Talent Development Minor

"Drake’s Talent Development Minor has been extremely valuable for me as I look to pursue roles in HR where I’ll be able to help others learn and grow. The TD courses I’ve taken so far have helped me develop skills in consulting, leadership, performance analysis, and technology. I think these skills are essential for anyone looking to help others grow as leaders and also grow as leaders themselves!"

—Jessie Rebstock, Drake Class of 2022

 

This minor is open to all undergraduate students regardless of major.  The courses in this minor provide transferable skills that will be beneficial regardless of the career field you choose. 

The Talent Development Field

Talent Development (also called Training and Development or TD) professionals support the learning and development efforts in organizational settings. Talent development work includes:

• Investigate performance gaps and explore the root causes of such gaps
• Decide which problems require training/learning interventions
• Recommend and implement alternative solutions to performance gaps such as mentoring, coaching, job shadowing, job rotations, organization rewards, restructuring, leadership development, etc. 
• Design training/learning programs (for virtual and face-to-face delivery)
• Facilitate training/learning programs
• Evaluate learning interventions
• Lead organizational learning efforts

TD professionals support the organization’s human resource strategy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020), the profession is expected to grow 9% between 2019 and 2029.

Adult Learning & Talent Development Minor

Add this minor to your studies because:

• Great way to reach the credit requirement to graduate
• Can be meaningful to employers
• Allow students to gain valuable skills outside of their major
• Can complement what students are learning in their major
• Produces a more well-rounded student

The minor is 18 credit hours and includes three TD courses and two electives in technology, digital media, graphic design, or website development. 

Curriculum

Follow this link for detailed course descriptions.  

Required Courses (12 credit hours)

There are three required courses (9 credit hours):

• TD 112:  Technology and Learning (3 credits)
• TD 114:  Designing, Developing, and Facilitating Learning (3 credits) 
• TD 110:. Capstone Experience (3 credits)

Plus an additional Talent Development course (3 credits): 

• TD 113:  Performance Consulting (3 credits)
• TD 115:. Needs Analysis & Evaluation (3 credits)

Elective Courses

Six additional credit hours are required to complete the minor.  These can be TD courses, pre-approved Digital Media and Graphic Design courses, or other relevant courses approved by the TD advisor. Highly recommended are courses in Technical Writing, Psychology (especially Organizational Psychology), Human Resource Management, and Leadership. The following courses have been pre-approved: 

• TD 111:  Organizational Learning (3 credit hours)
• JMC 031:  Multimedia Lab (1 credit)
• JMC 055:  Digital Media Strategies (3 credits)
• JMC 059:  Introduction to Visual Communication (3 credits)
• JMC 105:  Web Page Design (3 credits)
• Art 021:  Digital Media (3 credits)
• Art 050:  The Idea of Design (3 credits)
• Art 114:  Web Design (3 credits)

Eligibility

The minor is open to undergraduate Drake students in all majors. Students may start taking TD courses in their sophomore year. Students must hold a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to be eligible to start the program. Exceptions are possible in special circumstances, please contact the TD advisor for additional information.

Questions

If you think the Adult Learning & Talent Development minor might be right for you, chat with your advisor or contact: 

Dr. Cris Wildermuth
Associate Professor
cris.wildermuth@drake.edu
515.271.4701