A recent commentary in the Chronicle suggests that "To Solve the Skills Gap in Hiring, Create Expectations in the Classroom". The author notes that employers today report larger gaps in 'soft skills' like time management, work ethic, motivation and professionalism, than in technical skills; yet, the policies adopted by many college instructors do not do much to help students develop those necessary skills. The author refers to her own policies about expecting students to arrive to class and turn in work on time, not offering extra credit, etc.
I think most instructors try to find an appropriate balance between holding students accountable for acting like adults, and understanding that sometimes, life happens. For what it's worth, I thought folks might be interested in how I handle this, at least in my upper-division writing course. In that course, I use a form of specification grading - it's not full-blown specs grading but students' grades are based on performance in three categories: grades on final drafts of papers, points on all other assignments, and "professional responsibility". I explain in the syllabus and on the first day that "professional responsibility" means fulfilling the expectations of this course in a timely and responsible fashion:
I also talk to them about the grades in terms of their "job performance". That is, in most jobs, you sit down with your manager periodically to review your performance and I tell my students that since their semester grades are a signal to future employers of what to expect from them as an employee, the way I think about grades corresponds to the categories that a lot employers use for those periodic reviews:
This also helps me make the point that they should not expect an A or even a B for just showing up and doing all the work - that's what they are expected to do. A higher grade requires they show that they can do good work and go the extra mile. I think literally putting into terms that corresponds to a job makes sense to students, especially given that so many of my students see school as just a means to the end of getting a good job.
What do you do to help students develop these 'soft skills'?
I think most instructors try to find an appropriate balance between holding students accountable for acting like adults, and understanding that sometimes, life happens. For what it's worth, I thought folks might be interested in how I handle this, at least in my upper-division writing course. In that course, I use a form of specification grading - it's not full-blown specs grading but students' grades are based on performance in three categories: grades on final drafts of papers, points on all other assignments, and "professional responsibility". I explain in the syllabus and on the first day that "professional responsibility" means fulfilling the expectations of this course in a timely and responsible fashion:
The Professional Responsibility portion of your grade is based entirely on your ability to display good workplace behavior. In general, this means displaying the following skills:So this gets factored into their grade both through points and through an absolute cut-off for missed assignments - missing more than 2 assignments will reduce their grade to the B range, regardless of their points and grades on papers, missing more than 3 drops them to the C range and missing more than 4 drops them to the D range.
Warning: The most common violations of professional responsibility are 1) failure to follow directions, 2) poorly written or irrelevant emails (for example, asking a question that is clearly already answered on Blackboard) and 3) late assignments. I will start the semester assuming that you understand what constitutes professional behavior (and we will be discussing in more detail in class on the first day). After the first instance of unacceptable professional behavior, I will notify you, usually by email. After that, each incident will cost you ten points; however, I do reserve the right to waive this penalty in certain circumstances.
- Time management: attend class and submit assignments on time; notify appropriate parties when circumstances require missing class or assignments.
- Professional communication: emails are clear, well-written and relevant; discussion in and out of class is appropriate and respectful.
- Professional conduct: follow directions; come to class prepared and use class time effectively; demonstrate self-awareness in accepting responsibility for own choices.
I also talk to them about the grades in terms of their "job performance". That is, in most jobs, you sit down with your manager periodically to review your performance and I tell my students that since their semester grades are a signal to future employers of what to expect from them as an employee, the way I think about grades corresponds to the categories that a lot employers use for those periodic reviews:
A (4) Excellent work, worthy of bonus and promotion
B (3) Good work, shows potential
C (2) Meets basic requirements
D (1) Needs significant improvement
F (0) Unacceptable
This also helps me make the point that they should not expect an A or even a B for just showing up and doing all the work - that's what they are expected to do. A higher grade requires they show that they can do good work and go the extra mile. I think literally putting into terms that corresponds to a job makes sense to students, especially given that so many of my students see school as just a means to the end of getting a good job.
What do you do to help students develop these 'soft skills'?
I approve of your proactive approach. I don't know how many students you typically have, but I don't think I could implement this in my class of 180. I do my best, telling them in the syllabus, and outloud, that their emails must begin with Professor Acland, must consist exclusively of complete words, complete sentences, and complete paragraphs, and must end with their name. Then I tell them, "If you are not certain what is expected of you, just imagine that you are sending an email to a professor at a major research institution." This gets the job done. I also have strict rules about them doing *anything* in the classroom other than paying attention to me and the group assignments. I tell them I will enforce the rules with "mild embarassment" and in a class of 180, this isn't hard. I just stop my lecture, get the attention of the offending student(s) and make some non-insulting but mildly embarrassing comment of the kind an 8th-grader would find embarrassing, and again, it seems to do the job.
ReplyDeleteIn more general terms, I find the "our students are adults and I believe they are capable of taking responsibility for their own choices" approach to border on dereliction. We unanimously decry our increasingly ineffective primary and secondary education system, and then pretend that at the end of it our students have nonetheless magically been turned into mature adults. It ain't so, and if I put my stamp of approval on a batch of young adults who do not, in fact, know how to behave in the real world, I am not helping.