Arch Ready
UGA’s Career Center is dedicated to helping prepare their students for the workforce. One of their programs, the Arch Ready Certificate Program, allows students to go to various presentations throughout the school year and learn about professionalism in the workforce. Overall, the Arch Ready Professionalism Certificate is designed to develop a strong sense of professionalism in students. The Arch Ready Certificate program covers a wide range of professional development topics that assist students in their future endeavors. Some examples of presentations and workshops include resume writing, interview preparation and tips, choosing a major and pursuing your dream job, and more. By going to five events in one semester, a student is able to obtain an Arch Ready Certificate from the Career Center.
The app that we have developed will allow students and the Career Center to digitize this process. This app allows students to check into events based on location services, making sure that the student is present at the event and having them fill out a survey, as opposed to having a QR code put on display and able to be shared. The app also allows students to track their progress throughout the semester and make sure that they are on pace to attend five events by the end of a semester in order to obtain the Arch Ready Professionalism Certificate. Along with tracking, there is a calendar feature which also allows students to add events that they are interested in into their calendars on their phones and remind them before an event is about to happen in order to make sure that they do not forget and the student is able to attend the presentation or event.
Following each event, as well as after attending five events, students are directed to the Career Center’s website in order to fill out post-event surveys, giving the Career Center feedback, as well as a post-certificate survey in order for the student to receive a physical certificate from UGA, as well as a UGA lapel pin. In essence, this app allows the Career Center and students to digitize the whole process of obtaining the certificate and make the process much more user-friendly rather than filling out surveys by hand and emailing them or handing them in. The UGA Arch Ready app should help increase the number of students interested, as well as the number of students who end up obtaining the certificate in the future.