Empowering future professionals: innovative online survey for evaluating ODL’s role in graduates’ skill development and career preparation

Transitioning from educational institution to professional setting requires a lot of things. Relying solely on academic grades is not sufficient. Degrees get you interviews, but competencies get you the job. Especially in the era of Fourth Industry Revolution, employers need graduates to be equipped with a diverse set of skills and competencies relevant to this era. To exacerbate the situation, new learning environments has emerged in the educational setting, raising concerns about the effectiveness of conventional skill development practices. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has become a pivotal mode of education in recent years. However, assessing the effectiveness of ODL in developing graduates’ competencies and preparing them for the workforce remains a challenge. To address this, an innovative online survey tool has been designed to measure the impact of ODL on graduates’ skill development and career preparedness. This study explores the development and implementation of a comprehensive online survey that evaluates key competencies gained through ODL programs and their preparedness level. This survey is unique with its response scaling that allow for skills self- assessment. This is important as responses from self-assessment method will help identify the misalignment between educational outcomes and employer needs. Ultimately, findings from this survey will offer a data-driven approach to assessing ODL effectiveness, enabling educational institutions to refine their curricula and improve learning strategies. It will also help bridge the gap between academic training and the demands of the job market. This innovation in online survey methodology contributes to the continuous improvement of ODL programs, fostering a more competent and career-ready workforce in an increasingly digital and competitive employment landscape).