Indecisiveness and negative thinking regarding career pathways can hinder university students’ career planning, motivation, and mental health. Students intending to enter the workforce after graduation therefore need to develop skills related to career adaptability (i.e. career planning, decision-making, problem solving/confidence and exploration), particularly since career planning and construction is linked to gaining employment. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of an online career planning module on students’ career adaptability.  The career-focussed online module, based on the constructs of Savickas’ (2005) theory of career construction, and tailored to students’ skills and interests, was developed and embedded into the University curriculum of a second-year exercise and public health-related unit. In 2018, 80 students completed the online module, along with pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessing career adaptability elements including career planning, decision making, problem solving/confidence, and exploration. Dependent t-tests were conducted to assess differences in these measures pre- and post-intervention. Post-intervention, significant increases in career-planning strategies used (t(69)=5.45, p<0.001), career planning concern (t(69)=3.73, p<0.001), decision making (i.e. career path identification) (t(70)=3.86, p<0.001), decision making confidence (t(65)=2.69, p<0.01), and problem solving/confidence (t(65) = 2.16, p=0.03) were observed. Further, 80% of participants identified jobs at post-intervention not previously identified pre-intervention (exploration) and 71% of participants perceived improvements in confidence regarding job ideas/making career choices.  Findings from this research indicated that completing a brief online career education module, tailored to an individual’s skills and interests, improved all dimensions of the participating students’ career adaptability. Further research utilising longer-term follow-up and randomised controlled trial designs are required to confirm the reliability and transferability of the findings.

Students enrolled in university courses often lack knowledge of potential jobs and future career paths, which can inhibit their ability to plan, job seek and make decisions about their careers, and negatively impact on their ability to gain employment. To address this problem, a tailored, career-focused interactive online learning tool was developed and piloted for public health and exercise science students, based on the constructs of Savickas' (2005) theory of career construction. This paper reports a mixed-methods study to understand student experiences of using that tool, and their perception of how well it prepared them for career planning. Twentytwo second-year students completed an online survey using both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the perceived feasibility and acceptability of the interactive online learning tool. Descriptive (for quantitative data) and inductive content analyses (for qualitative data) were performed. Most students (86%) indicated that they would use the tool again. All students reported that the tool was user-friendly, engaging and informative and provided them with information on jobs that matched their personal and work-related skills and strengths. Qualitative data reflected these findings and identified seven key themes, including: value, career exploration, design, and tailoring, with themes partly reflecting components of Savicka's theory. The tailored, career-focused interactive online learning tool was perceived to be a feasible and effective strategy to support university students in their career planning and job seeking behaviours prior to graduation. These findings can be used to inform and refine the development of career-focused tools for students undertaking other university courses.