This is a presentation by Dr. Matthew Hora at UW-Madison to career services professionals at UW-Madison on June 2023.

1. A WORKSHOP BY CCWT INTRODUCING THE FRAMEWORK FOR APPLICATION AT UW-MADISON
DR. MATTHEW T. HORA
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ADULT/HIGHER EDUCATION
CO-DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON COLLEGE-WORKFORCE TRANSITIONS
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
HORA@WISC.EDU @MATT_HORA HTTPS://CCWT.WISC.EDU/
1
CAREER READINESS ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM (CRXC):
TEACHING TRANSFERABLE SKILLS FROM A CULTURAL AND
CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE IN COLLEGE CLASSROOMS

2. GOALS OF THE SESSION
REVIEW
Limitations w/the
career readiness
discourse and
impacts on
campus strategy
DISCUSS
Cultural nature of
skills and how to
introduce students to
cultural norms of our
fields
REFLECT
Ways to locate
cross-campus
opportunities for
students to learn
key skills
REVIEW
Implications of
these ideas for
UW-Madison
2

3. THE PROBLEMS
”Career readiness” is becoming a strategic priority on many of our
campuses including UW-Madison, with “soft skills” at the heart of
many initiatives. But do we have a common understanding of what
these skills really are, and how to teach them to our students?
Consider a typical academic program. Do all courses feature key skills
or career-related information? Do all faculty know how to effectively
teach these skills? Does anyone know?
3

4. BACKGROUND
TO THESE
QUESTIONS
GROWING, OVERDUE EMPHASIS ON
CAREER READINESS, BUT ...
THE CONSTRUCT ITSELF IS
FLAWED – TOO OFTEN
VIEWED AS THE MERE
POSSESSION OF SKILLS
WHILE WBL IS KEY IT IS
NOT ACCESSIBLE, MAKING
THE CLASSROOM ARGUABLY
THE MOST ACCESSIBLE
VENUE FOR CAREER
READINESS
4
1
2
3
4
ADDITIONALLY, THE
DOMINANT VIEW OF
“SKILLS” OVERLOOKS HOW
THEY ARE DISCIPLINE AND
CULTURE--SPECIFIC,AND
DIFFICULT TO TEACH AND
LEARN
TOO OFTEN CAREER
SERVICES AND
DEPARTMENTS ARE SILOED,
W/LITTLE “30,000 FT”
KNOWLEDGE ON SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT OPPS

5. INSPIRATIONS: RESEARCH
& IDEAS FROM ACROSS
THE DISCIPLINES
COMMUNICATION &
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Communication skills are “oral
genres” and situation specific
Medical education focus on
simulations and skills as scripts
EMPLOYABILITY & HIRING
RESEARCH
Multi-dimensional aspect of job
acquisition
Key (and pernicious) role of
“cultural matching” in job interview
GUIDED PATHWAYS
Correcting the ”cafeteria”
model of higher ed that
confuses students
5

6. 6
THE VISION: PROVIDING STUDENTS
W/CLEAR “MAP” OF CAREER
READINESS OPPORTUNITIES
ACROSS CAMPUS
Tomlinson, M. (2012), “Graduate employability: a review of conceptual and
empirical themes”, Higher Education Policy, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 407-431
Example of a “Guided Pathways” map for Art History majors
at the College of San Mateo
Q: Of all of the competencies our graduates need to have a
thriving career, what can we feasibly provide in 2- or 4-years?

7. CAREER READINESS ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK
Three key guiding principles to
institutional change around career
readiness
1
Career readiness is partly a
problem of acquiring discipline-
specific cultural scripts
2
The classroom is the key venue
for acculturation into the
professions via active learning
3
Faculty and then cross-unit
curricular mapping is key – for
internal planning and to help advise
students
PITCH DECK 7

8. SKILLS ARE BEST THOUGHT OF AS
ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
Different racial/ethnic groups,
nationalities, regions, and
disciplines have unique views on
which versions of certain skills
are “correct” or appropriate
Students must master these
profession-specific notions of
skill to enter the “gates” of the
profession
Skills are not generic “bits” of aptitude
but are complex human behaviors that
encode many assumptions
8
1

9. SKILLS AS CULTURAL SCRIPTS
Routinized sequences of actions tied to performance in specific
situations considered normal and acceptable to particular communities
ORDERING
IN A
RESTAURANT
Enter restaurant, be seated,
receive menu, take time to
peruse, tell server
BREAKING
BAD NEWS
IN HEALTH
CARE
Find quiet location, inquire about
well-being in kind voice, ask
about supports, tell news,
comfort
9
GIVING A
POSTER AT
AN
ACADEMIC
MEETING
Dress nicely, stand off to side,
make eye contact, provide quick
overview, allow for questions

