UofL's Find Your Fit program celebrated for helping students align their goals with a career path
June 1, 2022UofL recently celebrated the conclusion of the Find Your Fit program, an experimental 5-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) initiative launched in 2018. Find Your Fit is an opportunity to foster a campus-wide conversation about student learning and success in the crucial second year of undergraduate studies. Its focus is helping students “find their fit” academically, aligning their goals with a career path, and supporting those struggling with finding their place within the university.
On April 26, 2022, the Find Your Fit Awards reception was held in recognition of the many faculty and staff who have contributed to its success and mission of supporting undergraduate students inside and outside of the classroom.
“We were thrilled to have this special opportunity to thank and recognize the faculty and staff who collaborated across departments and programs to engage in this innovative work on behalf of our undergraduate students,” said Dr. Patty Payette, the executive director of Find Your Fit.
At the heart of Find Your Fit is a three-credit hour elective that was offered through the department of Counseling and Human Development. The Personal and Academic Inquiry seminar (ECPY 302) was designed to help second-year students who are undecided, pre-unit or in transition between majors, identify their strengths as well as academic and career goals.
A previous ECPY 302 student said, “I learned a lot about who I am as a person and a student and how I can thrive in the upcoming years of my life. This class has taught me both educationally and personally.”
Led by a dedicated team of UofL faculty members, advisors and librarians, the course offered an intimate setting for students to explore personal and academic areas of interest. Those enrolled also worked closely with a designated advisor to help them navigate potential program majors and career paths. The result is an academic plan that can be modified beyond the course and aid students in the decision-making process as they continue to refine their values and skills.
Robert Detmering, professor and head of research assistance and instruction at the University of Louisville Libraries, served as the embedded librarian for many of the instructional teams.
“The intent is to help exploratory students who are maybe having trouble finding out where they’re situated in the university, in terms of a major, but also in terms of the community and relationships they have on campus,” Detmering said. “Find Your Fit is designed to help students think through where they’re at in life, what their goals are, and help them go through a research process that’s personally meaningful to them.”
When COVID became a reality for our community, all the Find Your Fit partners stepped up to modify the course and project to keep teaching and reaching our students in hybrid and online formats. The instructional teams stretched themselves to teach and advise in new ways while modeling a pedagogy of care during a series of difficult semesters.
Responsibilities of those who assisted the Find Your Fit program included serving on QEP planning and implementation committees, teaching on an instructional team during one or more semesters, and tapping colleagues and students to be part of the QEP. These commitments were completed in addition to their usual workload within the university.
Interim Senior Vice Provost, Gail DePuy, presented awards to the faculty and staff for the successful completion of this ambitious initiative. Those award winners are listed below.
QEP Staff Team
- QEP Executive Director and QEP Impact Report co-chair Patty Payette
- Manager of Assessment IL Barrow
- Faculty Development Specialist Caroline Boswell
- Administrative Services Manager Crystal Bradley
- Graduate Assistant Abbie Bordewyk
Find Your Fit Faculty, Advisors and Librarians
- Arts & Sciences faculty member Mary Ashlock
- Kent School of Social Work faculty member Jennifer Bobo
- Exploratory and Transition Advisor Daniel Darland
- University Libraries faculty member and library team leader Rob Detmering
- Education faculty member Eileen Estes
- Speed School of Engineering faculty member Mark French
- University Libraries faculty member Lidiya Grote
- Education faculty member Meg Hancock
- Education faculty member and QEP Impact Report co-chair Amy Hirschy
- Public Health faculty member David Johnson
- Business faculty member Abby Koenig
- Public Health faculty member Scott LaJoie
- Education faculty member Mark Leach
- Music faculty member Kimcherie Lloyd
- Arts & Sciences faculty member Brandon McCormack
- Education faculty member Amanda Mitchell
- Exploratory and Transition Advisor Jessica Newton
- University Libraries faculty member Latisha Reynolds
- Exploratory and Transition Advisor Jessy Rosenberg
- Kent School of Social Work faculty member Sharon Sanders
- University Career Center liaison Rosie Shannon
- Exploratory and Transition Advisor Emily Spoden
- Law School faculty member JoAnne Sweeny
- Education faculty member Shelley Thomas
- Exploratory and Transition Advisor Eric Turner
- University Libraries faculty member Amber Willenborg
- Exploratory and Transition Advisor and project co-leader Marissa Williams
Find Your Fit Administrative Leaders
- Director of Student Success and Director of Exploratory and Transition Advising Katie Adamchik
- Interim Associate Provost for Teaching & Innovation Marie Kendall Brown
- Vice Provost for Assessment and University Decision Support/Analytics Bob Goldstein
- Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Beth Willey
Now at the end of its five-year arc, Find Your Fit will culminate in a QEP Impact Report currently underway. The University will review the program’s outcomes and decide how the program will transition beyond the experimental phase. More information about the Find Your Fit QEP initiative is available online. More photos from the awards ceremony are available online here.
Story written by Ashley Striegel, marketing and communications coordinator at UofL’s Delphi Center.