Evaluation of Resume Writing I-III | Fall 2016

Purpose
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Resume Writing I-III lessons, 86 students from
five LAS 101 classes1 were asked to fill anonymous surveys before and after the lessons. Due to
limited time and resources, and to avoid testing fatigue, the survey was kept short. Students were
asked the following three questions:
1. How confident are you in your current resume? (If you currently do not have a resume,
please select option 1.)
2. How knowledgeable are you in regards to the formatting of a resume?
3. How confident are you in being able to translate your experiences into transferrable
skills?
As to allow standardized comparisons, the students were asked to respond using a scale from one
to seven, in which one indicated Not at all confident/knowledgeable, four indicated
Moderately confident/knowledgeable, and seven indicated Extremely
confident/knowledgeable.
Results
Table 1
Results of t-test for Confidence in Resume
Time
Pre-Test

Resume

M
2.77

SD
1.94

Post-Test

n
86

M
4.79

SD
1.34

95% CI for
Mean
Difference
N
86

-2.52, -1.53

t
-8.14***

df
85

t
-8.46***

df
85

***p = .000
Effect Size: d = 0.88
Table 2
Results of t-test for Knowledge of Resume Formatting
Time
Pre-Test

Formatting

M
3.71

SD
1.59

Post-Test

n
86

M
5.48

SD
1.10

95% CI for
Mean
Difference
N
86

-2.18, -1.35

***p = .000
Effect Size: d = 0.91

Special thanks to Mr. Alias, Ms. Cabrera, Mr. Naidu, Ms. Shen, and Ms. Tripathi for their
assistance in data collection and to their students for their participation.

Evaluation of Resume Writing I-III | Fall 2016

Table 3
Results of t-test for Confidence in Translating Ones Experiences
Time
Pre-Test

Translating

M
4.33

SD
1.72

Post-Test

n
86

M
5.42

SD
1.30

95% CI for
Mean
Difference
N
86

-1.58, -0.60

t
-4.44***

df
85

***p = .000
Effect Size: d = 0.48
Interpretation
The levels of confidence or knowledge of students own resumes, resume formatting, and
ability to translate experiences into transferrable skills all increased during the three weeks of the
Resume Writing lessons. By running a dependent samples t-test, it has been found that these
increases are statistically significant and likely not due to chance. This means that the three
lessons, collectively, were effective in teaching LAS 101 students about these criteria (which are
related to the originally established learning objectives). Beyond significance levels, the effect
sizes were also calculated. For resume confidence, formatting knowledge, and translating ability,
the effect sizes were found to be 0.88 (large), 0.91 (large), and 0.48 (moderate) respectively. This
means that based on the sample, moderate to large increases in confidence and knowledge were
experienced by the students on these three criteria. Overall, the Resume Writing I-III lesson
plans, collectively, can be considered effective and a success.
Limitations
As with all studies, this evaluation has several limitations that should be kept in mind
when taking action based on the results. One limitation includes the sample size. There are
thousands of LAS 101 students, but due to limited resources and feasibility, less than 100 were
sampled. Additionally, all of these students came from one TA section and five specific classes.
While the survey was kept short in order to ensure higher response rates, fewer items usually
contribute to decreased validity. However, all three items encompassed various aspects of
resume writing, which should contribute to fidelity and bandwidth. Finally, surveys are a selfreport measure, meaning that students may have responded in a manner which would appease
their instructor. This effect was combatted by vocalizing the anonymity of the responses.
Follow-Up
Based on the results of this evaluation, it might be suggested that the lesson plans be kept
the same, as it has been found to be quite effective. However, considering the limitations and the
desire for continual improvement, I would suggest focusing on training students to translate their
experiences into transferrable skills. Of the three criteria, this skill was least improved upon.
From my own experience reviewing my students resumes and the testimonies of other interns,
many of the LAS 101 students had difficulty clearly describing their experiences and portraying
what skills they developed from them. If lesson developers find this criterion to be within the
scope of LAS 101, the corresponding lessons and activities should be revamped to focus on this
translating ability. Furthermore, based on the positive, initial results and limitations, I advise that
more in-depth evaluations take place with next years cohort. Changes can be made by
increasing the sample size, developing more robust surveys, and incorporating non-self-report
measures.