1.1 Introduction to CamSTAR

We want you to be able to confidently speak and write your Camosun experiences in a meaningful way – through storytelling.

Your program has been designed in partnership with community, business and industry to ensure that you graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed.

That element of program design is not always clear. Sometimes students are frustrated by what seems to be “hoop jumping” or “busy work”.

CamSTAR is designed to deal with that frustration. To bring clarity and meaning to your education at Camosun – so you can confidently write and speak about your new skills and abilities.

For example, you will be able to tell specific stories about how you developed and demonstrated professional skills such as leadership, problem solving (logistics), responsibility, conflict management and communication, all of which helped your team succeed during a group project.

These are the professional skills stories you will gather through your educational journey at Camosun. CamSTAR helps you tell them!

More than a major

A 2013 US report, “More than a Major,” found that 93% of employers say “a demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than your undergraduate major”; and more than 80% say an ePortfolio would be useful to them in ensuring that job applicants have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their company or organization.

Canadian researchers, Rob Shea and Jill T. Goodwin, have found that graduating students have the required skills to enter the workforce, but that they need to articulate these skills to employers in a way that highlights such capabilities as critical thinking, communicating clearly, and complex problem solving skills as identified in the American “More than a Major” study.