Cultivating career-ready skills through authentic learning

C - Choice: Empowering learners to make decisions about their learning paths.

O -Ownership: Encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning experiences.

V - Voice: Valuing students' perspectives and allowing them to express their ideas.

A - Authentic: Fostering real-world connections and relevance in learning activities

Looking ahead, I recognize how this approach will be advantageous in my future career. COVA has highlighted the significance of autonomy and creativity in producing work that resonates on both personal and professional levels. Rather than simply completing tasks, I am learning to create value by taking ownership of the processes and outcomes. Moving forward, I believe this approach will continue to influence how I approach professional development. The skills developed through owning my learning process—such as self-direction, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving—are essential in today’s dynamic work environments. As noted by Harapnuik et al. (2018), "authentic learning occurs when students are actively engaged in a meaningful, relevant, and personal way." I am certainly experiencing this firsthand now. It encourages me to create value by owning processes and outcomes rather than just completing tasks, and that will be beneficial for any future role I take on. -LM

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Learner’s mindset and the COVA approach.