This document outlines a presentation on bridging the gap between classroom content and workforce competencies. It discusses key objectives such as defining relevant terms, summarizing research findings on skills gaps, and proposing strategies. Research found deficits in skills like technology, communication, and critical thinking. A faculty survey asked about important skills like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and how to better prepare students. The document proposes areas for future study such as collaborating with technical colleges and establishing business partnerships to help close the employability divide.

1.  John. D. (Jack) Rudnick, Jr., Ed.D.
 Professor
 Thomas More College
“Bridging the Classroom Content-
Workforce Competencies Gap:
Preparing Students for Career Success”
John. D. (Jack) Rudnick, Jr., Ed.D., FACHE
Professor
Thomas More College
1

2. Select Program Objectives
 Establish Presentation Foundation
(Graduate/Undergraduate)
 Introduce/ Define Glossary of Terms
 Summarize Data Collection: Methodologies and
Findings
 Offer Tools: Survey Instrument/ Audit Template
 Engage in Small Group Discussion Questions
 Propose Considerations for Issue Amelioration
 Identify Recommended Areas for Future Study
2

3. Select Program Learning Objectives
 Understand the ‘triple aim of higher education”
 Understand higher education key stakeholders/
stakeholder engagement
 Identify competitive forces affecting higher education
 Know the differences between “pedagogy” and “andragogy”
 Understand the faculty teach ing focus conundrum:
content/ employment
 Review select “workforce gap analysis” issues
 Propose recommended areas for future study
3

4. Revised Title
Post-Research Proposed Title Revision!
“The Employability Divide: Faculty Strategies and
Considerations for Amelioration”
Modified Objectives:
 Narrow Gap: Revise Curricula
 Assist Employers with Their Organization’s Gap Analysis
 Explore Reciprocal Mentoring
4

5. Select Presentation Elements
Secondary Research
 Triple-Aim of Higher Education
 Basic Gap Definitions (e.g., Competencies/Skills)
 Employability/Workforce-curricula Gap Analysis
 Faculty -- Key Stakeholder
 Employer Needs Assessment: Organizational
Audit
 Experiential Learning—TMC Business Initiative
5

6. Triple-Aim of Higher Education:
Defined
 High Quality
 Reasonable Cost
 High Stakeholder Satisfaction
(Rudnick, Cahill, & Schumacher, 2016)
6

7. Select Definitions: Relevant Terms
Absence of shared uniform language among stakeholders :
 Competencies: Broad/Categorical
(Proficiencies, Abilities, Expertise, Attributes, KSAs)
 Skills: Specific/Narrow/Vocational/ Technical
 Capabilities: Organization Focused:
Organization/Individual: Social/Technical
 Employability: Attributes needed to get, retain, and develop
in a job. (Sulphey,2015)
 Workforce Gap: Academic/ real-world deficits
 Andragogy : Pedagogy : Self-directed: Top- down
 Reciprocal Mentoring: Inexperience workplace youth
coaching experienced workforce
7

8. Faculty Conundrum
Purpose of Education ??
 Impart Content*
 Employment Preparation (Career Success)
*Form character;
* Job vs. degree; focus on lifelong skills vs. list
of skills (Dhond, 2011)
8

9. ”
““…the thinker improves the
quality of his or her
thinking…”
THE CRITICAL THINKING COMMUNITY (2016)
Impart Content
Higher Education: Focus on Critical Thinking
9

10. ”
“
“The least of learning is done
in the classroom.”
THOMAS MERTON
TWENTIETH CENTURY UNITED STATES TRAPPIST MONK/SCHOLAR
Employment Preparation
Higher Education: Focus on Experience
10

11. Purpose of Higher Education:
Intellectual Fulfillment or Employability ?
Likely Correct Response:
Stakeholder Dependent !
11

12. Stakeholder/Stakeholder Engagement
Baseline Definitions
Stakeholder “… those groups who affect and/or could be
affected by an organization’s* activities, products or
services and associated performance.
Stakeholder Engagement “… the process used by an
organization* to engage relevant stakeholders for a purpose
to achieve accepted outcomes.”
* i.e., higher education
(Deloitte , 2016)
12

13. Select Higher Education
Stakeholders
Students
Faculty Members
Parents
Prospective Employers
Higher Education Administration
Higher Education Communities
Vendors/Suppliers
13

14. Forces Affecting Higher Education
Sustainability
 Globalization
 Advances in Technology
 Competition from Others in Higher Education
 Multiple Stakeholder Accountability (Bahhouth & Bahhouth,
2011; Barbera, Layne, & Gunawardena, 2014; Dill, 1999; Emes & Innes-
Cleveland, 2003; Matheson, Wilkinson, & Gilhouly, 2012; Stukalina, 1991).
 Changing Labor Market/ Industry Demand Patterns
 Increasingly “Knowledge-intensive” (Collet,Hine, du Plessis, 2015)
 Higher Education/ Employer Alignment Need :
“Employability Divide” : (Rudnick, 2016)
14

