Having access to the Digital Career Counselor (DCC) is only the first step; adoption comes from how it’s introduced across campus. A strategic implementation that places DCC inside the moments where students are already making decisions sets the foundation for a strong rollout and continued use.
How to Use the Playbook
The playbook follows a simple three-part approach:
Identify: Find where career conversations already happen on your campus and who is having them.
Embed: Attach one DCC activity to each of those moments, rather than adding a standalone resource.
Measure: Track two numbers per touchpoint and share them with the people who own it.
Nine Strategies Across the Student Journey
The nine strategies meet students where they already are, from orientation through graduation:
Getting started: Orientation and first-year seminars give students a reason to use DCC before their first class and turn early exploration into an expectation.
In advising and the classroom: Academic advising and introductory major courses help students connect what they’re studying to real career paths, often in 15 minutes or less.
Building a plan: Career advising, skills development, and internship planning help students build Plan A, B, and C pathways, name their skills, and run a targeted internship search.
Preparing for what’s next: Senior seminars and graduate school advising use outcomes data to help students make post-graduation decisions.
Across campus: Campus-wide visibility keeps DCC in front of students in the physical, digital, and program spaces they already use.
Each strategy follows the same six parts so any staff member can pick one up and run it: the challenge, the DCC approach, ideas to try, conversation prompts, a ready-to-use activity, and who to partner with.
Worksheets and Launch Kit
The final section turns planning into action with printable tools:
Plan your rollout: The Campus Champion Worksheet, Stakeholder Map, and 30-Day Launch Plan help you name owners, find gaps, and launch your first one or two use cases.
Bring others on board: Faculty and staff talking points and advisor conversation cards make it easy to start the conversation.
Support students: The My Plan A, B and C handout can be shared as written or uploaded to your LMS.
Track progress: The Measurement Starter shows which numbers to report for each touchpoint.
Where to Start
Start small: pick one strategy, one owner, and one date. Your Steppingblocks Partner Success team member can help you choose your first touch points and adapt activities to your campus. Bring your completed Campus Champion Worksheet to that conversation.
For tips on promoting DCC to students, see Student Rollout & Promotion.