Development Of Transferable Skills Research Articles

Playing by the rules of academia? The impact of an international research project on the professional identity development of early-career academics in sport management

The purpose of this study is to examine how participating in an international research project (IRP) can impact the way early-career academics (ECAs) perceive academia and thus their professional identity development. Based on neoinstitutional theory, we examine autoethnographic memory stories of six ECAs within sport management who participated in an international research project (IRP). These ECAs experienced an important professional socialization process into the institutional logics of sport management academia. We found that the academics' perception of doing research was influenced by reflection processes of and within the prevailing logics of the organizational field of sport management academia. ECAs benefit from participating in IRPs as they foster the ability to develop career decisions that will benefit them personally and professionally. The paper highlights opportunities of IRPs in contributing to transferable skill development for ECAs and concludes with recommendations for doctoral students and educators.

The use of “writing retreats” in supporting geography and environmental science undergraduate independent research projects

ABSTRACT Twenty-first century graduates need to have the aptitude to be critical thinkers and capacity to make balanced judgements. The undergraduate dissertation (capstone/independent research project) is normally undertaken at the end of the degree programme enabling students to demonstrate their ability to apply, analysis, synthesis and evaluate their knowledge. Despite the pedagogical importance of the dissertation and the implication of them for the undergraduate student experience, much of the literature on dissertations focuses on: design, structure and implementation; teaching and learning strategies; assessment criteria and marking standards; and, students’ development of subject-specific skills, personal attributes and transferable skills. However, the question remains how best to support and motivate undergraduate students in the final stages of the dissertation “write-up” process. This paper investigates and assesses the use of “writing retreats” within the final stages of the undergraduate dissertation process. Despite the benefits of writing retreats, they have to date typically only been offered to academic and research staff and postgraduate research students but not undergraduate students. This paper demonstrates that writing retreats are a feasible intervention tool that facilitates attitudinal changes, such as enhanced motivation, increased confidence and a more positive outlook on the final writing process of their independent research projects.

Linking K-12 STEM Pedagogy to Local Contexts: A Scoping Review of Benefits and Limitations

Student engagement and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in primary and secondary schools is increasingly being emphasized as the importance of STEM skills for future careers is realized. Localized learning has been identified as a group of pedagogical approaches that may enhance learning in STEM by making the relevance of STEM clear to students and providing stronger connections to students’ lives and contexts. This paper reports on a scoping review that was conducted to identify the benefits and limitations of localized learning in primary and secondary school STEM disciplines. A secondary aim of the review was to identify strategies that increase the effectiveness of localized learning these disciplines. Following literature searches of four databases, 1923 articles were identified. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Potential benefits of localized learning included increases in enjoyment of STEM, improvements in learning, more positive STEM career aspirations, and development of transferable skills. The main challenges of these pedagogical approaches were time restrictions and lack of community involvement. Strategies for enhancing the impact of localized pedagogy included professional development for teachers (in STEM content knowledge, integration of localized pedagogy, and capacity to address socio-scientific issues), integration of technology, whole-school implementation of the pedagogical approach, and integration of the wider community into STEM education. These findings provide support for localized learning as an effective pedagogical approach to enhance STEM learning in schools, while emphasizing the critical roles of teachers and communities in supporting students to realize the relevance of STEM in their lives.

‘Lightbulb’ moments in higher education: peer-to-peer support in engineering education

ABSTRACT Peer-to-peer programs are growing in popularity in higher education (HE) due to institutions’ increased interest in engaging students as partners in learning and teaching. This study explores one institution’s approach to engaging level 5 and level 6 undergraduate students as teaching assistants (TAs) in engineering to support the first-year transition and academic success. The study focuses on the effect of the pilot program on the peer mentors i.e. the TAs, rather than on the peer mentees. An online questionnaire was designed to investigate TAs’ experiences of participating in a student-staff role, and the impact the role had on their academic and non-academic skills development. The findings show that the TA role contributed to enhanced subject understanding and transferable skill development, particularly communication and learning skills. The main attribute valued by TAs was helping others and making a positive impact, contributing to their sense of belonging.

