One of the hottest topics in higher education is the value of competencies that are called “soft skills,” “career readiness skills” or “21st century skills,” for students’ success in school,
life, and work. Based on over 15 years of research by CCWT investigators regarding active learning, skills gaps, workforce skills needs, internships, and institutional change processes in higher education, this innovative program is a comprehensive approach to embedding career readiness across a college student’s entire experience.
In 2018, Associate Professor of Adult & Higher Education Matthew Hora developed a 7-week online faculty development course that led faculty through the history of the skills discourse and problems with generic notions of how skills like communication, critical thinking, and self-regulated learning are deeply shaped by the professions, race/ethnicity, and gender. Participants were introduced to the “Skills as Cultural Scripts” approach to embedding these skills into course syllabi, lesson plans, or even in campus-wide strategic plans in a way that models sociocultural and equity-centered theories of learning.
For flyers and videos from the Spring 2023 workshop series offered by Dr. Hora on teaching “21st century skills” from a disciplinary and culturally responsive approach, check out the materials below!
Earn a Professional Certificate
This three-course, self-paced experience through WisconsinX is designed to culminate in a professional certificate in Teaching 21st Century Skills in College Courses. However, each class may be taken as stand-alone course. When taken in sequence, in as little as 2 months, learners will:
- Synthesize and apply new knowledge by transforming a curricular artifact of their own, whether it be an entire course syllabus or a lesson plan or activity for a single class.
- Understand key principles of instructional design and learning theory — with emphasis on the concept of “skills as cultural models” — and how to structure a course syllabus and/or individual lesson plans to emphasize the four skills.
- Develop a working knowledge of and critical outlook on the theories and arguments behind 21st-century skills and graduate employability.
- Develop an appreciation for the ways that culture, class and other forms of student identity and experience impact how students define and use particular skills — and implications of this for their own classroom teaching.
- Understand the theory and research supporting each of the four skills and the different ways they can be taught in colleges, universities and adult education settings.
May Workshop Video
Workshop Transcript
Please email ccwt@wisc.edu to request a version of the video with transcript.