Assess learning outcomes

Warren, Phi Delta Kappan 71:1 (1989), p. 38.

This reflection complements the "learning goals" reflection you worked through at the beginning of the semester.  Time to assess how much you have learned!

Read this first

• George Cheney, Daniel J. Lair, Dean Ritz, Brenden E. Kendall, "Working for a good life," in Just a Job? Communication, Ethics, and Professional Life (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010). Download George Cheney, Daniel J. Lair, Dean Ritz, Brenden E. Kendall, "Working for a good life," in Just a Job? Communication, Ethics, and Professional Life (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).
  Useful historical and philosophical essay on making work less of a compulsion and more of a calling.

Complete these steps

1. Recall where you started.  Read over your one-page essay reflecting on your learning goals that you wrote at the beginning of the semester.  Did this turn out to be an accurate prediction of what this class would involve?

2. Answer reflection questions.  Now, thinking about all of the assignments, activities, and discussions we've had over the course of the semester, write a reflection essay (one page) answering the following questions:

• What is the single most important thing you learned from this course?  (About yourself, about the UW, or about the world of work.)
• What changes in your educational path — whether in your required courses or your electives — do you think you will make as a result of this course?
• What changes in your extracurricular pursuits — especially those that take you out of your daily context or comfort zone -- will you make as a result of this course?
• What kinds of work experiences (like internships, service-learning, or research projects) will you try to pursue as a result of taking this course? 

3. Consider letting others learn from your experience.  Please let us know whether or not you would be willing to share a copy of your essay with future students in this course (with your name removed for privacy).

4. Turn in your work.  Upload your essay to Canvas to earn credit for this assignment.

Notes on this assignment

• There is no right or wrong answer in this assignment. The point is to take the time and effort needed for critical self-reflection!
• Ideally this is an exercise you would complete at the end of every class you take at UW-Madison.
• Your exploration of yourself, your university, and your world of great work is just beginning! We wish you the best of luck, and we are always here to help.

To learn more

• Taking Initiative Student Guide Download Taking Initiative Student Guide
  chapter 10, "Planned happenstance in your career game."
• Katharine Brooks, You Majored in What?, chapter 11, "Wanderers go everywhere." 
• Mark R. Ballard, "Job search: Chance or plan?" in Virginia N. Gordon and Thomas L. Minnick, Foundations: A Reader for New College Students, 2nd ed. (2002). Download Mark R. Ballard, "Job search: Chance or plan?" in Virginia N. Gordon and Thomas L. Minnick, Foundations: A Reader for New College Students, 2nd ed. (2002).
   Argues that "given the difficulty of predicting which skills will be in demand even five years from now, not to mention in a lifetime, your best career preparation is one that emphasizes broad skills (for example, social, communication, analytical, logical, leadership, human relations), intellectual curiosity, and knowledge of how to learn." 
• James M. Citrin, "The six phases of your career," in The Career Playbook (2015). Download James M. Citrin, "The six phases of your career," in The Career Playbook (2015).
   "You launch your career with the scale registering heavy on potential and light OI,l experience. As you move through your career, the scale shifts and the experience side eventually grows to outweigh the potential side."
• Sarah Dunham and Lisa Vollmer, "Pursuing an advanced degree," in What To Do With Your History or Political Science Degree  Download Sarah Dunham and Lisa Vollmer, "Pursuing an advanced degree," in What To Do With Your History or Political Science Degree 
  (New York: Random House, 2007). Download (New York: Random House, 2007).
   Contrary to its title, this book is useful for more than just history or political science majors -- the advice applies to any L&S degree.
• Roman Krznaraic, "Giving meaning to work," in How to Find Fulfilling Work (2012). Download Roman Krznaraic, "Giving meaning to work," in How to Find Fulfilling Work (2012).
   This short essay on career values, masquerading as a how-to guide, considers five types of meaning on the job: earning money, achieving status, making a difference, following passions, and using talents.
• Kathleen E. Mitchell, Al S. Levin and John D. Krumboltz, "Planned happenstance: Constructing unexpected career opportunities," Journal of Counseling and Development 77 (1999). Download Kathleen E. Mitchell, Al S. Levin and John D. Krumboltz, "Planned happenstance: Constructing unexpected career opportunities," Journal of Counseling and Development 77 (1999).
   Outlines the “planned happenstance” theory of career reflection.
• Robert Pryor and Jim Bright, "Complexity, uncertainty, and career develpoment theory," in The Chaos Theory of Careers (2011). Download Robert Pryor and Jim Bright, "Complexity, uncertainty, and career develpoment theory," in The Chaos Theory of Careers (2011).
   This book describes the basic ideas behind career development theories of the twentieth century, to offer context for its own postmodern theory of career development.
• Peggy Simonsen, "Career patterns for the 21st century," in Virginia N. Gordon and Thomas L. Minnick, eds., Foundations: A Reader for New College Students (Belmont, CA: Thomson, 2002). Download Peggy Simonsen, "Career patterns for the 21st century," in Virginia N. Gordon and Thomas L. Minnick, eds., Foundations: A Reader for New College Students (Belmont, CA: Thomson, 2002).
   Offers a typology of careers that young workers might pursue under economic, technological, and global restructuring.
• Jean M. Twenge and Stacy M. Campbell, "Generation Me and the changing world of work,"Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work (2010). Download Jean M. Twenge and Stacy M. Campbell, "Generation Me and the changing world of work,"Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work (2010).
  Uses data from studies of generational differences in psychological traits and attitudes to explain how “millennials” behave in the workplace.
• Amy Wrzesniewski, "Finding positive meaning in work," in Kim S. Cameron, Jane E. Dutton, and Robert E. Quinn, eds., Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2003). Download Amy Wrzesniewski, "Finding positive meaning in work," in Kim S. Cameron, Jane E. Dutton, and Robert E. Quinn, eds., Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2003).
  A nice essay on the way work affects our lives and how to construct meaning out of whatever work we find ourselves engaged in.
• Fareed Zakaria, "In defense of today's youth," in In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015). Download Fareed Zakaria, "In defense of today's youth," in In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015).
   A prominent broadcast journalist articulates the value of a liberal education in his own biography and as a democratizing force in a global, multicultural, technological society.