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21st-Century Workforce
21st-Century Workforce
- Research shows that while tasks are being automated, the "human parts" such as empathy, communication, persuasion, personal services, problem-solving, and strategic decision-making are becoming more important and valuable. The Future of Work: The Augmented Workforce
- Use the McKinsey's interactive table and read the report to determine the potential for automation by sector and work activity. Where Machines Could Replace Humans and Where They Can't...Yet
21st-Century Education
21st-Century Education
Are Your Teaching Methods Aligned with 21st-Century Learner Needs?
Are Your Teaching Methods Aligned with 21st-Century Learner Needs?
Can you describe:
- the knowledge acquired and the skills learners' will develop in your course?
- how the learner will demonstrate the application of knowledge and skills in this course?
- how the learner can transfer the knowledge and skills acquired in your course to the workforce?
- how you have conveyed to the learner the transference of knowledge and skills to the workforce?
Knowledge + Skill Development + Relevant Experience = Employability
Source: The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training
21st-Century Instruction
21st-Century Instruction
Which type of professional will be more competitive in the workforce...I or T?
Which type of professional will be more competitive in the workforce...I or T?
Currently, higher education is producing I-shaped graduates who focus largely on:
- particular knowledge and skill-set
- views the workplace as a competitive environment
- works within disciplinary silos
T-shaped professionals are characterized by:
- deep disciplinary knowledge in at least one area
- understand systems
- function as adaptive innovators and cross boundaries between disciplines
Learn more: The T-Shaped Professionals; College Employment Research Institute (CERI)
Are You Teaching Contextually?
Are You Teaching Contextually?
Contextual Teaching and Learning Theory
Emphasizes the relationship of course content to real-life situations by teaching abstract subject matter within the context of how it's applied in the workplace and everyday life.
- Do examples and learning activities include many real, believable problem-solving situations?
- Do lectures and learning activities encourage students to apply concepts and information in useful contexts, projecting learners into imagined future (possible careers) and unfamiliar locations (workplaces)?
The purpose of using the contextual teaching method is so learners can:
- understand the concepts as they relate to the workplace and to the larger society rather than an abstract context
- make connections with the outside world facilitated by instructors, rather than expecting them to do it on their own as in the past
Take the self-test.
- Relating: Learn in the context of life experience.
- Experiencing: Learn in the context of exploration, discovery, and invention.
- Applying: Apply concepts and information in a useful context such as project related to a possible career
- Cooperating: Cooperate in the context of sharing, responding and communicating with other learners
- Transferring: Learn in the context of existing knowledge or transferring uses to build upon what the learner already knows.
Employability skills need to be practiced over time. When the learning experience is repeated, it can be retained and even strengthened.
- Motor Habits - body posture (interviewing, meetings)
- Intellectual Habits - good observation, accurate perception, logical thinking and use of reasoning before decision-making (transfer of learning to the workplace)
- Habits of Character - honesty (academic and workplace integrity), time management (meeting deadlines, attendance timeliness) professionalism (dress, grooming - understanding appropriate and inappropriate)
Habit expectations must be incorporated into the syllabus and as part of the learning objectives to reinforce the importance and value.
Readings and Resources
Readings and Resources
Featured Resource
COLRS Teaching and Technology Blog - Employability Category:
Includes information about employability and career frameworks, teaching strategies, trends in workforce preparation and higher education.
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