What You’ll Learn

• Understand the full program development cycle, from needs assessment to revision

• Identify and analyze target audiences within educational settings

• Write clear, measurable learning objectives aligned to student needs

• Select appropriate content, delivery methods, and resources for career programs

• Apply evaluation models to measure student learning and program impact

• Develop internal and external promotion strategies to increase participation

• Identify barriers and create contingency plans

• Revise programs using evaluation data and stakeholder feedback

Outcomes

Strengthen your ability to design, implement, promote, and evaluate career advising programs in schools, colleges, and educational organizations. This course provides a structured, step-by-step framework to help advisors move from informal service delivery to intentional, outcomes-based programming.

You will learn how to align services with student needs, institutional priorities, and accountability expectations. By the end of the course, you will be equipped to support scalable initiatives that improve student engagement, career readiness, and long-term outcomes.

Applied Learning

Throughout the course, you will apply a structured 12-step planning model to a real or hypothetical career advising program within your educational setting.

You will:

• Conduct an environmental scan to identify institutional priorities and constraints

• Define a target student population and assess their career development needs

• Identify key stakeholders, including administrators, faculty, parents, and employers

• Draft measurable objectives using outcome-focused language

• Design an evaluation plan aligned with student learning and behavioral outcomes

• Select content, materials, and delivery methods appropriate for your audience

• Develop a promotion plan to increase student participation and stakeholder support

• Outline a detailed implementation timeline with assigned responsibilities

You will also apply evaluation strategies based on reaction, learning, behavior, and results to measure program effectiveness and demonstrate impact.

By completing these activities, you will build a practical program planning blueprint that can be implemented, refined, and scaled within your institution to expand reach and improve student success.