The model of formation of transferable skills of police officers using the case-method in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

The article considers the formation of transferable skills of police officers using the case method in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The purpose of the research is to develop and substantiate the method of formation of transferable skills of police officers during practical lessons at educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia using the case-method of education. The research subject is the formation of transferable skills of police officers. The research object is the educational process of police officers based on the case-method in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The authors use the methods of participant observation, analysis of the organization of practical lessons, analysis of statutory documents, the method of modelling.  The topicality of the research is determined by the necessity to increase the quality of professional training in the Russian institutions of higher education, including those under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the development of the model of formation of transferable skills of police officers based on the case-method of education during practical lessons in special disciplines organized at the educational institutions of higher education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (table 1), and in the described example of a practical lesson in the discipline “Special Equipment of Internal Affairs Bodies” with the use of the case-method. The authors consider the case method, one of the methods of active education, as a means of development of transferable skills. The results section contains an example of the dynamics of the level of completeness of transferable skills of the students of educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The authors arrive at the conclusion that the case-method promotes the formation of transferable skills during practical lessons in special disciplines at the educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as it helps improve the educational process, involve the students in communication, and develop self-sufficiency.  

Nursing students’ expectations of the process of writing a bachelor’s thesis in Sweden: A qualitative study

While performing various academic work, such as writing a bachelor’s thesis, are known to be challenging for university students, less is known about students’ expectations in this regard. AimThe aim was to describe students’ expectations of the upcoming process of writing a bachelor’s thesis. DesignThe study employed an explorative, qualitative approach with a single, written open-ended question design. MethodsThe data were collected consecutively 2013–2016 in class. A total of 93 final-year students volunteered and provided hand-written accounts which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. ResultsThe students’ accounts revealed three generic categories of expectations: Gaining professional knowledge and competency, Planning and organizing the work, and Taking stock of personal resources. Writing a bachelor’s thesis was a new challenge for most of the students and the answers testify to mixed feelings about the upcoming work and its supervision. ConclusionsThe nursing students’ expectations included present and future competencies, skills and abilities. In promoting development of transferable skills and knowledge, educators of future health-care professionals would be well advised to invite students to reflect on and discuss, their expectations prior to writing a bachelor’s thesis and similar academic student papers. This study adds to the research on students’ studying and learning in nursing education by bringing to the fore students’ expectations of academic learning tasks as an important aspect to consider in higher education contexts, both nationally and internationally.

Ways to Develop Employability Skills in Teaching Translation to Final-Year Students

This paper considers methodology and pedagogical approaches used in higher education in the United Kingdom and Russia in developing transferable employability skills when teaching final-year undergraduates. The paper analyses outcomes of introducing innovative approaches to teaching translation at the University of Bristol and at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU).The MSU approach is aimed at the development of self-motivation, continual learning, ability to influence others through effective communication while at the same time developing students’ discipline-related skills in the field of translation studies.The innovation introduced at the University of Bristol involves a move from traditional classroom-based delivery of a final-year undergraduate translation module to a blended e-learning approach, thus addressing organisational needs (developing an effective mechanism of peer assessment in large translation classes) while achieving a higher quality of work and developing valuable employability skills.The primary objective is to show the students that they can improve their translation and analytical skills through conducting research online and by interacting with the other members of the group using a virtual learning environment. Recent results confirm that both approaches proved to be extremely beneficial. The students developed a better awareness of what is expected of them in assessed assignments. They enhanced their discipline-related skills in the field of translation studies. Their communication skills, ability to provide constructive feedback and analyse their own and other students’ work have also significantly improved. This contributed to the development of transferable employability skills including working as part of a team, critical thinking, communicating and influencing, problem solving, decision making and time management.

Students' Feedback on the Development of a Competency-Based Pharmacy Education (CBPE) at the University of Tartu, Estonia.

Increasing need in society to provide collaborative and patient-centered pharmaceutical care has to be addressed in curriculum development. Principles of competency-based pharmacy education (CBPE) could be seen as one solution to the new professional challenges of pharmacists. At the University of Tartu (UT), the Pharmacy curriculum was updated in 2019 to introduce principles of CBPE. The aim of this study was to gather initial students’ feedback on the development of CBPE at the UT. The survey was conducted in the spring semester of the 2019/2020 academic year to collect feedback about all curricula at the UT. All 1st, 3rd, and 5th year pharmacy students (n = 67) were invited and 70.1% (N = 47) of them also participated in this study in order to evaluate the Pharmacy curriculum. Pharmacy students were more complacent with the content and less with the fixed structure of the Pharmacy curriculum. Students emphasized more theoretical knowledge and less practical and transferable skills of the competencies developed over the studies. Initial student feedback on the development of CBPE in Estonia demonstrated that theoretical knowledge needs to be more integrated with practice throughout the curriculum. In the future, more attention should be paid to the development of transferable skills, including digital skills.

