Examining the Foundation: Considering Scaffolding 'Soft' Skills from Entry to Graduation in an Undergraduate Business Program
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| Title: | Examining the Foundation: Considering Scaffolding 'Soft' Skills from Entry to Graduation in an Undergraduate Business Program |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Sonja L. Johnston (ORCID |
| Source: | Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching. 2024 15(1). |
| Availability: | Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 1280 Main Street West, Mills Library Room 504, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L6, Canada. Tel: 905-525-9140; Web site: https://ojs.uwindsor.ca/index.php/CELT/index |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Undergraduate Study, Business Education, Soft Skills, Skill Development, Outcomes of Education, Foreign Countries, Course Objectives, Core Curriculum, Taxonomy, Verbs |
| Geographic Terms: | Canada |
| ISSN: | 2368-4526 |
| Abstract: | Critical thinking, creativity, communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, empathy, resilience, ambition, grit, and innovation (Heckman & Kautz, 2012). These skills, often referred to as 'soft' skills, are considered a requirement for employment and advancement for the 21st-century graduate (Carnevale & Smith, 2013). Within a Western Canadian School of Business, in an environment highly regarded for technical skill achievement in diploma and degree graduates, faculty set out to investigate the absence or inclusion of human skills in curriculum outcomes as an initial phase of investigation. There is an institutional presumption that human skill development is innately a part of the programs. The intention is that human skills (LeBusque, 2020) or power skills (PMI, 2022) naturally occur during course delivery, creating a commonality across foundational courses to reinforce the skill sets identified, developed, and refined as students complete their credentials. However, industry reports (Lapointe & Turner, 2020; RBC, 2019) and the authors' own institutional data collected from new graduates and employers indicated room for improvement in these skills. To gain a better understanding, the authors undertook an examination via document analysis of all common core courses that form the program foundation. Through the lens of dynamic skill theory (Mascolo, 2020), this evaluation involved 24 common courses, comprised of 1,442 course objectives, resulting in a range of 134 Bloom's Taxonomy verbs. In this paper, the authors begin the exploratory first phase of a broader comprehensive study with a focus on course foundations for learner development. Through this analysis, the authors present a draft framework to better understand and strengthen the learning foundations, to proceed with considerations for realignment and strategic scaffolding of both technical and human skills from entry through graduation. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1431541 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ1431541 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1431541 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1431541 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 19 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Study Type: general – SubjectFull: Business Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Soft Skills Type: general – SubjectFull: Skill Development Type: general – SubjectFull: Outcomes of Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Course Objectives Type: general – SubjectFull: Core Curriculum Type: general – SubjectFull: Taxonomy Type: general – SubjectFull: Verbs Type: general – SubjectFull: Canada Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Examining the Foundation: Considering Scaffolding 'Soft' Skills from Entry to Graduation in an Undergraduate Business Program Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sonja L. Johnston – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Charissa Lee IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2024 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 2368-4526 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 15 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching Type: main |
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