ALS 114: Career Decision Making

Academic Learning Services (ALS) 114 Career Decision Making is a two-credit letter-graded class designed to help students gain a better understanding of their interests, values, and abilities as they relate to the world of work. This course, offered fall, winter, and spring provides OSU first and second year students guided career exploration in a classroom setting.  We also have an online version of the class that is typicallyoffered in fall, winter, and spring and is available to undergraduate students of all class levels.

ALS 114 meets twice a week and follows a discussion format, which means that a small group of students (around 20) meet twice a week to work have conversations and work through activities related to career-decision making. Students who take ALS 114 can look forward to a variety of activities to help them understand their major and career options, including:

  • Learning a decision making model, which incorporates self-assessment (weeks 1-4), the exploration of academic & career options (weeks 5-8), and intentional decision making & action (weeks 9-10).
  • Hearing guest speakers who visit our lecture to talk about a variety of topics related to the career decision making process.
  • Taking self-assessment tests using Focus 2  to help clarify personal interests and preferences.
  • Research careers using both web and print resources.
  • Leaning about the Career Development Center and its various resources.
  • Conducting an informational interview with a professional in a specific field of interest.

 

ALS 191: UESP First-Year Transitions

Academic Learning Services (ALS) 191 UESP First-Year Transitions is a two-credit letter graded class we offer in fall term to help incoming first-year UESP students with their transition to the university. Students in the class learn about foundational experiences and resources to support academic and personal exploration at OSU, and they will get introduced to tools to identify personal strengths, values, interests and preferences, and resources to reflect on how these elements correspond to the various academic pathways at the university.

By the end of ALS 191, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate strategies, problem solving skills and knowledge of resources required to be successful at OSU and beyond.
  2. Articulate values, interests, and personality traits and use this information to consider college majors and careers.
  3. Describe how and where to gather information in the present and future, about college majors, careers, and the job market to assist in well informed decision-making.