Thinking out loud, together
"I want to be a counsellor, what steps should I take to prepare for my career?"
"What skills do I need to find a job after graduation? Would my degree actually help?"
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" We need to make sure our graduates have high employment rate so we can attract more talents to our school!"
This is not a secret and there is a huge gap between the needs of industry and what formal education can offer. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate for recent graduate is 10.6% in August 2020 (4.1% in August 2019). At the first glance, the stats might seem average. However, if you look at the underemployment rate, 43.2% of recent graduate are underemployed in September 2020 (41.5% in September 2019). There are many factors that could contribute to the high underemployment rate but it doesn't take away the message that students need to expose more clear and concise guidance in career preparation. Otherwise, they are stuck with a job that doesn't match their competency.
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Career readiness, career prediction, and career development are vital in helping students become aware of their own competencies and the skills they need to develop (Abu Khousa et al., 2015). However, due to the current pandemic, students are facing the limitation of the opportunity to connect with their peers and industry experts.
The pressure is also on institutions as there are consistent reports that student enrolment for higher education is decreasing in a drastic manner. Universities have to act now to make sure students are better prepared to enter the workforce once they complete their studies.
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Noting the impact of meaningful interaction has on learning (Woo & Reeves, 2007) and how much learning analytics can support meaningful learning for students, Thinking out loud in an app that works on mobile devices and desktop and it taps on learning analytics, community of practice, and social network, to provide students a clear idea of the skills they need to obtain, in order to be career ready.
What is Thinking out loud, exactly?
There is no linear connection between program choices and future career options as further education and relevant work experience also play important roles.
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However, it can be a daunting task for students to explore and develop crucial skills for employment when they haven't had the life experience yet to make the link of what skill and experience would be important and relevant.
Thinking out loud utilizes learning analytics ability to extract valuable information from students' career assessment result and from there, students are offered and placed in different cohorts based on their career interests and competencies.
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Every student brings something unique to the group and students are able to discuss and build concrete plans on the skills they need to have (and most importantly the how and where) with their peers.
The regular meeting with assigned mentors, who are industry experts provides students insight into the career they're interested in. A recent study (Heyden, 2019) supported the notion that students benefit from interviewing industry expert as it not only helped students to see how the knowledge they learned can be applied in real life but also have the opportunity to build human connection, which can be very beneficial in job searching later on.
Stages of Thinking
SET
GO!
READY?
1. This is where you start
By filling out a questionnaire and setting up your profile with the career centre at your school, we will gather the data and match you with other students who share similarities in interests and career aspirations.
Depends on your preference, we can assign you to exclusively students in your institutions or include students from other schools too!
2. Exchange ideas, think out loud!
4. Embark on your new journey with confidence!
Now you will feel more confident taking your next step as you already have a group of people who are pursing the same dream and sharing resources with
3. Need more guidance? We got you!
Besides regularly meeting with your cluster, you will also share ideas with industry experts in the area you'd like to learn more about! Each mentor is matched with clusters that identified the same career path.
Within your cluster, you will be able to discuss ideas and ask questions; since you all share similar interests and career goals, you're also building relationship with potential future business partners!
Founder & Mentors
Rachel Chiang
Founder of Thinking out loud
Rachel is a university academic advisor and an educational venture analyst. She is a graduate student in Educational Technology at the University of British Columbia.
After spending the past decade working with students on finding their paths, both in academic and professional fields, Rachel realized what students need is clear guidance on the skills they should obtain and a space to navigate different possibilities with other like-minded students. Hence the birth of Thinking out loud.
Carla
Mentor - Educational Technology and Professional Teaching
Carla is an experienced Lecturer with a demonstrated history of working in the Higher Education industry with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Chemistry
Jasmine
Mentor - Learning Technology Consultant
Jasmine loves teaching and is interested in the education sector which has led her to adopt various skills while working in online learning!
Brad
Mentor - E-Learning Technician and Student Services in Higher Education
Brad has extensive experience working in the higher education sector. By realizing his passion in e-learning, he has recently shift his gear to focus more on e-learning development.
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How to use it?
Once we completed our data analysis, students will get an email inviting them to access Thinking out loud app, which is available both in desktop and mobile devices.
Nothing beats a demo so give it a try now! If you have trouble using the demo below, you can also access it by clicking here
Contact Us
References
Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2020, October 22). The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates.
https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market/index.html
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Heyden, B. (2019). Interviews with professional geologists enhance learning about the applied aspects of economic geology for final-year university students, Journal of Geoscience Education, 67:1, 20-33, DOI: 10.1080/10899995.2018.1511959
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Khousa, E., Atif, Y., & Masud, M. (2015) Smart Learning Environments (2015) 2:14. DOI 10.1186/s40561-015-0021-z
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Woo, Y., & Reeves, T.C. (2007) . Meaningful interaction in web-based learning: A social constructivist interpretation. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(1), 15-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.10.005
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Images used for app prototype
Graphic designer, man by Freepik from the Noun Project
Editor, woman 1, and women 2 by mangsaabguru from the Noun Project
Confetti by pongsakornRed from the Noun Project
Hockey player by photo3idea_studio from the Noun Project