & limitations

• Understanding why diverse styles can conflict and benefit collaboration

• Insights to relate well with others of diverse personality styles

• Devising learning strategies fitting for oneself

• Understanding how to adapt to diverse teaching styles

• How select/improve one’s own learning environment

• Understand own information processing

• New insights re: self

• Understanding own general thinking style

• Practice identifying thinking styles of others

• Identify ways to

improve own thinking

• Clarified own

strengths and talents

• Able to maximize

strengths and manage

weaknesses

• Define high

achievement for self

• More honest

assessment of

priorities

• Able to perceive

others in terms of their

unique strengths

• Growth in confidence

and peace of mind

Generalizable Elements

• The top has to believe and support it

• Consensus building: We are in this together. So…what is “this”?

• His ways are not our ways.

• Tension can be constructive in creating collaborative community

Process Questions

• What would you like to state or ask now?

• What is God doing in Christian higher

education? What common elements do you

perceive?

• What do we want students to be, know, or

do in connection with career services?

• How can we benchmark (assess, judge the

progress toward) these objectives?

Creating A Collaborative Community

Callings and Careers

Dr. William Hensel

Career & Personal Counselor