29. Using Skills Portfolios In Fourth-Year University Transition To Work Courses
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This document summarizes a fourth-year university capstone course aimed at assisting students' transition to the workforce. The course uses skills portfolios to help students reflect on and demonstrate their skill development. The portfolios are based on a model of advanced skills grouped into four "bases of competence": managing self, communicating, managing people and tasks, and mobilizing innovation and change. Students provide evidence and reflections on their abilities for each skill. The portfolios comprise half the course grade, with the rest involving a project and presentation. The portfolios and course aim to help students synthesize their learning and better understand and demonstrate their skills to potential employers.
29. Using Skills Portfolios In Fourth-Year University Transition To Work Courses
- 1. 170 170 29 Using Skills Portfolios in Fourth-Year University Transition to Work Courses Janet Z-K Wolstenholme & Fred Evers University of Guelph ‘Transition from school to work’ courses are an excellent way to help fourth-year university students as they complete their studies and prepare for the world of work. In this paper we present he Bases of Competence (Evers, Rush, & Berdrow, 1998), a model of the advanced skills used by university grad- uates in the workplace. he model consists of four groupings of skills (base competencies): Managing Self, Communicating, Managing People and Tasks, and Mobilizing Innovation and Change. Each base competency consists of four or ive more speciic advanced skills (e.g., Mobilizing Innovation and Change consists of ability to conceptualize, creativity, risk-taking, and visioning). he base competen- cies and the skills within each base serve as the core of the skills that make up the skills portfolios stu- dents complete in the transition courses conducted at the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber. Students relect on and report behaviours related to each skill based on their educa- tion, life, and work experiences. he portfolio also includes a résumé, cover letter, and other elements related to career development and work search. he portfolio comprises ifty percent of the course; the remainder is taken up with a project and presentation aimed at capping the student’s undergraduate experience with eyes to the future and enhancing under-utilized oral communication skills.1 Introduction This paper is about a fourth-year university cap- stone course implemented at the University of Guelph and the University of Guelph-Humber. A capstone course should assist students in the transi- 1 he research undertaken by Evers, Rush, & Berdrow (1998) has since been reinforced by further research conducted by Evers, Power, & Mitchell (2003) in Preparing for the Future: Identifying Advanced Essential Skills Needs in Canada, again inding that leadership and creativity were skills most in demand in the workplace.
- 2. 171 Using Skills Portfolios in Fourth-Year University Transition to Work Courses tion to the next stage of their life by ‘capping’ or concluding their undergraduate experience. his can be achieved by including two aspects to course material – synthesis and relection. Synthesis allows students the opportunity to work on something that encompasses what they have learned throughout their academic career. In our case, students work on a project and integrate theories, methods, and re- search from their discipline. Depending on the size of the class, students work either in groups or alone. he course at the University of Guelph is capped at 35 students whereas the class at the University of Guelph-Humber has about 70 registrants. he second aspect, relection, is just as important if not moreso in the student’s transition to the next phase of life and is what we focus on in this paper. Stu- dents need an assignment or other relective exercise in order to realize what learning has taken place and how they have grown intellectually. Relection also enables students to prepare themselves for the work- place by identifying and matching suitable skills and other qualities ready for the work search and ensuing behaviourally based interviews. his connects the world of learning to the world of work. Students have freedom of choice with the project undertaken in the course. Many choose to ex- amine their intended profession from a very practical point of view. Investigating the realities of the day-to- day aspects of the job, some interview incumbents for the ‘inside story.’ he only proviso is that the paper be written like a journal article and include review of literature, research, theories, and methods appro- priate to the discipline. he most recent iteration of the course at the University of Guelph-Humber in- stigated an electronic peer review system designed for group feedback, and a chance to amend the article before the inal grade is assigned. Using this system, students get the chance to experience the academic publishing peer review process, albeit in a reduced format. Students then present their indings to the class in the latter part of the course, and as creativity is a skill found to be in demand in the research, we encourage presentations to be as creative as possible. Creativity is also a criterion that is marked for, both in the presentation and the skills portfolio. Portfolio Format he majority of the course evaluation is taken up with the skills portfolio. Students use a three-ring binder and section dividers for their work. Contents include: • a personal mission statement; • intellectual autobiography; • a résumé (in different formats); • cover letters; • record of job interviews; • evidence of skill development within the base competencies and skills (discussed with the research after the other elements that make up the portfolio); • development of specific skills; • summary of strengths and areas needing de- velopment; and • resources (can be anything the student deems relevant). Personal mission statement he personal mission statement is a one sentence or one paragraph statement of what the students in- tend to do in or with their working career. Some tie the statement to their philosophy of life and intended life’s work. Others take a less esoteric ap- proach. We use a method for ascertaining mission statements set forward in Laurie Beth Jones’s book he Path (1996). Intellectual autobiography Students have three to ive pages in which to write their intellectual journey thus far. his document serves as a great introduction to the portfolio along with the personal mission statement as well as serv- ing as a good grounding relection exercise. Students can go back as far as they wish. Some include learn- ing that took place as they began formal education, some in high school, and some tie in informal learn- ing experiences beginning their narrative in their un- dergraduate years.