Social context and transferable skill development in experiential learning

ABSTRACT Increasingly, employers are seeking candidates with transferable skills in addition to technical and educational requirements. Thus, university students seek opportunities to develop transferrable skills, often through extra and co-curricular programs. With this in mind, our research explores student assessments of their own development of transferable skills after participation in a co-curricular, experiential volunteer program (McMaster Children and Youth University) in Canada. Using pre/post-survey methods, we find statistically significant increases in participants’ self-assessments of leadership, problem solving, knowledge translation, and knowledge mobilization. Adaptability emerges as an unexpected skill several participants report developing as a result of working with young people. We conclude that co-curricular programs play an important role in transferable skill development. Further, we argue that social contexts of experiential learning opportunities play a significant role in shaping transferrable skill development.

Preserving transferable skills in the accounting curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a first-hand, critical reflection on the rapid redesign of a New Zealand university accounting course in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors reflect on their experience of redesigning a course for online delivery, while preserving its focus on transferable skills. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the authors’ commentary on and self-evaluation of the teaching of a final year accounting paper during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings The authors provide lessons for developing transferable skills when pivoting to digital learning under extreme conditions. The authors found a multi-modal approach to course delivery that helped facilitate the development of transferable skills and self-reflection journals were particularly useful for motivating students in an online teaching environment. The authors also identified the efficacy of designing and evaluating online course delivery using a “transferable skills first” template to identify gaps in learning activities and assessments. Originality/value The pressures of rapidly pivoting to digital learning threatened the authors’ ability to maintain a focus on transferable skills. The authors provide a design method for maintaining and developing transferable skills in a digital environment using a “transferable-skills first” teaching philosophy.

Peer assisted academic support: a comparison of mentors’ and mentees’ experiences of a drop-in programme

ABSTRACT In Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) programmes, students provide academic and social support to fellow students. Recent PAL iterations include drop-in programmes to improve higher education students’ general academic literacy in an open, non-judgemental, learning environment led by experienced students. The majority of the PAL literature, however, focuses on curricular programmes, with limited understandings on processes enabling positive outcomes for students. This study contributes to the PAL literature through the investigation of factors and mentoring strategies underpinning effective peer learning in drop-in PAL programmes. Participants were students attending an academic drop-in PAL programme, and the peer mentors employed by the programme. Results suggest that students’ expectations about the type of support provided by PAL mentors may jeopardise the learning objectives of the programme. The analysis of PAL mentors’ experiences reveals how the use of strategies to enhance social and cognitive congruence between peers supports the development of effective peer learning partnerships. Mentors’ approachability alongside their ability to provide practical strategies and academic examples tailored to students’ learning needs characterised peer learning interactions between students. Mentors also encouraged students to engage in active help-seeking behaviours. This paper examines strategies to enhance peer learning interactions that support the development of independent and transferable academic skills in students seeking peer support.

The integration of a community service learning water project in a post-secondary chemistry lab

Community Service Learning (CSL) is an experiential learning approach that integrates community service into student projects and provides diverse learning opportunities to reduce interdisciplinary barriers. A semester-long chemistry curriculum with an integrated CSL intervention was implemented in a Canadian university to analyze the potential for engagement and positive attitudes toward chemistry as a meaningful undertaking for 14 post-secondary students in the laboratory as well as for their 400 K-12 student partners in the community. Traditionally, introductory science experiments typically involve repeating a cookbook recipe from a lab book, but this CSL project allowed the post-secondary and K-12 students to work collaboratively to determine the physical and chemical properties and total dissolved solids in the water fountains from the K-12 students' schools. Post-instructional surveys were completed by all learners and were analyzed using a mixed methodological approach with both quantitative and qualitative methods. The expected audience that may be interested in this study are those involved in teaching chemistry in higher education and at the K-12 level as well as those interested in service learning, community and civic engagement, experiential learning, and development of transferable skills in chemistry. The results demonstrate that both groups of students report favorable engagement and attitudes towards learning chemistry and higher self-confidence levels on performing lab skills after the activity. Furthermore, both groups of students expressed interest in exploring future projects, which is indicative of the positive impact of CSL and the mutual benefits of the partnership.

