HI Kerry - Wow - you have said it all!! That is exactly why every instructor has got to insist on certain standards in writing and communication skills in EVERY class. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
1. In Career College settings, General Ed helps develop "Soft Skills" which may make the difference in whether it's students obtain or retain jobs in the careers they've chosen.
2. The institutions ability to accurately assess the development of those skills could be of utmost importance to it's students overall professional success!!
3. The perceptions of the professional business community regarding the overall quality of education offered at a particular college is often measured by how well students can communicate and interact effectively in groups.
I agree. It might take a couple of class periods to figure out where to begin.
General education is just important for any student, period. Without basic general education skills it is almost impossible to move on. By testing these skills, the instructor will know just where they need to begin their course and what they need to focus on in the duration of the course.
General education skills are necessary for the success of all students.
In the work place you need those general skills just to function. It is important the students have those skills before they get into the upper classes.
Hi Michelle - Absolutely beautiful!! I completely agree with you. I have had our faculty work in teams so that the gen ed folks and the technical instructors collaborate to create curriculum to incorporate those skills in all the classes. Thanks for sharing! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Because they are important to the success of our graduates! As you pointed out in this module, general education skills (soft skills) are important skills that employers want our students to have when they graduate. Because of this, it shouldn't just be the general education instructors that are assessing these important skills, but also the instructors that are teaching in the core area as well. Reading, communication and critical thinking/problem solving skills should be assessed in all classes because that is how important they are. For example, when a business student submits a marketing plan to their teacher, the teacher should not just be assessing the student on the marketing plan itself, but also on the student’s ability to communicate the marketing plan effectively and their ability to use problem solving skills in the development of the marketing plan.
Hi Anthony- You really expressed the need for communication skills beautifully! Thank you for sharing. Susan
These basic skills must be developed to insure career success. If they are unable to communicate properly (be it written or oral) they will be less effective in thier role at work. If they have trouble reading they may not be able to comprehend the the texts (manual, memos, etc.) given to them in the work place. Safety manuals and written instructions on how to operate equipment, could be very costly if they are unable read and comprehend such texts. Even the most basic jobs require some level of math skills, and they will be at a severe disadvantage if they have not deveopled the skills too.
These skills are important for students to be successful in all career fields. The skills should be addressed throughout the curriculum, including the general education courses as well as the program courses.
Hi Brandon - Thanks for your post to the forum. You are obviously a caring instructor who can emphasize with your adult students who must compete with their fellow students fresh out of high school - great work! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I think it is important because it is a skill theyf will use everyday. I see older students that have forgotten how to use math skills at a basic level and it is because they have not used them since high school or earlier. I give little quiz's that are not graded to help them get back into the swing of math and other general education class's.
HI Courtney - Thanks for your post to the forum. As you mention, we get students with really diverse general education skill levels. The bottom line is that we must deal with it!Best wishes- Susan
well, being an career in the "arts" it certainly would be nice if our school would assess the degree of general education purely so instructors are not making "grammar" or "spelling" corrections, let a lone able to make sense of papers, etc. Given this day and age, basic computer skills ie. file management, would be nice as an added General Ed skill.
These are all important to know that the students are on the same level.
The general education skills gives the student the foundation
for any skill they are interested in developing.
HI Willaim - Thanks for your post to the forum. You mention an issue that we encounter too often. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to teach a student to read WHILE teaching them the discipline that they have chosen. Susan
Often , certain classes require a certain amount of prior knowlede. What if your taking a class that requires alot of reading, and your reading skills are not up to the required level, then the students is gong to get frustrated because everyone else is keeping up, but they cant figure out why they are behind.
Hi Paul- I completely agree that the soft skills are really essential for success in any field. Still, often students resist those classes. Do you have any suggestions on how to make students buy into the importance of having strong soft skills? Best wishes- Susan
Those skills are paramount to good leadership. We are not encouraging our students to stay at the entry level of their chosen careers. The "soft" skills that are developed in Gen-Ed can inspire confidence in students to reach higher and achieve more.
