This is a keynote lecture by UW-Madison's Dr. Matthew Hora titled, "Re-framing soft skills as disciplinary cultural scripts: A road map for how (and where) to teach students career related skills and knowledge."

1. PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY ALL CAMPUS FACULTY AND STAFF MEETING AUG 14, 2023
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/
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RE-FRAMING “SOFT SKILLS” AS DISCIPLINARY
CULTURAL SCRIPTS
A ROAD MAP FOR HOW (AND WHERE) TO TEACH
STUDENTS CAREER-RELATED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

2. THE PROBLEMS
”Career readiness” is becoming a strategic priority on many of our
campuses, with “soft skills” or NACE competencies at the heart of
many initiatives.
But: (1) do we have a common understanding of what these skills
really are, and (2) how (and where) to teach them to our students?
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3. BACKGROUND
TO THESE
QUESTIONS
GROWING, OVERDUE EMPHASIS ON
CAREER READINESS IN HE, BUT ...
TOO OFTEN CAREER
READINESS IS VIEWED AS
THE “JOB” OF CAREER
SERVICES
WHILE WBL IS KEY, IT IS
NOT WIDELY ACCESSIBLE,
MAKING THE CLASSROOM
ARGUABLY THE MOST
ACCESSIBLE VENUE FOR
CAREER READINESS
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1
2
3
4
THE DOMINANT VIEW OF
“SKILLS” OVERLOOKS HOW
THEY ARE DISCIPLINE AND
CULTURE--SPECIFIC, AND
THAT TEACHING THEM
WELL IS VERY DIFFICULT
WE SHOULD ALSO LOOK TO
STUDENT JOBS, RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES, &
INTERNSHIPS AS VENUES
FOR LEARNING SKILLS
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BUT FEW FACULTY, STAFF
& SUPERVISORS ARE
TRAINED TO DO THIS, &
MANY ARE OVERWORKED

4. RESEARCH & IDEAS FROM
ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES
ON SKILLS DEVELOPMENT DISCIPLINE-BASED ED RESEARCH
Communication education focus on
“oral genres” and situations
Medical education focus on simulations
and skills as scripts
INSTITUTION –WIDE ACTIONS:
GUIDED PATHWAYS
Guided pathways – correcting ”cafeteria”
model of higher ed that confuses students
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ON-THE-JOB LEARNING (INT’L)
SKILLS AS UNITS OF CULTURAL
KNOWLEDGE
Cultural anthropology, sociocultural learning
Effective internship design
Mentor/supervisor trainings
PERSISTENCE OF HIRING DISCRIMINATION
& WORKER RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

5. 5
THE VISION: CREATING MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SKILLS
LEARNING ON (AND OFF) CAMPUS – W/MAPS FOR STUDENTS
Skills-focused active
learning in the classroom
Example of a “Guided Pathways” map for
Elementary Ed major at Santa Ana College
Internships and campus jobs w/skills-focused supervision

6. A ROAD MAP FOR HOW (AND WHERE) TO TEACH
STUDENTS CAREER-RELATED SKILLS AND
KNOWLEDGE
Three guiding principles to institutional
change around career readiness
1
Re-framing skills from generic
competencies to profession-
specific cultural scripts
2
Share with students a “map” of
how, where, and when they can
access these opportunities
3
Provide training (and resources) to
instructors and supervisors to teach
them in on- and off-campus venues
PITCH DECK 6

7. RE-FRAMING SKILLS FROM GENERIC
COMPETENCIES TO PROFESSION-SPECIFIC
CULTURAL SCRIPTS
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
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1

8. 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
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GIVING A
POSTER AT
AN
ACADEMIC
MEETING
Dress nicely, stand off to side,
make eye contact, provide quick
overview, allow for questions

9. THE SKILL SEQUENCE
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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

