More than subjectspecific skills for students

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More than subject-specific skills for students

• Lorna Uden
• FCET
• Staffordshire University
• The Octagon,
• Becaonside,
• Stafford, ST 18 0AD. UK.
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email l.uden_at_staffs.ac.uk

• Gary Moran Systems Development Manager Redstone
  Managed Solutions, Griffin Hse,
• 18-19 Ludgate Hill,
• Birmingham B3 1DW.Phone [phone]Fax 0845
  2010 271
• Emailgary.moran_at_redstone.co.uk 

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Talk

• Introduction.
• Skills needed today.
• Teaching of generic skills.
• Problem-Based Learning.
• Work placement.
• Conclusion.

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Introduction

• Living in a rapidly changing world.
• Technologies changing fast.
• Routes into employment are changing.
• Down-sizing" and "de-layering".
• Lifelong learning.

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Skills employers want

• Domain-specific skill is still important.
• Negotiating, action planning and networking,
  added to qualities of self-awareness and
  confidence.
• Inherent and learned ability to adapt to the new
  working environment.

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• Exceptional communication skills, the ability to
  lead and be led, and the proven ability to
  function efficiently and effectively.
• Transferable skills.
• Graduates that can add value and learning
  quickly.
• Competent in other realms of the business world
  including communication, networking, team
  building, and career management.

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Transferable skills employers look for are

• Time management.
• Handling complaints.
• Training or teaching others.
• Delegating responsibility.
• Assessing and evaluating own and others' work.
• Dealing with crises.

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• Coordinating activities.
• Attending to visual detail.
• Multi-tasking.
• Presenting written and oral material.
• Motivating others.
• Planning and arranging activities.
• Identifying and managing ethical issues.

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Expectations of the graduates

• Graduates are beginning to realize that there is
  no job for life
• Main focus is to maintain employability and the
  expectation of multiple careers.

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Teaching of Generic Skills

• European Union by 2010 "the most competitive and
  dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world,
  capable of sustainable growth with better jobs
  and greater social cohesion" (EU 2004).
• An educated, skilled workforce that can create
  and use knowledge effectively, together with a
  dynamic, supporting telecommunications
  infrastructure, are integral to creating and
  sustaining a knowledge economy capable of
  competing globally (OECD2002 World Bank 2002 ).

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• Examples of such skills are communication skills,
  planning skills, multi-tasking etc. skills that
  are essential not just in learning or work
  situations, but in all areas of life.
• Employers consider important skills are oral
  communication, team work, customer service, time
  management, written communication and the ability
  to cope with multiple tasks, which are
  particularly valued transferable skills.
  (HEA-funded project, Transferable Skills in
  Third-Level)

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• Transferable skills were rated significantly
  higher than specialist knowledge at the
  recruitment stage.
• Transferable skills can be achieved by two
  approaches teaching of problem based learning
  and placement.

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Problem-Based Learning

• Many students have experienced that learning is
  difficult, especially when it comes to
  problem-solving.
• They have difficulty in utilising the knowledge
  and skills acquired via formal learning.
• Higher-level skills are termed metacognitive
  skills.

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• This refers to knowledge and awareness of one's
  own cognitive processes and the ability to
  actively control and manage those processes.
• Metacognitive training can result in significant
  improvements in problem-solving for the tasks, as
  well as in transfer of skills across tasks
  (McCrindle Christensen 1995).

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• Is, ... the learning which results from the
  process of working towards the understanding of,
  or resolution of, a problem.
• Main educational goals are to develop students'
  thinking or reasoning skills (problem solving,
  meta-cognition, critical thinking) and to help
  the students become independent, self-directed
  learners (learning to learn, learning
  management).

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Personal experiences

• Short term
• Enjoyed the opportunity to learn things for
  themselves (90)
• Felt that they had learned from each other (85)
• Felt that PBL gave greater confidence in tackling
  problems themselves (90)

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• Felt that PBL helped them to develop their
  thinking and problem solving skills (95)
• Developed project management skills (80).
• Of course, achieving those results required hard
  work for both the tutor and the students.
• The questionnaire results showed that over 98 of
  the students rated PBL as the best part of the
  course.

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• In addition, students reported that they applied
  the techniques learnt in this module to other
  parts of their course.
• One student wrote, "When applied in other course
  modules which I have learnt, it helps me to
  remember what I have done because I know why I do
  it and how I can apply it when given a problem".
• Another student reported that he now applied PBL
  methods to all aspects of his life including
  managing his personal finances!

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Long-term benefits

• Student A from Singapore wrote to say that he
  used PBL to apply for his jobs. In his current
  job as an SAP Consultant he says,
• "Confronted with limited information, I use the
  various problem-solving techniques taught in PBL
  to provide consultation for my clients."
• Student B wrote from BT (UK)
• "The PBL module was very useful to me ... in
  order to build our two working prototypes in
  time...

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• From Students C and D (both working as software
  engineers at National Computer Systems)
• "As software engineers, PBL has equipped us to
  be better team players ... to master new
  languages and software tools.
• Student E from Digital Equipment UK writes
• "I personally found the PBL module extremely
  useful, particularly the principles of
  Problem-Based Learning, which I still use to
  tackle day-to-day research problems."

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Work Placement

• Staffordshire Universitys industrial placement,
  in its third year (of four), intends to expose
  students to real practices and enhance their
  final year work on return.
• Implemented over 40 years for our computing
  students.
• The placement program is designed to provide
  maximum benefits to the students.

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What are we looking for in recruitment?

• To design and problem-solve logically and
  methodically.
• This kind of skill is more than domain knowledge.
  
• It requires higher thinking skills that go beyond
  problem solving.
• Team working skills are also important in
  employees to work effectively in software
  development.

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Conclusion

• It is important to provide creative and flexible
  graduates rather than merely adept technical
  practitioners.
• Provide appropriate environments for them to
  acquire the generic skills they need.
• Problem based learning has proved to be an
  effective way of helping students to acquire the
  generic skills graduates need.

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• Employers should work closely with universities
  in order to update academics as to their needs.
• It is important for employers and universities to
  reconceptualise the kinds of generic skills and
  abilities that are considered necessary for the
  new graduate.

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Any
? ? ? ? ?
Questions?