Name: Sami Sonkowsky

Date: 04/17/2015

Course: SAA 720

Career Development Program Proposal

Step 1: Scan of the Environment
After a discussion with both the International Studies and Career
Development Offices at the University of Dubuque, the idea developed
between a few faculty members and myself that we should develop a career
development course for international students to understand the possible
career options available to them. This idea was introduced to the Mick
Miyamoto, the Dean of Students, and Phyllis Garfield, the Director of the
International Studies Office and was given the go ahead to further explore
the possibility of developing an International Student Career Development
Certification Course.
It was discussed that the course would be designated at ISCD 101 under
Area B of the Global Awareness core requirements as an alternative to CCS
101 (cross-cultural studies), specifically for international students. UD
already offers OPT training and ESL writing workshops as optional-outside
opportunities for international students. These workshops would be
incorporated into the ISCD. The usefulness and attendance of the above
career opportunities lack formal assessment. Only informal assessments, of
the need of such career opportunities, have been discussed by students,
faculty, and staff.
The course would be weighted at 1 credit and students would receive a
certificate upon completion of the course. The creation of this course will
help increase the amount of international students gaining employment postgraduation. Around 10% of graduates successfully find employment after
graduation. Almost all international students are unaware of the services and
resources UD provides for career development, creating a need to build
awareness of career services in general. We aim to create a collaborative
initiative between the International Studies Office and the Career
Development Office in order to fully develop and achieve our goal of
implementing an 8-module certification course that incorporates learning
outcome-based assessments prior to the start of the course and after
certification completion.
Step 2: Target Population
The target population for the ISCD 101 would ideally be first or second-year
international students. UD has a growing international student population. Of
which, 150 are from Saudi Arabia, 60 from Asia, and 30+ from other
countries. A niche in the target population, who would benefit most from
ISCD 101, would be the international MBA graduate students. These students
come into UD with an already established level of English and a related

Bachelors degree in business. They also have the opportunity to do OPT

after they graduate and during their summer breaks.
Step 3: Identify Needs
This may be difficult information to collect since career development
opportunities can be explored through the International Studies Office, the
Career Development Office, and through academic advising. I plan to work
with each office in order to better evaluate how they promote their services
to international students.
Additionally, I plan to identify the needs of international students through an
assessment based on learning outcomes that would be given prior to the
start of the course. Although the structure of the course will include already
established and offered trainings and workshops, we plan to compliment
these offerings by developing a structure including 6 additional modules.
The established offering may require design changes if content or regulations
change for international student employment, or if students raise a specific
need or concern.
Step 4: Identify Stakeholders and Collaterals
The main stakeholders in this course development are the international
students, more specifically graduate students in the MBA program.
Additional, possible stakeholders will be faculty and staff from the College of
Business, Career Services, Academic Advising, and the International Studies
Office.
Step 5: Objectives
Immediate goals will include (Adapted from the National Career Development
Guidelines):
1. Personal Social Development
Develop understanding of self to build and maintain a positive selfconcept.
Develop positive interpersonal skills including respect for diversity.
Integrate personal growth and change into personal career
development.
Balance personal, leisure, community, learner, family, and work roles.
2. Educational Achievement and Lifelong Learning
Attain educational achievement and performance levels needed to
reach personal and career goals.
Participate in ongoing, lifelong learning experiences to enhance your
ability to function effectively in a diverse and changing economy.

3. Career Management
Create and manage a career plan that meets career goals.
Use a process of decision-making as one component of career
development.
Use accurate, current, and unbiased career information during career
planning and management.
Master academic, occupational, and general employability skills in
order to obtain, create, maintain, and/or advance employment
opportunities.
Integrate changing employment trends, societal needs, and economic
conditions into proposed career plans.
Step 6: Evaluation
Below is the pre and post survey for international students based on learning
objectives:

ISCD Certification Course Pre and Post Survey

**The same or a similar survey would be given before and after to gage reactions to
the course**

Personal Demographic:
1. What is your country of origin?
2. What is your gender?
3. What degree level are you pursuing? (Associates, Bachelors, Masters,
Doctoral)
4. What is your major?
5. How long have you been in the U.S.?
6. What type of visa do you currently hold?
Career Plans:
1. Are you planning to find work or an internship before graduation?
2. Where do you hope to work after graduation? (U.S., home country,
other country)
3. If you answered in the U.S. for the previous question, how long do you
or can you work in the U.S.?
4. Which industry are you most interested in pursing your career in?
Past Experiences and Choices:
1. What kind of work experiences have you had?
2. Who has the MOST influence or inspired your career choice?
3. When you have concerns related to your career plans or your choosing
of a career path, whom do you rely on most?
4. How important is it, from your perspective, to follow expectations of
family and others in the community when one is choosing a career
path in YOUR HOME COUNTRY?