10. HOW THE “SOFT SKILLS” & NACE
COMPETENCIES DISCOURSE FALLS SHORT
Generic accounts of skills fail to capture the scripted and situation/content
specific way that professionals define, use, and value skills
BREAKING
BAD NEWS
IN HEALTH
CARE
Find quiet location, inquire about
well-being in kind voice, ask
about supports, tell news,
comfort
10
GIVING A
POSTER AT
AN
ACADEMIC
MEETING
Dress nicely, stand off to side,
make eye contact, provide quick
overview, allow for questions
VS

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?
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Image source: Wright State University
Image source: The New York Times, Nicole Bengiveno

12. SUPERVISOR & TASK QUALITY ARE KEY TO GOOD
INTERNSHIPS, BUT....
INSTRUCTIONAL RELIANCE ON LECTURING AND
ACTIVE LEARNING W/O SKILLS FOCI
12
2
PROVIDE TRAINING
(AND RESOURCES)
TO INSTRUCTORS
AND SUPERVISORS
TO TEACH THEM
IN ON- AND OFF-
CAMPUS VENUES
MANY INTERNSHIPS ARE NOT DESIGNED (OR RUN)
W/INTENTIONAL FOCUS ON SKILLS
AND, MANY SUPERVISORS ARE NOT TRAINED IN
HOW TO TEACH OR MENTOR – ESPECIALLY
REGARDING SKILLS

13. 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
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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/

14. RESOURCES FOR HELPING INSTRUCTORS LEARN ABOUT WORK-
INTEGRATED LEARNING AND SKILLS-FOCUSED TEACHING
POD NETWORK
The POD Network
is a national
association of
professionals
active in campus
Centers for
Teaching &
Learning
AZ STATE UNIV
ASU’s WIL website
is informative and
includes info on
course project idea
databases like
Riipen
AUSTRALIAN
COLLABORATIVE
EDUCATION
NETWORK
ACEN has
publications,
conferences, and
other resources for
how to use WIL
ONLINE SELF-
DIRECTED COURSE
ON SKILLS-FOCUSED
TEACHING
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EdX and UW-
Madison Canvas
course available
in Fall 2023

15. CHALLENGE OF
SUPERVISION &
MENTORING ON THE JOB
RESOURCES FOR IMPROVING HOW
WE MENTOR/SUPERVISE STUDENT
EMPLOYEES
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THE CHALLENGE: MOST OF US
HAVEN’T BEEN TRAINED TO
HIGHLIGHT SKILLS IN TEACHING OR
SUPERVISION – MUCH LESS FROM A
CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
https://cimerproject.org/
What are you
learning here that’s
helping you in
school?
What are you
learning in class that
you can apply here at
work?

16. CURRICULAR MAPPING CAN
BE USED BY DEPARTMENT
AND/OR STUDENTS
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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
SHARE WITH
STUDENTS A “MAP”
OF HOW, WHERE,
AND WHEN THEY
CAN ACCESS THESE
OPPORTUNITIES

17. FACULTY ENGAGEMENT PHASE: IDENTIFYING KEY
SKILLS & LOCAL EFFORTS
1 2 3
17
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

18. CROSS-UNIT PLANNING PHASE: WORKING W/CAREER
SERVICES & CAMPUS PARTNERS
5 6 7
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Expand inventory to include
additional opportunities in
career services or across
campus
Document
opportunities across
units/campus
Fill gaps, network,
collaborate
Identify gaps and tap
into existing
programs, job boards,
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

19. 19
THE VISION: CREATING MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SKILLS
LEARNING ON (AND OFF) CAMPUS – W/MAPS FOR STUDENTS
Skills-focused active
learning in the classroom
Example of a “Guided Pathways” map for
Elementary Ed major at Santa Ana College
Internships and campus jobs w/skills-focused supervision

20. 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
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21. THANK YOU!
Dr. Matthew T. Hora
UW-Madison
hora@wisc.edu
@matt_hora
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Slides available on Slideshare.net
2023, Matthew T. Hora, all rights reserved