Early Design Ideas

The following are three modules for our solution that we have honed in on over the course of the project's learning design phase.

Design #01: Resume building module

Design rationale

Resume-building is a critical step along the way to securing employment in the United States, and two of the top challenges cited by our target learners directly affect resume building: lack of work experience and language barriers. As one learner said, "I don't know how to build a U.S.-style resume." From this module of our learning design, learners will build an effective resume.

Flexibility and accessibility (technology choice and rationale)

Our solution encompasses both asynchronous and synchronous learning. It includes both an an e-learning platform and an in-person workshop with peer and expert feedback. Students will use document editng software of their choice (on laptops) to work on their resumtes.

Mentoring and feedback

Throughout the e-learning, students will get feedback on assessment questions they answer correctly and incorrectly and engage with examples that will be contextualized with callouts on best practices.

Learning theories

This module is based on a cognative approach to learning design.

Learners believe knowledge will be useful to them to secure a job and will therefore activate.
Instruction is pre-designed, and learners will be actively involved in recalling previous knowledge and mapping new knowledge in a meaningful way.

Outline of learning experience

Through a gamified e-learning experience, learners can discover the key components of resume, evaluate examples, and apply best practices to an early draft they build on their own resume prototype within the platform. The rationale behind this experience is that learners should have the flexibility to do this on their own time. Through this activity, learners will be able to

Articulate different types of resumes used in the US and their purposes
Analyze job postings and role/employer's requirements
Identify transferable skills, even without significant work experience, that they can feature and tailor for their resumes

[Storyboard of resume building learning design]

To ensure its relevance, we will release the module 2 weeks prior to the in-person workshop and require that students complete it prior to attending, so that learners are fresh and prepared for the in-person component featuring peer and expert feedback.

During the workshop, an expert presenter will lead learners through an interactive lesson on resume best practices. Learners will pair off to workshop their resumes further through peer review. Then career coaches will provide 1:few expert feedback on resumes. Through this activity, learners will:

Contextualize best practices to their personal resumes
Build an effective resume

Design #02: Professional communication module

Design rationale

International students who are looking for jobs in the United States may face unique challenges related to cultural differences in professional communication. By providing an e-learning course, we can ensure that the course content is accessible to international students regardless of their geographic location or time zone. This allows us to address cultural relevance in the course content, tailoring it to the specific needs and challenges faced by international students seeking employment in the United States. Through the use of Zoom recordings, learners can also practice and refine their verbal communication skills in a safe and controlled environment, allowing them to gain confidence and competence in their professional communication abilities.

Flexibility and accessibility (Technology choice and rationale)

E-learning courses provide flexibility in terms of time and location, allowing international students to access the course content at their own pace and convenience. This is particularly beneficial for students who may have other commitments such as part-time jobs or internships. Additionally, using AI for practice sessions and assessments can provide immediate feedback to learners, allowing them to continuously improve their skills and receive personalized guidance.

Real-world application

The use of real-world scenarios, such as professional email communication and cold messages on LinkedIn, allows learners to practice and apply their skills in authentic settings. This helps them develop practical skills that can be directly transferred to their job search and professional interactions. The assessments, which involve initiating conversations with strangers on LinkedIn, provide an opportunity for learners to apply what they have learned and receive feedback from mentors and potentially AI assessments, which can further enhance their learning experience.

Mentoring and feedback

The mentoring component of the e-learning course allows learners to receive personalized guidance and feedback from experienced professionals, helping them further develop their professional communication skills. Mentors can assess learners' communication skills and provide feedback on areas that need improvement, helping learners identify their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the use of AI for assessments can provide objective feedback, complementing the mentor's feedback and providing a well-rounded assessment of the learners' communication skills.

Learning theories

Overall, the e-learning course design rationale is based on the constructivist theory and situated learning.

