The Experience Journal gives students an opportunity to reflect on the skills they have gained during their time at Ball State University. Using the framework of NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) students will be asked to journal about where they practiced 8 key competencies both inside and outside of the classroom. These 8 competencies are the key skills employers say all students need to demonstrate to be successful in a competitive job market. For a full list of the 8 competencies, please visit NACE.

The Experience Journal is on every student’s main Canvas Dashboard under a Canvas Community and includes modules for each of the 8 NACE competencies.

Student

The Canvas Community includes space for you to reflect on the 8 NACE competencies as it relates to your experiences inside and outside the classroom. Journaling is encouraged throughout your time at the university and should build off one another. The goal of this journal is to help you create a narrative about your development and growth while at Ball State. Through your reflecting and journaling, you will create a record that will be helpful with cover letters, interviews, graduate school applications, scholarship applications, and lifelong career management.

You may be introduced to the Experience Journal through courses taught by faculty who use the Career Ready program. Participation in the Career Ready program provides you with opportunities to develop skills as part of course assignments and through engagement in professional development programming.

But, you do not need to wait to be introduced to the Experience Journal through a course. Just jump into the Canvas Community, explore the modules, and start your reflection journals. It is that simple!

View the Canvas Community here!

Skills Infusion Program

Skills Infusion is a professional development experience to engage faculty and staff by aligning academic outcomes and program coursework with the eight NACE competencies; The goals are to help students recognize and articulate skills learned in concert with course content, through reflections and course assignments in the curricular and co-curricular spaces. For more information about the Skills Infusion Program or questions about how to connect Skills Infusion to the Experience Journal, please contact Jill Cooper.

Career-Ready Program

The Career-Ready program is a comprehensive initiative that incorporates all eight NACE competencies. It includes activities associated with each competency, guiding students along a pathway to gain experience. Each pathway culminates in a reflection opportunity, facilitating a holistic view of their skill development. Faculty may incorporate Career Ready into their academic coursework, so students may be required to complete modules for an assignment. For more information on how to incorporate Career Ready into your curriculum, faculty can contact Madilyn Williams.

View the Canvas Community here!

Helio Campus:

Helio Campus serves as the electronic system for making all reflections from the Experience Journal Canvas Community accessible to students. It organizes reflections and submitted articles by the 8 NACE competencies, creating a visual representation of students' progress within their Experience Journal at Ball State University; and will remain accessible post-graduation. To aid in preparing for post-graduation opportunities, students are encouraged to review their previous reflections in Helio Campus. The Experience Journal provides students with a place to reflect on where and how they have demonstrated the 8 key skills at Ball State University and beyond.