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Career Readiness Mini-Con Highlight: Moravian’s Career Readiness Digital Badging Initiative

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Solutions Used

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Description

Moravian University is using digital badges and co-curricular transcripts to bridge the gap between college education and the professional world. By offering points and incentivizing career readiness, students are graduating from MU with the skills employers are looking for.

See what strategies the team at MU is implementing to better prepare their students to showcase the skills and experiences they have developed throughout their time at Moravian.

About the School

In July 2021, Moravian College changed its name to Moravian University.

Moravian University is the 6th oldest college in the U.S. and the first to open its doors to women.

Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, MU is home to approximately 2,600 students and offers 70 undergraduate programs. Popular areas of study include: Nursing, Biological Sciences, English, Education, Economics & Business and Music.

Moravian’s mascot is Amos the Greyhound and the university is a member of the NCAA, competing in Division III sports. MU is also an associate member of the Centennial Conference for football.

Moravian University has received numerous accolades, including: 

  • 2022 Best Colleges in the U.S, Wall Street Journal
  • Top Performers on Social Mobility, U.S. News 
  • Best 387 Colleges, 2022 Edition, Princeton Review
  • Best Colleges for Nursing in Pennsylvania, Niche
  • Beth College Locations in Pennsylvania, Niche
  • Best U.S. Colleges, Wall Street Journal
  • Top Colleges 2021, Forbes 
  • Top Private Colleges, Forbes 
  • Top Colleges in the Northeast, Forbes 
  • 2021 Best Bang for the Buck: Northeast, Washington Monthly
  • Best Colleges in America, MONEY Magazine
  • Ranked #141 among National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News and World Report

 

Challenges before Suitable

Before Suitable, there was no formal data tracking platform, but the team wanted to collect data and give students an e-portfolio that they could carry with them into the professional world. 

Employers have expressed there is a disconnect between the skills they are seeking for their new hires (recent college graduates) and what students are able to articulate during the interview process.

When the committee researched and demoed multiple potential platforms to help bridge the gap, Suitable won out due to its extensive capabilities and ability to meet the needs of MU’s pilot program.

The committee picked Suitable due to the…

  • Ease of implementation and operation
  • Scalability
  • Ability to meet students’ needs
  • Activities
  • Badging capabilities
  • Multiple pathways 
  • Ability for students to share their co-curricular transcript
  • Data tracking ability

Now, administration can track, monitor and evaluate student progress and engagement in real-time. Students can track and monitor their progress with ease, right from their mobile phone or laptop.

Life with Suitable

The Career Readiness Digital Badging Program provides students the opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and skill sets by earning eight badges in the top competency areas sought out by employers. Students who complete all eight badges are one step closer towards being eligible for the Career Promise.




As a component of the ELEVATE initiative, the Career Readiness Digital Badging Program focuses on high-impact practices, mentorship, utilizing learned skills for professional development and better connecting Moravian students’ liberal arts education with professional opportunities.


Students can choose one of two Pathways:

  1. First-Year Students' Career Readiness Digital Badges
  2. Upperclass Students' Career Readiness Digital Badges

Then, Students can earn points by completing activities such as engaging with their Career Development Strategists, attending events around campus, joining a club or organization or participating in intramurals.

Activities have different point values based on level of involvement, skill development, overall responsibility and proficiency. 

ASK THE ADMINISTRATOR

“I feel like we're off to an amazing start for Suitable to be completely voluntary, not even a requirement. So many apps and initiatives get launched and fall flat. The numbers are exceeding our expectations. They're adopting it easily because they want to.”

Baru Roberson-Hornsby, Career Development Strategist
Moravian University

Take a look at the accomplishments of Moravian’s Career Readiness Digital Badging Initiative

  • A 62% engagement rate
  • Over 3,400 activities completed within the last 12 months
  • Moravian now has a process to collect/track co-curricular data, when they had no data or system in place before
  • More data for career-readiness efforts and more support for students as they prepare for life after graduation
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Additional Outcomes Achieved

Using incentives and getting the word out at orientation has helped the Career Readiness Digital Badging Program continue to grow. Moravian now has a process to collect/track co-curricular data and students are preparing for life after graduation. 




 

Plans for the Future

In terms of future plans, Moravian has big goals. The team plans to build out activities in Leadership and Technology that are appropriate for first-year students.

The team is working through different ways to incentivize engagement and utilize the Leaderboards in a way that boosts engagement consistently and sustainably.

Long-term, the Career Development Strategists at Moravian University plan to:

  • Plan out a full four-year experience
  • Scope out responsibilities/workload for each strategist to maintain consistency across the team 
  • Explore making necessary enhancements for the calendar integration
  • The Career Promise initiative
  • Use data to identify job and graduate school placement outcomes
  • Leverage the 25Live integration so better sync event data across systems.