Why: These sessions were built on the conviction that faculty, with a bit of training, planning, and collaboration, can help students in two key ways:

First, to understand the extent to which the skills honed in their coursework are necessary and valued in many different contexts both in and outside classroom walls and second, how to articulate both content mastery and skills development to various audiences. When students do this, they understand coursework not as an isolated phenomenon and not as a box to check; rather, they appreciate the skills they are developing as tools they will use their whole lives.

Furthermore, they become more able and willing to build those connections between institutions of higher education and society at large.

Objectives: It is society’s interest for citizens, workers, family members, indeed all members of society, to communicate with clarity, precision, and transparency; to think critically and with awareness; and to see themselves not just as individuals, but also as members of a greater whole.

These are, at their core, humanistic skills and values. The transferable skills work emphasizes those skills and enables faculty and students alike to articulate the value of their coursework in language that anyone can understand and appreciate.

See this Monday Maximizer presentation and article about Dr. Lewis Cusato’s work on transferable skills, as well as this presentation for The Career Leadership Collective, entitled “Connecting Classroom and Career: Telling a Story They Will Remember.”