10. THE SKILL SEQUENCE
10
HOW COMMUNICATION
SKILLS ARE EMBEDDED IN
SPECIFIC SITUATIONS
AND CONTEXTS: EXPERTS
Emphasis on: (1) establishing inter-
subjectivity (via Q&A/listening, jargon
translation, standardized
terminology) among patient care team
members from different role groups
(specialists, nurses, etc) to ensure
safety at the bedside and nurse
station, (2) conveying awareness of
the big picture, and (3) advocating for
patients while expressing empathy

11. THE QUESTION
How can we guide our students from
novice to expert communication or
teamwork behaviors in our academic
programs? And in ways that introduce
them to real workplace practices?
11
Image source: Wright State University
Image source: The New York Times, Nicole Bengiveno

12. ACTIVITY #1
(1) Write down a real-world cultural script from your own
discipline – note the situation, the skill, and sequence of
actions.
(2) Are there ways that race/ethnicity, class, gender, or other
identities or experiences influence these scripts?
20XX PITCH DECK 12

13. WIDELY PROMOTED WBL/HIPS ARE UNAVAILABLE OR
INACCESSIBLE
CAREER SERVICES
UTILIZATION REMAINS LOW
13
2
THE CLASSROOM
SHOULD BE THE
FOCI FOR SKILLS &
CAREER-RELATED
LEARNING
The 2018 Strada/Gallup survey only 22% visited career services “often”
or “very often” and faculty/staff provided most valued information
Our National Survey of College Internships (n=12,130, 17
campuses) in 2021 found only 1 in 5 students took an internship.

14. 14
WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING
SHIFTS THE FOCUS FROM OFF-
CAMPUS LEARNING TO THE
CLASSROOM

15. THE OPPORTUNITY:
WIL ALIGNS PERFECTLY
WITH ACTIVE
LEARNING
INSIGHTS FROM COMMUNICATION
ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES
15
THE CHALLENGE: MOST FACULTY
HAVEN’T BEEN TRAINED TO
HIGHLIGHT SKILLS IN THEIR
TEACHING PRACTICES – MUCH LESS
A CULTURAL VIEW

16. CRITICAL INSIGHTS ON INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN FOR SKILLS-
FOCUSED TEACHING
INTRODUCTION TO DISCIPLINARY CULTURES
Assessment: include formative and low-
stakes assessment, may need to create
your own discipline/cultural script specific
Scaffolding of learning activities: slowly
introduce your students to active engagement
with the skill (see Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal
Development)
Backwards design: don’t assume learning,
start course/lesson planning with specific skill
articulated, then select teaching methods and
assessments
16
Active learning: hands-on, active learning is
key (but lecturing is also ok and even essential)
Image source: https://ohmsteams.com/2021/05/10/zpd-why-it-matters/

17. THE CULTURAL SCRIPTS INSTRUCTIONAL
FRAMEWORK: PLANNING PHASE
1
Articulate cultural script-
related learning goals
2
Identify assignments and
assessments for the script(s)
3
17
Select teaching methods aligned
w/goals, assignments,
assessments
• Define a cultural script from
your profession in specific
and sequential terms;
• Determine how script is
related to content;
• Consider if/how script may
encode biases.
• Determine which assignments
and assessments best match
the script;
• Consider duration,
importance, and assessment
type (e.g.,evaluative);
• Use formative assessment to
give feedback.
• Determine which types of active
learning methods align with
cultural script-related learning
goals, assignments, and
assessments.

18. SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF TEACHING METHODS FOR
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
ROLE PLAY &
SIMULATIONS
Students observe and
then practice various
cultural script in
simulated situations
SMALL GROUP
DISCUSSIONS
Techniques like
think-pair-share,
Jigwaw, and other
discussions can
feature key scripts
PROBLEM-BASED
LEARNING
PROJECTS
PBL offers authentic
opportunities for
teaching scripts for
communication,
teamwork, critical
thinking, etc.
PROCESS
ORIENTED GUIDED
INQUIRY LEARNING
Similar to PBL but
more structured
team-based project
–based approach
that explicitly
highlights key skills
18

19. TEACHING CULTURAL SCRIPTS (TEAMWORK,
COMMUNICATION): FROM UNIV OF WASHINGTON
19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY2fG_Fbm2M&t=182s