15. Data Collection:
Methodologies and Findings
Employer-Reported Research Findings:
(UG) undergrad. and (G) grad. Competence Deficits:
Human Resource Management
Computer / Digital Competence:
Technology: Data Storing/ Data Analysis/Program Modeling
Big Data: Concepts/Applications
Communication--Written/ Presentation Skills/ Negotiation/
Cultural Discourse—Adaptation (Gibson & Soderman, 2014)
Critical Thinking (Schonberger-Orgad & Spiller, 2013).
15

16. Methodologies and Findings (cont’d):
Employer Expectations: “Soft Skills”
 Self Management
 Strategic positioning/ Implementation
 Interpersonal Communication
 Leadership
 Critical Thinking
 Ability to Question Basic Assumptions/ Curiosity
 Development of Strong Intellectual Skills
(Collet,Hine, du Plessis, 2015)
16

17. Methodologies and Findings (cont’d)
Employers’ Assessment of Skills Deficiencies (UG):
Basic reading
Writing
Mathematics Skills
Professionalism
Teamwork
Oral Communication
Ethics and Social Responsibility (Green & Stahura. 2014)
17

18. Skills deficits include:
Data storing
Data analysis
Spreadsheet preparation
Competency deficit:
Big Data
Technology ,computer competence, and
maneuverability (Suvedi, Ghimire, & Millenbah, 2016)
Methodologies and Findings: (cont’d)
18

19. Methodologies and Findings (cont’d)
 Technology/ Big Data (aka: ‘digital competencies)
 Human Resources
 Communication –Written, Oral, Presentation Skills
 Diversity—Adaptability, Cultural Awareness
 Higher Order Thinking (Critical Thinking and Problem Solving)
Relevant Anecdotes
 Gender (e.g. women more competent in teams)
 Rural background
(Gibson & Soderman, 2014)
19

20. Students lack competencies in:
Corporate Social Responsibility Awareness
Ethics
Professionalism
Research Skills
“Soft Skills”: (interpersonal, etiquette, cultural
sensitivity) proficiencies (Gibson & Sodeman, 2014)
Teamwork and conflict management skills
Leadership skills; absence of critical traits
Methodologies and Findings (cont’d)
20

21. Methodologies and Findings (cont’d):
Organizational Capabilities
“Eleven” Select Organizational Capabilities
Individual/Organization
Technical/ Social
Talent
Speed
Shared Mindset and Coherent Brand Identity
Accountability
21

22. Methodologies and Findings:
Organizational Capabilities (cont’d)
Eleven Organizational Capabilities (cont’d)
 Collaboration
 Learning
 Leadership/
 Customer Connectivity/
 Strategic Unity/
 Innovation/
 Efficiency (Smallwood & Ulrich, 2004)
22

23. Methodologies and Findings (cont’d)
Faculty Behaviors :“Silo-Cross”
Interdisciplinarity: involving two or more academic,
scientific, or artistic areas of knowledge ...
Transdisciplinarity: different disciplines working jointly
to create new conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and
translational innovations integrate and move beyond discipline-
specific approaches to address a common problem.
Pluridisciplinarity: researching an object from the
perspective of one and the same discipline through several
disciplines at once. (Wilson & Zamberlan, 2012)
23

24. Elements to Triangulate Gap
Analysis Accuracy
Subject Matter Expert Discussions
 Human Resources
 Communication
 Cultural Assimilation
 Critical Thinking
 Technology
(Personal communication, P. Borne, D. Cahill, & A. Crawford, September 27, 2016)
24

25. “Reciprocal Mentoring”
Assumption: Young students lack experience
 Reciprocal communication and technology
benefits:
• Knowledge of technology
• Social media proficiency
• Virtual communication medium
(Collet, Hine, & du Plessis, 2015)
25

26. Proposed Focus:
Andragogy vs. Pedagogy
Definitions:
Andragogy: Self-directed, self-motivated,
collaborative, cooperative, adult focused (Bahhouth &
Bahhouth, 2011; Diffen, 2015.)
Pedagogy: Top-down, authoritative, child and
adolescent focused (Bahhouth & Bahhouth, 2011.)
26

27. Select Anecdotal Acronyms
 SEMS: Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
 BEP: Business-Employee Programs
 ICT: Information and Communication Technologies
 e-Leadership: Comprehensive Information and
Technology-Based Skills (Ivanov & Arenas, 2014).
 CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility
 EV: Employee Volunteerism
27

28. Formulas: Employability Divide
 Employability (Capital= Assets – Liabilities)
Desired Human Capital= Human Resource Assets – Deficit
Skills Liabilities
 “Divide” / Workforce Gap
Difference Between Desired Skills/Competencies and
Current Skills/Competencies (Rudnick, 2016)
28

29. Employability Index Ratio
Skills/ Ideal Skills = Employability Index
(Rudnick, 2016)
“A man is like a fraction whose numerator is
what he is and whose denominator is what he
thinks of himself. The larger the denominator,
the smaller the fraction.”—Leo Tolstoy
29

