In Fall 2025, the WashU Center for Career Engagement (CCE) launched its inaugural cohort of the Career Innovation Faculty Fellows to engage in a collaborative process of designing career-focused assignments to help students strengthen their career readiness in ways that felt organic to the courses they were already teaching. In partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning, the program was designed to support faculty to incorporate career development into the classroom, helping students connect academic learning with the skills, confidence, and reflection needed for future career success.
“Career preparation can be integrated organically into the material you already teach, and this program can be a place to think a little differently about what students need.” – Ila Sheren, PhD
The Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program is built on a simple but powerful idea: students benefit when career development is not treated separately from their academic experience, but as part of it. By working with faculty to create assignments and activities that fit naturally within existing courses, the program helps students understand, reflect on, articulate, and strengthen the career competencies they are developing throughout their time at WashU.
Why the program was created
The goals of the Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program are to:
- help students see career development as an ongoing process
- increase student confidence in identifying and taking next steps
- connect course learning to career skills students can recognize, articulate, and leverage
These goals align with a broader need identified by WashU faculty and national research: students benefit from career learning integrated into the curriculum, and faculty benefit from support to make that integration possible. The program was designed to respond to those needs by giving faculty a structured, collaborative way to bring career readiness into their teaching. According to Fellow, Joe Jez, this program is “an opportunity to connect with other faculty using CCE ideas in their classes; and learn more about what the CCE has to offer.” Ragini Maddipati offered a similar sentiment when she shared that “Understanding how other faculty think about career readiness” was among the most valuable aspects of the program.
A collaborative pilot cohort
The inaugural pilot cohort included Lisa Gilbert, PhD; Joe Jez, PhD; Ragini Maddipati, MPH; Heather McPherson, MFA; Ila Sheren, PhD; and Kristen Wyckoff, PhD.
Together, the Fellows developed career-focused assignments that were implemented in 7 courses across 10 sections, reaching 154 students total, including 44% graduate students and 56% undergraduate students. Students completed surveys at the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester and again after finishing the assignment. In collaboration with the Division of Student Success Research & Analytics team, the CCE measured changes in student responses related to their understanding, confidence, and perceptions of career support.
What the data showed
Students showed significant growth in understanding, confidence, and perceived support
Across both undergraduate and graduate students, the trends were positive. From the pre to post assignment survey, students who completed a career-focused assignment in a Fellow’s course reported increased understanding of career development, greater confidence in taking next steps, and a stronger perception that WashU and their faculty were invested in their career success.
Students reported significant gains in:
- understanding their own career goals and development
- confidence in taking next steps and remaining resilient in the face of uncertainty
- perception that WashU and their faculty care about and support their career development
Students in Fellows’ courses rated WashU support higher than the general student population
In addition to the pre- and post-assignment surveys, responses from students in Fellow courses were compared with results from a large-scale survey distributed to all students by the Division of Student Success in Spring 2026. One especially notable finding was that undergraduate students in Fellow courses perceived that their instructors cared about their career development significantly more than students who were not enrolled in a Fellow course.
Students were left with clearer next steps
The program also helped students move from reflection to action. Students who completed a Fellow’s career assignment were most confident about knowing at least one tangible next step to take in their career preparation, with an average score of 6.29 out of 7.
[The assignment] exposed me to different approaches to my desired career but also the necessary things I need to do to achieve my goals” – WashU Graduate Student
Undergraduate students showed the greatest improvement in confidence to take next steps, while graduate students showed the most growth in confidence to deal with unexpected events in their career path. Students also described a wide range of action items they planned to take after completing the assignment. About one-third identified plans for deeper self-reflection through assessments, coaching or continued skill-building. Nearly one-quarter named experiential learning opportunities such as practicum experiences, internships, research, or fellowships.
Students valued having career development built into their courses
The response from students was overwhelmingly positive with 85% reporting they appreciated having career development blended into their courses.
More than half of students said the best part of the assignments was the real-world application. A quarter highlighted self-reflection and career alignment as especially meaningful.
“The assignment pushed me to think intentionally about how to present my experiences in a professional way. The only challenge was that it required time and reflection, but overall that made it more valuable.” – WashU Graduate Student
Students also appreciated the structure and accountability that came with having career development built into coursework.
“There is constantly a to-do list of assignments and readings for classes, career development tends to stay on the back burner during the semester. It is usually reserved for extra time, summers, or as a procrastination task. It was really beneficial for career engagement to be built into the class and on my list of things to do, it greatly scaffolded my planning.”– 2026 WashU Graduating Senior
Relatedly, students took steps they may not have taken without their career assignments. In fact, less than half of students said they would have been likely to complete these activities if they had not been assigned, with undergraduate students slightly less likely than graduate students to do so independently. This feedback reflects one of the program’s central findings: students are often more likely to engage in career development when it is intentionally built into their academic experience.
Students want more career-focused learning in the future
Students signaled their ongoing interest in this kind of learning with 79% reporting they would like more career-focused assignments in future courses. They also offered recommendations on the career skills and topics they would like to see covered in classes with the most popular suggestions including:
- Interview preparation such as building a personal introduction, crafting STAR stories, and practicing body language
- Interview practice with peers or a career coach
- Networking support, including email outreach, informational interview preparation, and follow-up strategies
- Professional branding, including guidance on LinkedIn and other online professional presence tools
These responses suggest that students see strong value in course-based career learning and want more opportunities to build practical skills in ways that feel relevant and actionable.
Students recognized key career competencies
Another important goal of the program was to help students connect course learning to the broader career competencies employers value most. Students were asked what skills they believed they had gained through their career assignments, and the top responses were:
- Communication — 77%
- Professionalism — 69%
- Self-Awareness — 63%
- Leadership — 52%
- Critical Thinking — 48%
These findings are especially meaningful in light of national employer data. Recent NACE research has identified Communication, Professionalism, and Critical Thinking among the skills with the greatest proficiency gaps, underscoring the importance of helping students build and articulate these competencies while they are still in school.
Why this matters
The early results from the Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program point to a promising model for integrating career readiness into academic courses. By supporting faculty in designing meaningful, course-based career assignments, the program helps students build confidence, recognize their strengths, and see the connection between what they are learning and the careers they may pursue.
Just as importantly, the program helps students understand that career development is not something separate from their academic journey. It is a process that can begin in the classroom, grow through reflection and practice, and continue long after a course ends.
For faculty, the program offers a collaborative and practical way to bring career learning into teaching. For WashU, it strengthens the university’s broader commitment to student success by creating more opportunities for students to engage with career development in ways that are intentional, accessible, and impactful.
Looking ahead
The Career Innovation Faculty Fellows Program will continue to build on this pilot year’s success by sharing effective assignments, lessons learned, and student outcomes with broader faculty audiences. In addition, the CCE is delighted to welcome the 2026/27 cohort : Dan Butler, PhD; James Fleury, PhD; Catalina Freixas, M.Arch; Nan Lin, PhD; Chen Reis, PhD; Maggie Schlarman, PhD; and Patricia Widder, MS.
The assignments developed through the program are added to the CCE Careers in the Classroom Assignment Library, where they can inspire other faculty interested in integrating career concepts into their own courses.
The Center for Career Engagement is proud to support this work and grateful to the Faculty Fellows who helped launch the program. Their creativity and commitment are helping to build a stronger bridge between classroom learning and career readiness at WashU.
If you’re a faculty member interested in incorporating career in one of your courses, we encourage you to apply for the 2027/28 Career Innovation Faculty Fellows cohort when applications open in Spring 2027.