What do we mean by “transferable skills”? A literature review of how the concept is conceptualized in undergraduate health sciences education

PurposeDue to rapid changes in the future labor market, transferable skills are recognized as a vital learning outcome for students in undergraduate higher education. However, ambiguities surrounding the concept and content of transferable skills hamper the actual teaching and learning of transferable skills. Consequently, there is a great need for an overview of the literature on transferable skills to qualify and develop the approaches to transferrable skills in higher education. This study aims to outline a typology of how transferable skills are conceptualized in health sciences education, that is, medicine, nursing and related health professionals’ education.Design/methodology/approachThe study was a mixed studies literature review, which included quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies. A seven-stage sequential exploratory synthesis of the included studies was conducted.FindingsThis review showed that transferable skills reflected three main conceptualizations: Program Requirements, Employability and Holistic Development. Overall, the global methodological quality of the empirical studies of interventions to further transferable skills development in health science education was weak.Research limitations/implicationsThis study aids clear conceptualization in future empirical studies.Practical implicationsBy distinguishing between three main conceptualizations of transferable skills, this study's typology supports alignment in transferable skills curricula because conceptually sound learning objectives provide teachers and students in health sciences education with a clear purpose and direct educators' choice of relevant teaching and assessment strategies.Originality/valueThis review – the first of its kind – contributes to conceptualization of transferable skills as the basis for curriculum development and research.

Health Literacy and Shared Decision-making: Exploring the Relationship to Enable Meaningful Patient Engagement in Healthcare.

Research into health literacy and shared decision-making has largely developed along parallel, but distinct lines over the past two decades. There is little evidence that the concepts and related practice have intersected except in the most functional way, for example, to simplify shared decision-making tools by improving readability scores of decision aids. This paper presents an integrated model to strengthen and sustain patient engagement in health care by drawing on the strengths of both concepts. This includes addressing patients' skills and capacities, alongside modifications to written and verbal information. We propose an expanded model of shared decision-making which incorporates health literacy concepts and promotes two-tiered intervention methods to improve the targeting and personalization of communication and support the development of transferable health literacy skills among patients.

Undergraduate research as a student engagement springboard: Exploring the longer-term reported benefits of participation in a research conference

ABSTRACTBackground: Undergraduate research is evident in many forms across higher education: in journals, at conferences and on research placements. It is widely reported that undergraduate research can encourage the development of discipline-specific and transferable communication skills and, in some cases, a more complex development of higher-order critical appraisal. Recent studies of extracurricular undergraduate research conferences have also found that participants report a development of self-authorship and an appreciation of the conference as liminal and transformative space. With many published studies measuring immediate feedback surrounding conference events, there is also a need to explore participants’ reflections over a longer term period of time.Purpose: This small-scale project investigated participants’ self-report of whether and in what ways participation in a non-assessed, extracurricular undergraduate research conference had impacted their academic and professional practices, one year after their involvement in the conference.Method: The qualitative study took place over two academic years with participants from an undergraduate conference which was held annually. The investigation adopted an action research methodology and completed two cycles of research. Data were collected firstly through an online survey with open questions, yielding feedback from 44 respondents. Focus groups were then conducted with nine of these students to explore this data further. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data.Findings: The two cycles of data collection and analyses resulted in the identification of four central themes: (1) general positive impact on studies or career; (2) the development of presentation skills and personal confidence; (3) the development of research skills and perspectives; (4) an increased engagement with extracurricular opportunities.Conclusions: Overall, our analysis identified that participants reported a development in communication skills and an enhanced relationship with the concept of ‘research’ and self-authorship. Students’ report that participation directly led to increased engagement with additional extracurricular activities is particularly noteworthy, as it contributes something new to the growing body of literature surrounding undergraduate research. More widely, the study suggests the potential for undergraduate conferences to act as springboards for increased extracurricular engagement.

Are Western Active Learning Spaces Worth the Investment?

Although active learning is coming to the forefront of education, the physical infrastructure of classrooms has been relatively slow to change. Certain institutions, including Western University, have recently developed active learning spaces. These learning spaces often include movable furniture and numerous writing spaces, which creates a more interactive learning environment for students. They may range in size and set‐up, but one key feature that these spaces share is a rich opportunity for student collaboration. Previous studies have shown that students perceive active learning spaces as more engaging than traditional lecture spaces; however, the effect of learning spaces on transferable skill development, specifically effective communication, has not yet been investigated. Thus, the main objective of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of Western’s Active Learning Spaces (WALS) in supporting student development of effective communication as a transferable skill. We recruited students from a fourth‐year undergraduate medical science course (N=33) to participate. The students started the Fall term of 2019 in a fixed‐row classroom and moved to a WALS at the midpoint of the term. The same instructor taught in both classroom environments and the course was designed as a flipped classroom where students are expected to complete online learning modules before coming to class. The current study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed‐methods approach to collect data. Quantitative data was collected first in the form of Likert surveys and classroom observation, followed by qualitative data collection in the form of focus groups. Students were observed using a previously validated instrument entitled, Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) (COPUS). Our observational COPUS data have shown that the instructor successfully created an active learning environment in both the fixed‐row classroom and the WALS and was using similar active learning activities in both environments. Students were asked to complete a Likert survey that measured communication apprehension at the start of the course and after exposure to each classroom setting. In addition, students were asked to complete a Likert survey to rate the impact each classroom had on overall classroom climate and learning. Finally, students were asked to complete a Likert survey indicating their classroom preference and the suitability of each classroom on a variety of items. Our results suggested that many students perceive themselves as having low communication apprehension and we found no significant difference in student responses between the start of the term and after exposure to the fixed‐row classroom. This is likely because students in the fourth year of their undergraduate degree have had exposure to active learning strategies and opportunities to develop their communication skills outside of the current course. Further data collection in the WALS is needed; however, based on other preliminary findings, we predict students will prefer the WALS and will perceive an increase in communication skills after WALS exposure.

