Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
for Courses Numbered 6000 and Higher
Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.
Submission guidelines are posted to the GCC Web site: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/gcc/index.cfm
1. Course prefix and number:
BIOL 7950
2. Date:
09/27/11
3. Requested action:
X New Course
Revision of Active Course
Revision & Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of an Existing Course from
from
to
#
Required
X
#
Elective
4. Method(s) of delivery (check all boxes that apply for both current/proposed and expected
future delivery methods within the next three years):
Current or
Proposed Delivery
Method(s):
X
On-campus (face to face)
Expected
Future Delivery
Method(s):
X
Distance Course (face to face off campus)
Online (delivery of 50% or more of the instruction is offered online)
5. Justification (must cite accreditation and/or assessment by the graduate faculty) for new course
or course revision or course renumbering:
Evaluation of the graduate curriculum by the Biology Graduate Committee
identified a critical need for a suite of courses designed to prepare grad students in
the areas of mentoring, pedagogy, and preparations for entering the workforce.
This course addresses the latter, and focuses on preparations for job search and
interviews.
6. Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:
BIOL 7950. Preparing for the Job Market (3) Development of skills pertinent for
career development beyond the PhD, including public speaking, the job search, job
application materials, interviewing techniques, networking, and job discussion
panels.
7. If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:
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NA
8. Course credit:
Lecture Hours
3
3
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
Lab
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Studio
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Practicum
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Internship
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study) Please explain.
s.h.
s.h.
3
Total Credit Hours
s.h.
15
9. Anticipated annual student enrollment:
10. Changes in degree hours of your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
NA
11. Affected degrees or academic programs, other than your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
PhD IDPBS
PhD CRM
NA
NA
12. Overlapping or duplication with affected units or programs:
X Not applicable
Documentation of notification to the affected academic degree programs is
attached.
13. Council for Teacher Education (CTE) approval (for courses affecting teacher education):
X Not applicable
Applicable and CTE has given their approval.
14. University Service-Learning Committee (USLC) approval:
X Not applicable
Applicable and USLC has given their approval.
15. Statements of support:
a. Staff
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X
Current staff is adequate
Additional staff is needed (describe needs in the box below):
b. Facilities
X Current facilities are adequate
Additional facilities are needed (describe needs in the box below):
c. Library
X
Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an
estimate for the cost of acquisition of required initial resources):
d. Unit computer resources
X
Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition):
e. ITCS resources
X
ITCS resources are not needed
The following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Software
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached
16. Course information (see: Graduate Curriculum and Program Development Manual for
instructions):
a. Textbook(s) and/or readings: author(s), name, publication date, publisher, and
city/state/country. Include ISBN (when applicable).
Julia M Vick & Jennifer S. Furlong. (2008). The Academic Job Search
Handbook. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press.
b. Course objectives for the course (student – centered, behavioral focus)
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
The student will be able to:
1. Assess their own interests and goals for their current and future career trajectory
with the intent to create a plan for obtaining their career goals.
2. Establish a Career Development Journal for continued learning throughout their
career.
3. Compare and contrast the differences among scientific careers in industry and
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academia and the different types of academic institutions.
4. Develop public speaking skills appropriate for conveying research in
professional and job-related settings.
5. Develop and implement job search strategies
6. Demonstrate proficiency in preparation of written documents essential for the
job-application process: cover letter, resume, CV, research statement, teaching
statement, and teaching portfolio.
7. Integrate networking, public speaking, and job related skills with their
individual career goals in a role-playing job interview in order to develop
interviewing skills.
c. Course topic outline
A. The Career Development Journal
B. The 5 year plan
C. What kind of job?
D Balancing your efforts
E. Public Speaking
F. Job Search Strategies
G. Networking
H. Applying for a job
Writing the cover letter
Resume
CV
Letters of Recommendation
Research Statement
Teaching Statement
Teaching Portfolio
I. The Job Interview
The phone interview
The onsite interview
Doing your homework
The job talk
The Social Scene
The myriad of meetings
J. The Job Offer
Negotiation
d. List of course assignments, weighting of each assignment, and grading/evaluation system
for determining a grade
As this class will be mostly geared towards experience-based learning, no formal
exams will be given. Instead, students will be graded on their completion of a
series of written and oral exercises:
1. Career Journal: students will keep a career journal and outline each week
what they have done towards furthering their career. Journals will be checked
once a month. (5% grade)
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2. Job Search exercise: students will find 5 job announcements relevant to their
interests, each from a different source. (5%)
3. Students will choose their favorite job announcement and apply to that job
with the following documents:
Resume (5%)
CV (5%)
Research Statement (10%)
Teaching Statement (10%)
Teaching Portfolio (10%)
4. Students will participate in a mock phone interview by participating as (a) an
interviewer and (b) an interviewee; students will write up about their experiences
(15%)
5. Students will participate in a mock onsite interview by participating as i)
interviewer and ii) interviewee; student will write up about their experiences
(15%)
6. The job talk: Students will present a 10-20 minute version of a job talk and
critique each other, offering constructive feedback on content, delivery, and
overall performance (15%)
7. Attendance (5%)
Grading Scale
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
F <70%
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