20. WHAT IS MISSING HERE AND ELSEWHERE IN HIGHER EDUCATION?
Faculty development: our growing faculty
development programs and Centers for
Teaching and Learning need to embrace a
new conception of skills, culture, and learning
Attention to cultural scripts: skills-focused
instruction ideally will be grounded in real-
world situations and profession-specific scripts
20
Recurring practice w/scripts: role-play
simulations in medicine involve recurring
practice, often w/progressively more complex
situations
Source: https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/02/deliver-bad-news-to-patients/

21. THE CULTURAL SCRIPTS INSTRUCTIONAL
FRAMEWORK: TEACHING PHASE
1
Explain nature and
value of script
2 3
21
• Lecture about the
value, characteristics,
and uses of the script
4
Demonstrate the
script
Have students
practice the script
Provide feedback
• Demonstrate or model
how the script is used
in your profession
(live, video, guest
speakers)
• Use active learning to
allow students
opportunities to
practice the script
• Provide detailed and
honest formative
feedback; be aware of
students’ unique cultural
backgrounds/uses of the
script

22. ACTIVITY #2
Write down some ideas for assignments and/or teaching
methods that best align with the cultural script you previously
identified from your discipline.
20XX PITCH DECK 22

23. CROSS-UNIT
TEAMS MAP
EXISTING
LEARNING OPPS
FOR SKILLS &
CAREERS
CURRICULAR MAPPING CAN
BE USED BY DEPARTMENT
AND/OR STUDENTS
23
3
Results can inform existing
change efforts, spark new
ones, be shared w/students
as “pathway” for skills and
career development
MANY DEPARTMENTS DON’T
HAVE A BIG PICTURE VIEW OF
SKILLS/CAREER PROGRAMMING
This state of affairs is not unlike
CC’s before Guided Pathways – the
goal is to inventory current (and
missing) courses & programs that
highlight skills or careers
THIS EXERCISE SHOULD BE
FACULTY-LED AT FIRST, THEN
W/CAREER SERVICES, BUT..
This represents yet another change
effort and we must acknowledge
the HE workforce is exhausted and
often tired of reforms

24. FACULTY ENGAGEMENT PHASE: IDENTIFYING KEY
SKILLS & LOCAL EFFORTS
1 2 3
24
4
Specify which skills
are desired for
program graduates
and future
professionals
Identify key
skills for
program
Document courses or
programs that emphasize
skills/careers
Review syllabi for
skills/career foci,
and document dept
career programs
Identify and
fill gaps
Identify gaps in
courses or programs
– could be faculty
PD
Create “maps” of learning
opportunities from
matriculation to graduation
Develop inventories of
these opportunities
across program timelines

25. CROSS-UNIT PLANNING PHASE: WORKING W/CAREER
SERVICES & CAMPUS PARTNERS
5 6 7
25
Expand inventory to include
additional programs in
career services or across
campus
Document
opportunities across
units/campus
Fill gaps, network,
collaborate
Identify gaps and tap
into existing
opportunities, create
new ones, etc.
Expand previous
“maps” to include
cross-campus opps
Update dept-specific
maps w/new info and
use as planning or
advising tools

26. 20XX PITCH DECK 26
(1) How do you think some aspects of the CRxC framework
could be applied at UW-Madison?
(2) What are some local adaptations you would make to
the framework and why?
ACTIVITY #3
THINK-PAIR-
SHARE

27. MEET SOME OF THE CCWT TEAM
DR. NIDIA BAÑUELOS
Assistant Professor
Focus: Career-related
community cultural wealth
for students of color
DR. MINDI THOMPSON
Professor, Counseling
Psychology
Focus: Career
development and student
psychosocial resources
DR. RAN LIU
Assistant Professor
Focus: Labormarket-
college alignment,
gender differences in
STEM attainment,
internship-major
alignment
DR. PA HER
Clinical Professor of
Counseling Psychology
Focus: Student
psychosocial resources
for students of color
27

28. FINAL THOUGHTS
FINDING
CULTURAL
SCRIPTS
May need to
consult
w/employer
relations or
colleagues
w/industry
experience
ONLINE
INSTRUCTION
Skills can be taught
online, esp
w/recorded
simulations and
moderated
discussions
INCLUSIVE
PEDAGOGY
Be aware of cultural
scripts that encode
bias
FURTHER
LEARNING
EdX and UW-
Madison Canvas
course available
in late Summer
2023
28

29. THANK YOU!
Dr. Matthew T. Hora
UW-Madison
hora@wisc.edu
@matt_hora
29
Slides available on Slideshare.net
2023, Matthew T. Hora, all rights reserved