Workplace and Internship Readiness

About This Course

Starting your first “real” job can be intimidating. But when you know what to expect and learn how to be successful, you'll feel confident about the hiring process and prepared to put yourself out there! Discover how to build a well-rounded set of employability and personal leadership skills that allow you to guide your own career. Learn how to communicate with others, take initiative, set goals, problem-solve, research different career options, and envision your own personal career path. Get ready to create a powerful launching pad that will help you blast off into a great first job experience! Prerequisites:  None

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...

• Develop self-awareness by identifying core values, personality traits, and motivational factors
• Recognize and articulate employability skills and career goals
• Differentiate between classroom learning and workplace learning to better transition into professional environments
• Conduct online research to identify job opportunities and effectively navigate the hiring process
• Create a professional resume and cover letter tailored to specific job applications
• Prepare for job interviews by demonstrating confidence, professionalism, and effective communication skills
• Demonstrate workplace readiness through appropriate attire, grooming, and behavior that fosters integration into a professional environment
• Communicate effectively in professional settings through written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Collaborate productively in teams by understanding group dynamics, conflict resolution, and diversity in the workplace
• Apply self-leadership strategies, including time management and personal financial planning, to optimize productivity
• Recognize ethical considerations in the workplace and apply ethical reasoning to address professional challenges
• Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills to make data-driven decisions and create a personal career plan

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Know Yourself

Unit 2: From Classroom to Employment

Unit 3: Workplace Behavior

Unit 4: Communicating at Work

Unit 5: Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork

Unit 6: Managing Your Self, Time, and Money

Unit 7: Protecting Yourself and Your Employer

Unit 8: Bringing It All Together—Becoming a Leader

Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.

Additional Costs: Students will need access to the following materials, which may require optional purchases: an accounting ledger page and deposit withdrawal slips.

Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.

Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.

Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. Students will also need access to word processing software, spreadsheet software, slide presentation software, and graphic design software (optional).

Ensure that your school or district network and device administrator whitelists online resources relevant to the course in which you are choosing to enroll. Ref., Michigan Virtual Course Whitelist

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at CustomerCare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.

Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at customercare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building, discussion-based assessments and other forms of authentic assessments.

Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:

• Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• Download and install software
• Use a messaging service similar to email
• Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• Open attachments shared in messages
• Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
• Save a file as a .pdf
• Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• Insert images or links into a file or html editor
• Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• Use presentation and graphics programs
• Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• Create and maintain usernames and passwords

Additional Information: See the Additional Costs and Technical Requirements fields of the syllabus for details on material requirements.