Diane Holtzman, Ed.D. Evonne Kruger, Ph.D. The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

 The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey ◦ Focus on the Liberal Arts ◦ Located southern New Jersey ◦ State four-year college with undergraduate/graduate courses ◦ Focus on  Sustainability  Global  Engagement  Learning

3 ◦ Written and oral communication skills ◦ A combination of technical, leadership and interpersonal skills ◦ Mastery of specific knowledge and skills required by licensure and certification boards

4  Given today’s competitive job market, candidates must enhance their ability to pass the initial job screening by demonstrating they have the skills in the areas indicated in the job ad/description  e-Portfolios  present more than just the traditional resume  can present the applicant’s goals, accomplishments, skills, and knowledge to prospective employers before an interview (Powell & Jankovich, 1998)  can provide examples of projects completed in classes as well as in the work environment or through volunteer experiences—with the applicant’s reflection on these accomplishments and growth  allows for the integration of personal narration and reflection through audio/podcasts and the incorporation of short video clips

5  In developing the e-Portfolio for the workplace  Content in the e-portfolios ◦ should demonstrate the link between the individual’s strengths and the jobs’ specifications/credentialing requirements ◦ provides evidence that verifies individuals’ education, training, credentialing, work performance, skills, and accomplishments relate to the job ◦ positions the individual for future jobs by demonstrating evidence of experience, skills, and knowledge

 Required for management concentration juniors and seniors and is an elective for all Business majors  Contextualizes managerial skills within management theory and provides opportunities for students to master entry level managerial skills

 The management skills course is designed so that students should make progress on selected Business Program learning goals that reflect the philosophy of the AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business- accrediting body) and College Learning for the New Global Century

Students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and competencies [adopted by the School of Business and aligned with the AACSB Assurances of Learning Standards] that meet the course rubrics:  Information literacy skills in searching for information related to the theory and practice of management [library literacy assignment]  Professional business written communications  [Ex: business letters, reports]  The ability to interview a practicing manager and present written and oral reports that integrate information literacy, analysis and synthesis of the manager’s activities, and reflections with the framework of Henry Mintzberg [Interview with a manager project]

 The ability to document and address orally and in writing disciplinary and conflict issues in the workplace [FOSA written project on workplace discipline; collaborative video project]  Writing and critiquing resumes and cover letters  Interview skills as an applicant and interviewer [Team project: Human Resources video-project and written packet]

 The ability to research and analyze managerial positions and prepare professional job descriptions and candidate interview rating sheets [Team project: Human Resources written project and video-project]  Critical thinking skills used in analyzing video managerial situations and making recommendations that include recognition of all ethical implications [Manager’s “Hot Seat” case projects]

 Social responsibility/volunteerism through participation in service learning in a non-profit agency in the community (optional) [Student’s reflection paper and agency feedback]  Professional attitudes, behaviors, and conduct of managers in the workplace [Team project: Job Interview video]

Students should be able to demonstrate:  Reflection on personal development as a manager – requires synthesis and personal integration of the knowledge, skills, and competencies addressed throughout the course [Professional development reflection assignment for the e-Portfolio]  Develop a professional career e-portfolio (assessment and basis for life-long learning) [e-Portfolio assignment]

 Goal is professional development  Achieved through ◦ Reflecting on the artifacts ◦ Writing the reflection pieces (reflection on the Human Resources project and Reflection on the entire course experience—as a student and as a manager.

◦ Resume and cover letter  Business Writing: Letters and Reports  Library Information Literacy Assignment  Interview with a Manager Project  Workplace Discipline Project and collaborative video[FOSA]  Human Resources Project –Job Design/Analysis  Video Job Interview Project and Reflection  Service Learning Reflection Paper  Professional Development Reflection  Final Portfolio

◦ Has students reflect on  The Past—who was I before I had this learning experience  The Present-who am I as a result of this learning experience  The Future– how can I present myself as a career ready manager

 Thus construction of the e-Portfolio requires that the students begin with an image of themselves as future managers within specific industries and/or roles. This requires research into career opportunities and required skills sets: ◦ Industrial sales ◦ Hospitality industry ◦ Health care

 As they select and present each piece of the portfolio, tying it together with the career goals articulated in the resume and the two reflection pieces, they construct a persona –I Manager.  The process of reflecting upon learning experiences in terms of their relationship to career goals and personal development is as important as that of documentation.

 “A remarkable number of effective managers are reflective: they know how to learn from their own experience; they explore numerous options; and they back off when one doesn’t work, to try another”  Reflective managers tend to engage in higher order thinking: ◦ wondering, ◦ probing, ◦ analyzing, ◦ synthesizing ◦ ability to connect their experiences to “the self”

 The importance of reflection in management can be extended to most professions, e.g., law, medicine, scientific research, psychology, creative writing, education, and the performing arts.  By reflecting upon the relationship between their broadly defined learning experiences and their perceptions of themselves as career-ready, students provide evidence of their preparedness to transition into the full-time work place or graduate school, and perhaps also of their future success.

 The construction of the self using e-documentation is not a new endeavor to most students.  Impression management and the presentation of the self in everyday life, as first articulated by Goffman, are now being applied to social e-sites.  The vast majority of students have experience with social networking sites such as Facebook where they are very aware that they are attempting to control both the impressions their sites give about themselves and the impressions that are actually interpreted by “friends” and others.

Social networking site experience helps develop:  Envisioning skills: the ability to envision the self that is presented to the world  Presentation skills: ability to work creatively with multimedia: Photos, video clips, links to YouTube and other sites must be carefully coordinated.

 Impression Management Skills: editing, monitoring, and continuous updating skills  Social networking skills include the understanding that the individual is constructing a persona that he/she will “try out” publicly. The selections posted are edited and reviewed should enhance the intended persona.

Impression Management is particularly important:  Claims of damages by employers when employees post critical comments about their employers;  Prospective employers frequently check social networking sites and make judgments as to character, communications skills, and maturity;  “Friends” are quick to identify misstatements, prevarications, and even casual puffery.

 These envisioning, presentation, and impression management skills can be transferred successfully by students to the development of their skills portfolios.

 When students are done with the e-Portfolio they have a strong repository of artifacts from which they can select those elements they want to include in an official career portfolio to future employers.  This can include ◦ Projects—those revised/exemplary written and video/audio projects ◦ Transcripts ◦ Resume

26  The content in the e-portfolios ◦ should demonstrate the link between the individual’s strengths and the jobs’ specifications/credentialing requirements ◦ provides evidence that verifies individuals’ education, training, credentialing, work performance, skills, and accomplishments that relate to the job ◦ positions the individual for future jobs by demonstrating evidence of experience, skills, and knowledge

 Individuals will own and manage their personal portfolio information from childhood through careers as a tool for reflective life-long learning.  May be required in high schools/colleges, as mandated by states’ legislation, to showcase students’ readiness for the job market [ eFolioMinnesota)]. ( Karlen & Sanchirico, 2010 )  E-Portfolios are becoming the new standard that every person has to have…and have broken out of the educational sector and are being adopted for employees in companies. (Batson, ePortfolios, Finally!) 27

 Diane Holtzman, Ed.D.  Evonne Kruger, Ph.D.

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