Engage

In Module 5, we examined Excelsiors General Education Career Competencies and learned how these skills will be beneficial in the future of work. One of the most important competencies is oral communication. In fact, according to an Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) 2018 survey of business executives and hiring managers (Links to an external site.) the ability to effectively communicate orally was the most important skill for college graduates entering the workforce. It ranked ahead of critical thinking, ethical decision-making, teamwork, time management, and written communication. So, in this discussion, you will practice your oral communication through a video post. Youll get another chance to practice this skill in the Module 8 discussion, so dont worry if you havent quite mastered it this week.

Begin by reading pages 6.3 through 6.10 in the webtext on career planning and page 6.11 on the oral communication discussion.

Now, put yourself in the mindset of your future self. Pretend that it is a few years in the future once you have completed your college degree (and any subsequent degrees you plan to attain) and are now entering your chosen career field or positioning yourself to advance in your current field. For this discussion, you are interviewing for an ideal job in your field.

Discussion Instructions
Initial post: By Thursday of Module 6, create a 2-minute video clip with a text transcript speaking as your future self, answering the following questions from the hiring manager:

Why do you want to work in this career field? What sets you apart from other candidates?
As a graduate of Excelsior College, what are the most important skills you learned from your education? How do you plan to apply these to your work?
What do you think the future of this career field/industry will be in 10, 20 or even 100 years? How can you help us plan for that future?
NOTE: You will need to include a transcript or closed captions with your video in order to make it accessible for people with hearing disabilities.  The easiest way to do this is to write out a script in advance and attach this to your post as a transcript. Use the Audio Script Writing Guide for help creating a script.

NOTE: Read the resources below for help with creating your video (or if a video is not possible an audio file) If you experience trouble uploading your video file to Canvas directly because of a slow internet connection, read option 4 in the Tips document below.

You will not be able to see posts written by your classmates until you create your initial post.

Replies: Then, from Friday through Sunday of Module 6, reply to your classmates videos with text replies. Comment on similarities and differences in your answers to the questions, and give some positive feedback about their oral communication skills what did they do well? How did they communicate their points effectively?  Please be sure to reply to at least two of your peers’ posts. 

Resources:

Tips for Creating a Video (also includes information on audio-only alternative)
Audio Script Writing Guide
Evaluation
This discussion will be graded according to the Cornerstone Oral Discussion Rubric. Review the rubric and Discussion Board Expectations in advance to know how you will be assessed.
All discussion boards combined are worth 20% of your course grade.
This activity is used to assess one or more general education career competencies (GECC). You will see additional rows in your rubric from your instructor along with assessments of Above/Meets/Does Not Meet Expectations for each competency. These rows do not factor into your grade.