NSSE tested a Work & Career Preparation item set in 2020 and analyzed how it performed to develop new NSSE and FSSE topical modules focused on preparation for work and career. The modules were administered as part of the spring 2021 NSSE and FSSE and will be offered again in 2022. A dataset, internal analyses, reports for participating institutions, aggregate findings, and tailored reports are in production. Findings will also be disseminated in presentations to relevant higher education audiences at national conferences and meetings, and in joint publications developed by NSSE and Strada.

Read the announcement issued by Strada Education Network.

Project Rationale

Interest in tightening the connection between higher education and career preparation has increased with heightened demands for evidence of employability as an outcome and employer concern over students’ preparation for the workplace. Colleges and universities address career preparation and employability through career preparation services and resources, and shape student expectations and aspirations for the labor market through experiential learning, and interactions with faculty, staff, and other students.

Current interest in work and career preparation and the kinds of experiences that help graduates succeed in the 21st century workplace makes it incumbent on colleges and universities to assess the quality of associated career and work preparation and to use what they learn to strengthen links between the undergraduate experience and success after graduation. Moreover, higher education administrators, scholars and policymakers are keenly interested in understanding what experiences matter to work-based outcomes and disseminating this information to bring greater focus and attention to this important topic.

Contact Co- Principal Investigators Alexander C. McCormick (amcc@indiana.edu) and Jillian Kinzie (jikinzie@indiana.edu) for more information.