- 3. Collected Essays on Teaching and Learning Vol. II 172 Résumé, cover letters, and a record of job interviews his section contains several diferent types and for- mats of résumés and a couple of cover letters (either ictitious or real), plus a list of job interviews. We devote one class to an interview workshop where students have the chance to be on both sides of the interviewing table. Students are able to practise inter- viewing skills in a non-threatening environment and relect on performance from both an interviewer and interviewee. Specific skills In this section, students document skills that are not covered in the base competencies, for example, skills that are speciic to their program of study, proiciency in foreign languages, music, sports, use of computer programs (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint), etc. Areas of strengths and areas needing development his section is a summary of the ‘evidence’ sections. Students highlight their strengths and note plans to develop weaker skills. Skills he portfolio uses he Bases of Competence as a frame- work, based on the “Making the Match” research conducted by Evers, Rush, & Berdrow (1998). Dis- cussed next is the research and skills that were found through the research and make-up the bulk of the skills portfolio. he students write relections of be- haviours that show their skill development in each skill area and include ‘evidence’ of skill development (more about this under “Base competency and skills’ deinitions”). “Making the match” research In 1986, 20 of the Corporate Higher Education Fo- rum’s corporate members and ive of its university members agreed to have their organizations partici- pate in phase two of the “making the match” project. he participants, representing ive career stages: 1) early university, 2) pre-graduate, 3) job entry, 4) job change, and 5) stabilized career, were surveyed irst in 1987/88, and again in 1988/89 and 1989/90. A total of 1,610 respondents completed all three ques- tionnaires. A set of 18 skills form the heart of the ques- tionnaires completed by students, graduates, and managers. he students and graduates were asked to assess themselves and managers assessed univer- sity graduates working in their departments. he skill inventory was analyzed to determine if any logi- cal groupings within the 18 skills exist. Four distinct combinations emerged which were found to be con- sistent with the evolving literature on skills and which capture the current bases of competence necessary to work in today’s workplace: 1) Mobilizing Innovation and Change: ability to conceptualize, creativity/inno- vation/ change, risk-taking, and visioning; 2) Manag- ing People and Tasks: coordinating, decision-making, leadership/inluence, managing conlict, and plan- ning/organizing; 3) Communicating: interpersonal, listening, oral and written communication; and 4) Managing Self: learning, personal organization/time management, personal strengths, and problem solv- ing/analytic. Interestingly, technical skills did not group with any of the four base competencies; though clearly important to today’s workplace, it was felt that computing and other technical skill areas should be dealt with as a distinct skill set. Base competency and skills’ definitions Deinitions of each skill within each base compe- tency are presented in the course (Evers, Rush, & Berdrow, 1998). hese are the skills and deinitions students work with when writing their relections. hey also gather ‘evidence’ to support their writing and include it in the portfolio. he evidence can be awards, papers, letters of commendation, experiences in volunteer and paid jobs, projects, websites, etc. he evidence is intended to reinforce the written re- lection (about one page) where the students discuss their abilities in each skill area. Mobilizing innovation & change – conceptualizing, as well as setting in motion, ways of initiating and managing change that involve signiicant departures
- 4. 173 Using Skills Portfolios in Fourth-Year University Transition to Work Courses from current mode. • Ability to conceptualize – involves the ability to combine relevant information from a num- ber of sources, to integrate information into more general contexts, and to apply informa- tion to new or broader contexts. • Creativity/innovation/change – involves the ability to adapt to situations of change, at times it involves the ability to initiate change, and provide ‘novel’ solutions to problems. Also involves the ability to re-conceptualize roles in response to changing demands related to the firm’s success. • Risk-taking – involves taking reasonable job- related risks by recognizing alternative or dif- ferent ways of meeting objectives, while at the same time recognizing the potential negative outcomes and monitoring the progress toward the set objectives. • Visioning – involves the ability to concep- tualize the future of the company and to provide innovative paths for the company to follow. Managing people & tasks – accomplishing the tasks at hand by planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling both resources and people. • Coordinating – involves being able to coordi- nate the work of peers and subordinates and encourage positive group relationships. • Decision-making – involves making timely decisions on the basis of a thorough assess- ment of the short- and long-term effects of decisions, recognizing the political and ethical implications, and being able to identify those who will be affected by the decisions made. • Leadership/influence – involves the ability to give direction and guidance to others and to delegate work tasks to peers and subordinates in a manner which proves to be effective, and motivates others to do their best. • Managing conflict – involves the ability to identify sources of conflict between oneself and others, or among other people, and to take steps to overcome disharmony. • Planning & organizing – involves being able to determine the tasks to be carried out to- ward meeting objectives (strategic and