5. What factors are the most important to you for making a decision
about your career? (Please select the top three)
Identifying Cultural Differences:
1. What is the most popular way that college students usually find
employment in YOUR HOME COUNTRY?
2. What do you think employers value most in candidates in YOUR HOME
COUNTRY? (Please select up to three)
3. Based on your experience or perception, what do you think the US
employers value most in a candidate? (Please select up to three)
4. Choose the top three challenges you have encountered in your
job/internship search in the U.S. (from the list: Visa status, application
process, interviewing, lack of qualifications, resume or cover letter
writing, language proficiency, lack of cultural understanding, major,
lack of connections, other)
5. What do you wish you knew about the job or internship search in the
US before you started seeking employment?
General Knowledge:
1. How familiar are you with Curricular Practical Training (CPT)?
2. How familiar are you with Optional Practical Training?
3. How knowledgeable are you about searching for jobs in the U.S.?
4. Before coming to the U.S., how familiar were you with career services?
5. Have you ever visited the UD Career Services Center?
6. If you have used career services, when did you FIRST visit career
services?
7. If you have used career services, what the purpose of your FIRST visit
to career services?
8. If you have used career services, how often do you visit career
services?
9. If you have used career services, what topics did you discuss with
career counselors the most?
10.
If you have used career services, how knowledgeable do you find
career services staff about needs of international students?
11.
If you have used career services, where did you first obtain
information regarding the career services office?
12.
If you have used career services, what services and resources
available at career services do you find the most helpful?
Reflection:
1. Please share issues, needs, or suggestions on improving the UD Career
Services and resources for international students.
2. According to your perception and experiences, what were/are the
biggest challenges for your career development in the U.S.?
3. What were/are the most helpful and supportive resources for your
academic and career development in the U.S.?
4. Please provide any additional comments or thoughts.

Below is the survey to be given to Career Service Professionals at (Career

Counselors/advisors, Director, Associate Director, Assistant Director, Other
(Dean, Academic Advisors, International Student Director/Advisors,
Employers Relations Staff, Faculty, and Program Coordinators).

Career Professional Survey

You as a Professional:
1. What is your current role?
2. Do you work with international students?
3. How often do you work with international students?
4. How long have you worked with international students?
5. How would you rank your current knowledge of career issues and
information concerning this student population?
Your Office and Institution:
1. What is type of institution is UD?
2. Does your office have a staff member who is dedicated to working with
international students?
3. Do you have an international student services office on campus?
4. If no, is there at least one individual on your campus that helps
matriculate international students through the university?
International Students at Your Institution
1. What is the percentage of international students at your institution?
2. Which countries are most of represented in your international student
population? Please list the top 5.
Counseling and Advising:
1. Are there any topics in the area of working with international students
that you would like to know more about?
Immigration:
1. How do you rate your level of knowledge of OPT, CPT, and H-1B?
2. Does your office make referrals to immigration specialist?
Services and Resources:
1. Do you currently offer customized career programs for international
students?
2. If yes, what topics do you cover in these programs?
3. If yes, how often do you (or does your office) collaborate with the
international student office in organizing these programs?
4. If no, would you life to offer customized programs in the future?
5. What other services have you offered for international student career
development at your institution and/or your career services, if any?
6. What are your top 2 favorite tools you utilize when assisting
international students?
7. What info/materials (such as NCDA and NACE) provide that your office
would benefit from with regards to international students?

