Validation of an Online Orientation Seminar to Improve Career and Major Preparedness

Abstract

Career planning and development for undergraduates is a goal for our field, yet the majority of psychology departments do not offer a course to meet this goal. This article examines an online psychology orientation course that requires relatively few instructional resources to achieve success. Outcomes for the course are measured by student work along four dimensions: knowledge of the major, planning for the future, career knowledge, and self-assessment of fit. The analysis shows very large gains in student performance for major knowledge and planning for the future and moderate gains in the other areas. This work suggests that the online model is one potentially powerful tool for preparing undergraduate psychology majors to succeed in the major and after graduation. © 2012, Society for the Teaching of Psychology. All rights reserved.