tacti- cal), perhaps assigning some of the tasks to others, monitoring the progress made against the plan, and revising a plan to include new information. Communicating – interacting efectively with a vari- ety of individuals and groups to facilitate the gath- ering, integrating, and conveying of information in many forms (e.g., verbal, written). • Interpersonal – involves working well with others (superiors, subordinates, and peers), understanding their needs and being sympa- thetic with them. • Listening – involves being attentive when oth- ers are speaking, and responding effectively to others’ comments during a conversation. • Oral communication – involves the ability to present information verbally to others, either one-on-one or in groups. • Written communication – involves the effec- tive writing of formal reports and business correspondence, as well as informal notes and memos. Managing self – constantly developing practices and internalizing routines for maximizing one’s ability to deal with the uncertainly of an ever-changing envi- ronment. • Learning – involves the ability to gain knowl- edge from everyday experiences and to keep up-to-date on developments in their field. • Personal organization/time management – in- volves managing several tasks at once, being able to set priorities and to allocate time ef- ficiently in order to meet deadlines. • Personal strengths – comprises a variety of per- sonal traits which assist individuals in dealing
- 5. Collected Essays on Teaching and Learning Vol. II 174 with day-to-day work situations. Some exam- ples include: maintaining a high energy level; motivating oneself to function at optimal level of performance; functioning in stressful situ- ations; maintaining a positive attitude; ability to work independently, and responding ap- propriately to constructive criticism. • Problem solving/analytic – consists of identi- fying, prioritizing and solving problems; in- dividually or in groups. Involves the ability to ask the right questions, sort out the many facets of a problem, and contribute ideas as well as answers regarding the problem. Research Results he overall ratings by students, graduates, and man- agers are between ‘high’ and ‘average’ on a ive point scale (very high to very low) for all the skills, and hence, the base competencies. Within this range, there are interesting diferences. Communicating and Managing Self are consistently rated higher than Mobilizing Innovation and Change and Managing People and Tasks. New hires (job entry group) con- sistently give themselves lower Mobilizing Innovation and Change and Managing People and Tasks scores than the other groups and rate themselves higher on the other two bases. Respondents were also asked which skills they felt would be in greatest demand in the future and which ones must be improved. Visioning, cre- ativity, and risk-taking from within the Mobilizing Innovation and Change base were felt to be in the highest demand in the future (and yet were rated the lowest in terms of competence). Also, leadership and managing conlict from the Managing People and Tasks base were viewed as critical skills for university graduates in corporate employment. When asked which of the 18 skills were most in need of improve- ment, leadership ranked irst. Skills in demand hese rankings are based on the response to “most important areas needing development.” Areas students would like to see more emphasis in university: 1. Creativity/ Innovation 2. Oral Communication 3. Managing Conlict 4. Leadership Areas graduates feel could use some improvement: 1. Leadership 2. Creativity/ Innovation 3. Managing Conlict 4. Time Management Areas managers feel employees need to develop: 1. Leadership 2. Managing Conlict 3. Visioning 4. Creativity/ Innovation he core set of skills that emerged were: in Mobiliz- ing Innovation & Change, visioning, creativity and risk-taking; and in Managing People & Tasks, leader- ship and managing conlict. hese skills were found to be rated relatively lower in terms of graduates’ and employees’ competence, felt to be in the greatest need of improvement, and in the greatest demand in the future by managers. Conclusion Students taking the ‘transition’ courses at the Univer- sity of Guelph and he University of Guelph-Hum- ber are able to synthesize and relect on their aca- demic experience based on a framework, he Bases of Competence, which has been found valuable and viable in the workplace. In addition, students begin the career development process and ready themselves for the world of work and their future careers both by the skills portfolio and with their project. References Evers, F.T., Power, P., & Mitchell, J. (2003). Prepar- ing for the future: Identifying advanced essen-
- 6. 175 Using Skills Portfolios in Fourth-Year University Transition to Work Courses tial skills needs in Canada: Highlights of cur- rent literature. Advanced Essential Skills Project Steering Committee. Evers, F.T., Rush, J.C., & Berdrow, I. (1998). he Bases of competence: Skills for lifelong learning & employability. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Jones, L.B. (1996). he path: Creating your mission statement for work and for life. New York: Hy- perion. Biographies Janet Z-K Wolstenholme is an Educational Devel- oper in Teaching Support Services at the Universi- ty of Guelph, Ontario, where she earned both her Baccalaureate and Masters degrees. She also holds a diploma in art from the Ontario College of Art and Design and a Career Development Practitioner certiicate from Conestoga College. Janet’s scholarly interests are in the area of entrepreneurship, career development, and visual culture. Fred Evers is the Director of Teaching Support Ser- vices, and a Professor in Sociology & Anthropology at the University of Guelph, Ontario. He received his Bachelor of Science in rural sociology at Cornell University and his master’s and doctorate degrees in sociology at Iowa State University. His research inter- ests include workplace skills, organizational change, and leadership.