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Why and How

Work-related Content in Courses

Brian Epp, Associate Director

Learning Experience Workforce Development

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Why now?

When asked how well institutions prepare students for the workforce, there is a huge disconnect in opinion between chief academic officers on one side and employers and general public on the other side.

Retrieved 11/4/2022 from https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/173249/higher-education-work-preparation-paradox.aspx

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Increase in Higher Ed Costs

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The preparedness paradox combined with the rapid rise in college costs have led many potential students to question the value of the degree and to instead pursue non-degree credentials and related pathways.

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Retrieved 11/4/2022 from https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/see-20-years-of-tuition-growth-at-national-universities

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Change in Perceived Value of the Degree

Only 34% of students believe they will graduate with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the job market

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2017 Gallup poll of 32K undergrads

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Why Work-related Connections are so Critical

Retrieved 9/26/2022 from https://stradaeducation.org/report/pv-release-sep-20-2022/

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Work-related items are by far the most important factors that influence NU’s adult learners to enroll.

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Work-related Learning Exemplars

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Ideas

Case study – simulate real-world experiences where students connect theory to practice using analytical skills, critical thinking and problem-solving

Role plays (creative problem-solving sessions) – actively run through a related problem to see how it could be solved and how different roles may react

Evaluate a recorded business meeting – share agenda and ask students to track action items and possibly volunteer to take a first pass at the to-dos

Expert interviews (videos) – introduce a problem; walk through a narrative

Project-based learning via the Riipen Marketplace – begin with an authentic, complex problem or question

Gamification – progress bars, badges

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BS in Healthcare Admin Internship on the Marketplace

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Contact Brian Epp, LEX Associate Director of Workforce Development to get started!

Targeted skills can be aligned with Lightcast job demand data

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ANA 310 Data Acquisition –

BS in Data Science

  • CLO 1: Construct hypotheses for Data Science problems.
  • CLO 2: Examine the differences between Continuous and Categorical Data.
  • CLO 3: Evaluate the methods of Data Acquisition for structured, unstructured, textual, and Big Data.
  • CLO 4: Demonstrate Data Acquisition from a variety of sources including the web, surveys, APIs, and databases.

Linking CLOs to work-related activities

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    • CLO 1: Job shadow a data scientist where a problem is introduced and the expert explains how they generated hypotheses with details on challenges and how the team improved it over time

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    • CLO 3: Panel Interview with data scientists from a variety of industries to discuss data acquisition methods / challenges / solutions by data type

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    • CLO 4: Have an industry expert introduce a real-world data set with known challenges; have students ingest the data and discuss problems that arose and how they solved them.
      • Follow-up expert interview describing how they solved the issues

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  • What assets would you like in the course that tie theory to practice; connecting classroom learning to applied situations?
  • Is there an opportunity to embed a real industry project instead of a case study?
    • 4-week format is a challenge but not an absolute blocker.
  • What workforce skills can be included in this course and how can we help students understand and describe the value of what they're learning?
  • How can we scaffold theory into a do-first, work-based course approach? Simulations, case studies, real problem-based scenarios
  • What experiences can we design that incorporate the identification of priority skills, the assessment of those skills and an ability for learners to communicate / demonstrate mastery?
  • How can we engage students to explore career options within this course? Provide career info and connections to relevant employers
  • What guest speaker(s) could we bring into the course that link back to a course learning outcome?
  • What workforce skills are being addressed in this course? (Problem-solving, teamwork, communication, professionalism) - tie to Skillabi work
  • Are there professional organizations or conferences you recommend for students?
  • Could we incorporate a virtual job trek into the course to allow students to see firsthand what it will be like to work for certain organizations?

Work-related Considerations for Course Authors

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Lightcast. (n.d.). Lightcast skills. Lightcast Skills. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://skills.lightcast.io/skill-categories

Mintz, S. (2022, October 5). Do we really need new university models? Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/do-we-really-need-new-university-models

Thorne, K. (2022, September 28). A case for skills: Transforming the value proposition of Higher Education. The EvoLLLution. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://evolllution.com/programming/credentials/a-case-for-skills-transforming-the-value-proposition-of-higher-education/

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Reference List

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