Integrating transferable skills into academic curricula

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Integrating transferable skills into academic
curricula

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Outline of this workshop

• What are transferable skills?
• Why are transferable skills important?
• Research findings of TS Project
• Benefits of integrating skills into academic
  programmes
• Examples of skills integration
• Suggested procedure for integrating skills

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What are transferable skills?

• Also known as key skills, core skills, generic
  skills
• TS Project definition
• Skills developed in one situation which can be
  transferred to another situation
• Include skills such as team working, problem
  solving, planning, oral communication etc.

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Whats so important about transferable skills?

• Increasing focus on employability of graduates
  and recognition of importance of transferable
  skills at European and national levels
• Bologna Seminar
• Education Council of the European Union, 2001
• Fourth Report, Expert Group Future Skills Needs,
  2003
• Employers look for these skills in our graduates
  
• E.g. We seek graduates who have good technical
  abilities, possess good communication and
  interpersonal skills and have the ability to work
  on their own initiative but also to work within a
  team environment.
• Results in students taking a more active approach
  to learning and thus greater responsibility for
  their own development

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Importance of different factors when seeking
employment

Research by Transferable Skills Project
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Top 10 skills in order of importance
Research by Transferable Skills Project
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Top 10 skills in order of level of development
Research by Transferable Skills Project
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What does the integration of skills actually mean?
Approaches to skills development within the
curriculum
? Target
Adapted from Guile Leney, 1997
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Levels of integration into academic courses
HIGH ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? LOW

• Adapt / design skills materials for use in class
• Integrate existing skills materials into class
  work
• Integrate existing materials into subject for
  students to use outside of class
• Write skills into learning outcomes
• Mention skills being developed in class through
  activities being undertaken

Not all skills need to be developed in all
courses should be balanced across all years of
programme
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Benefits of explicit integration to students

• See the link between what they are studying and
  the skills they are developing
• Develop increased awareness of their learning and
  its transferability
• Greater confidence in articulating skills and
  greater general self-confidence
• More focused approach to study
• Development of skills further their career

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Benefits of explicit integration to lecturers

• Opportunity to reflect on own teaching practices
• Opportunity to investigate different pedagogic
  approaches in delivery of subject material
• Increases awareness of own skills
• More engaged and confident students

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Examples of strategies used by TS Project to
integrate skills

• German Language module
• Development of time management and planning
  skills by adapting a course reader to include
  references and exercises relating to these skills
• Italian Language module
• Development of multi-tasking and decision making
  by students using decision making journal to
  consider approaches to existing language learning
  tasks (e.g. cloze tests, sentence order language
  texts) and to learning
• Japanese Reading Translation module
• Development of basic IT skills by requiring
  e-mail submissions of homework, use of
  translation tools, communication with lecturer
  via Moodle etc.

All examples are taken from the Transferable
Skills Project
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Other ideas for integrating skills

• Planning
• - Ask students to create an Action Plan for
  every assignment showing the steps that need to
  be taken and possible dates for completion of
  each step. Keep Activity Log for each assignment
  with which to compare Action Plan.
• Presentation Skills
• - Ask students to present in class a report or
  assignment they have written. Create two
  presentations for different audiences different
  age, gender, occupational background etc.
• Time Management
• - When conducting a group exercise in class with
  specific goals/targets to be achieved, allow a
  period for reflection when the exercise has been
  completed. Ask the group to address how well
  they managed their time and what they would do
  differently if they were to undertake the
  exercise again.

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Some conclusions of the Transferable Skills
Project

• The explicit development of transferable skills
  in academic programmes can contribute to
  increasing students self-confidence.
• There is no preferred method for integrating
  transferable skills into an academic course,
  although it does appear that the more explicit
  the skills are made the more likely that students
  will be aware of their skills and their related
  value.
• The integration of transferable skills into an
  academic course appears to be suited to classes
  where there is a greater level of interaction
  between the students and the lecturer.
• A reflection or measurement process as a part of
  skills integration is an important factor in
  developing students awareness of their skills.

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Suggested procedure for integrating skills

• Identify skills qualities of a graduate
  required by University / School / Department /
  Programme
• ?
• Conduct skills audit on programme
• ?
• Identify any gaps in skill development and most
  appropriate places in programme in which to fill
  gaps
• ?
• Identify suitable material / resources (if
  required) for integration into curriculum

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Skills audit

• Purpose
• To ascertain extent to which skills are already
  being developed
• To identify current gaps in skill development
• Useful tool for reflection on current teaching
  strategies by lecturers
• Facilitates building a skills map across a
  programme of study

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Factors which may facilitate successful
integration of skills

• Maturity and openness of students
• Provide information / guidelines on skill topic
• Quite simple tasks with clear focus structure
• Have reasonable expectations
• Give examples students know whats expected
• Monitor students skill development

Source C Lowry-ONeill, Waterford Institute of
Technology
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Assessment of skills

• Some skills easier to formally assess than others
  (e.g. presentation, IT skills)
• Better to specify levels of competence for skill
  if assessing
• Need to include in learning outcomes if assessing
• Can only assess what is taught if not taught,
  then cannot assess
• Create reflective process as part of assessment?

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• For further information and resources, see the
  Transferable Skills Project web-site at
  www.skillsproject.ie