8. Where would you most likely access additional resources for working
with international students?
Step 7: Program Content and Method of Delivery
The course will be a 14-week course that runs both Spring and Fall semesters
and meet for 2-2 hours each week. Students will have the option to select
which days they would like to attend the course. In the event a student
misses a session, they can attend another session during the week, with
prior notice given to the professor. The course will be open to a maximum of
15 students. It will be taught on-campus by Sami Sonkowsky, the
International Studies GA, in the Heritage Center, Room 301 with possible
support from other GAs. Digital lectures, modules, and resources will be
made available on the UD International Student Moodle Page, accessible by
faculty, staff, and students.
Proposed Modules:
Module 1: Introduction to International Student Career Development

This introductory module will discuss the reality of the job market for
international students. This workshop will also serve as a guide for all
international students at any level, helping students check their
progress in terms of career exploration and preparation.
Module 2: Networking and Elevator Pitch
This module is the first piece of gaining networking skills. Many
international students lack an understanding of the importance of
networking. How networking works toward securing a career
opportunity will be discussed. Developing an elevator pitch is
suggested as a tool of self-marketing in any networking situation. In
this workshop, students will create a draft of a pitch and have time to
practice it with classmates.
Module 3: LinkedIn and Informational Interview
This module is the second aspect of part of networking skills. In the
first half, we will discuss how to best utilize LinkedIn, the world's
largest professional network. Then in the second half, informational
interviews will be introduced as an integral part of networking and the
job/internship search plan. We will discuss how to prepare for and
conduct an informational interview with an effective elevator pitch and
how to turn an informational interview into an interview.
Module 4: Resume and Cover Letter
A resume is an important tool in job/internship searches. However,
international students often have difficulties getting their resume to
stand out. This module will discuss how to maximize the format,
description, experience and English abilities. Questions such as "Where

do I begin?", "How do I make my resume stand out without any work

experience?", and "How do I customize my resume for a specific
employer" will be highlighted. A consultant from the Academic Writing
Success Center, who is familiar with international students' writing
styles, will also give valuable tips for cover letter writing.
Module 5: Job Search Resources
This module will teach students how to find and use valuable job
search resources, especially resources that meet the unique needs of
international students. Students will learn how to navigate lists of
companies who have been more-friendly to international job seekers as
well as resources that help students research target employers.
Module 6: Effective Interviewing
What is the best way to prepare for an upcoming internship/job
interview? This module covers pre-interview preparation, interview
structure, question and answer preparation, and post-interview
etiquette. Frequent mistakes of international interviewees will be dealt
with. A professional recruiter will share his/her experience interviewing
international students and provide helpful suggestions.
Module 7: Internship Essentials and Panel
This module will include the basics of internships, including the process
of CPT and OPT, how to find an internship, the current trend in
internships, how to convert an internship into a full-time position, and
more. In the second part of the workshop, students will have the
opportunity to meet successful international students who have
already had internships. They will provide tips and suggestions from
their actual experiences, including how they were able to land
internships.
Module 8: Final Elevator Pitch Competition & Certificate Ceremony
The last module of the course will culminate in a final elevator pitch
competition. Students can show off the skills they have learned
throughout the program. At the end of the module, a ceremony will be
held to recognize student achievement. Students will show off and
present their professional portfolios and be awarded a certification of
completion.
Step 8: Resources Needed
Resources necessary for effective delivery of this course will include a
classroom space equipped with technology capabilities, Internet access,
projector, computer connections, photocopies of materials, cost of
assessment instruments and a modest salary for the instructor.
Tentative Budget
Salary:

$1,500 (x12)

Cost of Assessments:
Photocopies:
Other Materials:
Total Cost:

$250
$100
$300
$18,650

Step 9: Identify Significant Barriers

Potential Barriers could be:
Lack of interest in international student population
Lack of support from specific faculty or department
Lack of resources (people, funds, time)
Lack of support from the Dean of Students
No funding available to develop new programming
Step 10: Promotion and Marketing
Marketing and promotion will be executed through various channels
including: initial and reoccurring emails to international students and to
faculty/staff, especially during peak course enrollment periods, physical
flyers with reminders during course registration times, digital
announcements in the Spartan Scoop, publication in the campus newspaper,
printed course information in registration materials, informational social
media posts on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, and
enrollment reminders on the UD International Student Moodle Page.
Step 11: Action Plan
The following steps will need to be taken immediately to ensure proper
program implementation:
Acquire administrative approval from the Dean of Students and the
Director of the International Studies Office
Attend a Student Life meeting to promote and explain the goals and
objections of the new course
Develop a curriculum aligned with NCDA Guidelines
Set the course date and times for the classes
Work with the Registrars Office to approve classroom space
Reserve approved classroom space on the reservation interface,
accessed through the campus portal
Market and promote the new course to staff/faculty well before each
semester commences
Market and promote the new course to international students at least
one month prior to registration
Create pre/post assessments

Create and develop presentations and classroom activities

Determine module assignments and projects