Week 5 | Scoping & Planning

09.27.20

After an unsuccessful recruitment attempt, I have decided to pivot once again. With the help of a brainstorming session with my advisor, I feel more grounded in my direction now and feel that the narrowing has helped me focus on my areas of interest and what I want to learn.

Updated Research Question

Through my research, I plan to address the underlying question of how the design of academic tools help students who are engaged in post-secondary education define their fit and purpose within their communities as a means of building their confidence in decision-making that aids their long term-planning and pursuit of career opportunities?

Subquestions

Understanding Fit & Purpose

How are students defining their fit/purpose in life? What might support them in this process and what are the results of their success?

• How is the fit/purpose defined?
  - Life experience
  - Work experience
  - Access to work opportunities
  - Getting a high paying job
  - Happiness
  - Fulfillment
• How is success defined?
• What qualifies as a successful outcome?

Confidence and Decision Making

How are students currently making decisions with confidence and what is informing the decisions they make about their post-secondary education?

• How are confident decisions measured?
• What signifies that it’s a confident decision?
• What resources or tools do they use to make their decisions?
  - Mentorship — Family, peer, mentor
  - Talking with their advisor
  - Communicating with a counselor

Longterm Planning

What assistance might students need to engage in long term planning for their future? What does that look like and how should this assistance guide their decisions when planning?

• How is longterm planning defined?
  i.e. I plan 1,6,12 months in advance
• What tools, approaches, or resources do they use to help them plan for the future?
  - Calendar
  - Day Planner
  - Goal/Moodboards
  - Pinterest boards
• What tools have been the most effective?

Opportunities

What career opportunities exist for students outside the classroom and how can these opportunities and experiences be designed to help students gain insights from them?

• How are career opportunities defined?
  - Internships
  - Entry Level Jobs
  - Summer Jobs
  - Volunteer Experiences
  - Extra — Curriculars
  - Sports
• Are students involved with self-evaluation practices and self-reflection? How is this effective?

In addition to rescoping and pivoting I started look into reading these books and examining the following tools.