The Efficacy of Consulting Practicum in Enhancing Students' Readiness for Professional Career in Management Information Systems: An Empirical Analysis.

Consulting practicum (CP) is a form of experiential learning technique to prepare students for professional careers. While CP has become a popular way to help students acquire the essential practical skills and experience to enhance career readiness and ensure a smooth transition from college to employment, there is a lack of empirical studies that establish any link between CP and the career readiness of students. This study seeks to fill this gap. Undergraduate students enrolled in practicum classes undertook consulting projects for several organizations in the areas of management and information systems (MIS) with the purpose of implementing projects and solving real-life business problems while gaining valuable professional experience and career specific skills. Each team had a mentor who was also the contact person representing the client organization. At the end of the projects, the teams’ supervisors evaluated the performance of the consulting teams based on 10 criteria, classified into behavioral and technical skills. The results show that students developed essential career-related competencies and behavioral skills as an indication of career readiness, thus affirming CP as an innovative pedagogical strategy that can enhance students’ readiness for professional careers in MIS.

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