"I Didn't Make It, but…": Deselected Athletes' Experiences of the Talent Development Pathway.

The experiences of youth athletes on specialized talent development pathways has received considerable attention in both the media and literature. Despite the low conversion of pathway entrants into senior athletes, the experiences of deselected athletes have received less attention. The purpose of this study therefore was to explore the talent pathway experiences of youth athletes who were deselected from a pathway and to consider how those experiences influenced their life post deselection. Ten participants were purposefully sampled based on their prior involvement in a formalized and selective talent programme. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data was analyzed via a thematic analysis. Participants identified constructs of the talent development environment, psychobehavioral skills for future development and personal responsibility for future development as facilitators for future success beyond the talent pathway. Specifically, environmental constructs, such as high performance support systems and expectations of professionalism positively contributed toward the acquisition of transferable psychobehavioral skills, such as a determination to be successful, a confidence to back oneself and social maturity. Youth athletes reported feeling empowered to take personal responsibility for development, through attributes such as a commitment to be the best they can be and an intrinsic motivation to succeed. These findings suggest positive experiences, built around the development of transferable skills and behaviors, can accrue from being on the talent pathway. As such, the talent pathway can be a successful foundation for both success in that sport and as a facilitator of success beyond sport.

A Comparison of Transferable Skill Development in Both Experiential Leadership Curriculums and Traditional Leadership Curriculums

A Comparison of Transferable Skill Development in Both Experiential Leadership Curriculums and Traditional Leadership Curriculums

Inquiry-, problem-, context- and industry- based laboratories: an investigation into the impact of large-scale, longitudinal redevelopment on student perceptions of teaching laboratories

ABSTRACT Previous work at Monash University has shown that students recognise that inquiry-, problem-, context- and industry- based experiments were better contextualised, more open to decision making and aided in the development of scientific and transferable skills. This study investigated whether these gains persisted over a longer time scale, rather than just after the completion of a given experiment. Student focus groups were conducted at the completion of units (sometimes known as a course) in which more than half of the laboratory experiments were redesigned. Annual surveys were distributed to monitor students’ perceptions of the aims of teaching laboratories, and their expectations of their own behaviour. The findings indicated that the previously noted positive outcomes were still evident at the end of a semester. The annual survey showed that whilst 2nd year students were able to appreciate the real world context of the experiments, 3rd year students did not. Overall, the large-scale changes away from expository experiments had a positive impact on student enjoyment and perceived skill development but only when meaningful proportions of the experiments were redesigned. It would appear that the continuing existence of many expository experiments undermined the students’ perceptions of the benefits gained by the new laboratory experiments.

Evaluating the impact of reflecting on curriculum-embedded skill development: the experience of science undergraduates

ABSTRACTMeaningful reflection on their learning and skill development is often lacking in the experience of undergraduates. Many students do not recognise the curriculum-embedded development of transferable skills and lack the ability to articulate such skills. This mixed-methods study sought to investigate whether engaging students in reflection would increase their ability to recognise and articulate their skill development. Sixty science undergraduates from Monash University completed a voluntary semester-long program recording and reflecting on course-related skill development, supported by email prompts and group discussions. The impact of students’ involvement was evaluated through pre- and post-participation surveys, reflections and group discussions. Most students were challenged by the unfamiliarity of thinking beyond knowledge attainment in order to identify and reflect on skill-related experiences. However, they recognised a range of benefits from doing so, including an improved ability to recognise their skill development, strengths and weaknesses and to articulate their skills in readiness for seeking employment. They also valued previously unappreciated learning tasks and gained motivation to improve skill deficits and seek out opportunities to improve their employability. Based on this study, recommendations are made regarding best practice for implementing skills reflection in the curriculum.