Constructivism:
- Students learn best when engaged in learning experiences (creating conversations) rather passively receiving information.
- Learning is inherently a social process because it is embedded within a social context as learners and mentors work together to build knowledge.
- Because knowledge cannot be directly imparted to students, the goal of teaching is to provide experiences that facilitate the construction of knowledge, during the process of conversations.
Situated Learning:
- Stein (1998), citing Young further clarifies ways instructors can design “situated learning in the classroom:
  - Select situations that will engage the learners in complex, realistic, problem-centered activities that will support the desired knowledge to be acquired. As we put learners in a scenarios to push for conversations, i.e., cold-call someone on LinkedIn.
  - Provide a scaffold (mentor/AI's feedback) for new learners, knowing the type and intensity of guidance necessary to help learners master the situations (self-adaptive AI). As learners acquire additional skills, less support will be needed.

Design #03: Work authorization module

In our survey, we found out 97.2% of students need authorization to work legally in the U.S. The biggest challenge of securing a job is work-authorization restrictions. Tom Sirinides, the Director of NYU OGS, mentioned that students would lose their right to work legally if there is something wrong in the process, for example, working before they actually receive the work authorization and EAD card.

The work-authorization course provides students a basic understanding of the application timeline, distinct types of work-authorization and their differences. It meets the learning objective which is helping students choose the correct work authorization and follow the timeline to apply.

[Storyboard of work authorization strategy]

Potential activities:

Role-playing game that simulates the application process
Online lecture
Timeline & Advance organizer
Online resources and community forum
Computer-based quiz

Design rationale

According to our learner analysis, one of the main challenges for international students who want to land jobs in the U.S. is Visa restrictions. In order to eliminate possible work authorization barriers, we design this e-learning course. With the form of the e-learning course, learners could study regardless of time zones and geographic location. It is also accessible for learners who have part-time or full-time jobs which do not allow them to attend at a specific time. Through the design, learners can get an idea of the type of work authorization they need, the application process, and the challenges that they might face, such as the changes in immigration policies, and the lengthy processing time. Also, by providing the online forum, learners could interact with others, share their experiences, ask for help, and get support.

Technology choice & rationale

Role-playing simulation game

A role-playing game to test and activate their existing knowledge about work authorization, we hope that combining the game with the learning, could lessen their stress and anxiety and give them more extrinsic motivation to learn.

Asynchronous online lecture

In the e-learning course, we decided to use Zoom to deliver the course and record the lectures because it could be accessed easily, as well as saved and watched again later according to the need of learners.

Online synchronized Mentoring

Learners could make an appointment with the mentor via Zoom meeting or the mentor could set up Zoom meetings to answer the common questions which could also be recorded and saved for new learners with the same questions.

E-learning website with resources and online community forum

There's also an online forum for learners to ask questions and get support, which increases their engagement and lets them feel they are not alone.

Computer-based test

For the assessment, we provide a computer-based test to evaluate their learning outcome, which can give them immediate feedback about if they learned the crucial information about work authorization.

Learning theories

Behaviorism - In the simulation game, students will receive rewards after choosing the right move, and receive warnings if they choose wrong in the application simulation. After receiving rewards, students are more motivated and happier. If they receive warnings, it makes students nervous and takes the application more seriously.

Constructivism - The role-playing game that simulates the process of work-authorization application activates their prior knowledge regarding work-authorizations. It also activates their meta-cognition on which parts they have understood and which parts they need to learn more.

Advance Organizer - A nicely organized concept map can provide students better understanding in differentiating types of work-authorization and reduce their cognitive load in understanding complex contents.

Social-Constructivism - Based on Social-Constructivism, we provide an online forum in which learners can interact with others and it is beneficial for building their own knowledge and understanding. It helps build a comforting learning environment with peer and reduce anxiety.

Analysis of the design:

Pros:

Help learners have knowledge of the work authorization.
Make the learning process engaging.
Assess learning outcome in time to correct the misunderstanding.

Con:

The cost of developing the role-playing simulation game.
The computer-based test can be boring and exhausting to students.

Concern:

Will the learners watch the recordings carefully? For example, the recordings that the mentors answering the common questions, will the new learners who replay the recordings exit to watch at the beginning because they do not find the specific answers they have questions about? How do we mark those recordings for watching and checking conveniently?
Will the content need to watch and learn lead to cognitive overload?

Logic Model:

Explore it on Figma: Logic Model

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