30. Discussion Questions for Small Group
Consideration
 DQ 1 Do you teach content that students will readily
use in their work life?
Enseñas información que los estudiantes la usaran en
su vida profesional?
 DQ 2 Are faculty members influenced by tenure
status when designing courses (e.g. those without
tenure take less risks than those with tenure)?
Estan influenciados los profesores de acuerdo a su
experiencia universitaria cuando diseñan los cursos?
30

31. Discussion Questions for Small Group
Consideration (cont’d)
 DQ 3 Do you teach students how to think "out of the box?”
Please offer examples to share how.
Enseñas a los estudiantes como pensar "de manera diferente
y efectiva"? Por favor muestrenos unos ejemplos
 DQ 4 Do employers share that what you teach is important
to students' professional success.
Los ejecutivos empresariales explican lo importante que es
la educacion para el exito profesional de los estudiantes?
31

32. Faculty Survey Monkey Instrument
1. I teach content that students will readily use in their work life.
2. Please rank (in order of importance) the skills students need to
learn for future career success.
--Critical Thinking
--Emotional Intelligence
--Teamwork
--Technology
--Written Communication
32

33. Faculty Survey Monkey Instrument (cont’d)
 3. What other skills or competencies do you think are important?
 4. I have taught my students how to think "out of the box".
 5. Thomas More College is graduating students with the skills and
competencies employers need.
 6. Faculty members are often influenced by tenure status when
designing courses (e.g. those without tenure take less risks than
those with tenure).
 7. Employers tell me that what I teach is important to students'
professional success.
 8. What can we do to better prepare students for the workforce?
 9. How long have you been teaching at Thomas More College?
 10. Is there anything else you would like to share about this topic?
33

34. Organizational Audit Process Tool :
Cultivate Employer Feedback
1. Determine which part of the business to audit
2. Create the content of the audit
3. Gather data from multiple groups on current and desired
capabilities
4. Synthesize the data to identify the most critical capabilities
requiring managerial attention
5. Construct an action plan with clear steps to take and
measure to monitor/assign team to deliver on critical
capabilities ( Smallwood and Ulrich, 2004)
34

35. Relevant Academic Theory
Constructs
Online Critical Thinking Resources:
 Student moderators, (Bahhouth and Bahhout, 2011),
 Starters and Wrappers (Williams and Lahman, 2011)
 Reflection triggers (Verpooten et al.)
35

36. Faculty Awareness
Employers want:
 Visionaries
 Futurologists
 Menu of industry specific skills
 Adaptability
 Communication
 Resilience
 Complex Problem Solving Ability (Schoenberger-Orgad
& Spiller, 2014))
36

37. Faculty Strategies
 Heighten Awareness on Culture: “Read” /Adaption/ Assimilation
 Differentiate: Become “Best Version of Self”
 Fully Exploit Leadership and Management Resources
 Consider Self-Actualization (Maslow, etc.) Myers-Briggs
 Character Formation/Leadership Self-Awareness (George)
 Avoid “Beaten Path” Direction
 Stakeholder Needs: Job vs. Degree (e.g. Certificate Option)
37

38. Faculty Strategies (Cont’d)
 Consider cross-campus /silo, external resource collaboration
 Establish value rubrics (Suvedi, Gihmire, & Millenbah, 2016)
 Tap into business partnerships and creative funding
 Demographics
 Cultivate internships and experiential learning
 Offer speaking and professional development
 Business volunteerism for mentoring (CSR) (Collet, Hine, & duPlessis,
2015)
38

39. Select Academic Constructs: Potential
Business and Industry Application
 Lewin’s Change Theory Model
 Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Fulfillment
 Donabedian Model --Structure, Process, Outcome
Model
 Deming, Juran: Quality Process Improvement
 “Socratic Questioning” (Block and Spartaro, 2014)
 Wheelhouse Intersect Model (Rudnick, Cahill, Schuamacher,
2016)
39

40. Recommended Areas of
Future Study
Consider:
 Further collaboration with technical and community
colleges (skills)
 Focus on generational learning preferences and
tendencies
 Construct curricula to state of “educational health”
 Establish Business Education Partnerships
 Establish High-Risk Retention Psychographic Profiles
 Refine Metrics: Retention and Recruitment Strategies
40

41. Employability and Curricula
Design
Shift of Emphasis Needed ??
FROM:
Instilling and
emphasizing a list of
skills
TO:
Cultivating purposeful
industry and context
specific abilities
41

42. Questions/ Comments
Gracias!
(Thank you)
???????
42

43. References
Bahhouth J. & Bahhouth, V. (2011). Significance of e-Learning in traditional courses.
International Journal of Education Research, 6(2), 1-9.
Barbera, E., Layne, L. & Gunawardena, C. N. (2014). Designing online interactions to address
disciplinary competencies: A cross-country comparison of faculty perspectives. The
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2), 143-169.
Bloch, J. & Spataro, S. E. (2014). Cultivating critical thinking dispositions throughout the
business curriculum. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 7(3), 249-
265.
Braunstein-Minkove, J.R., & DeLuca, J.R. (2015). Effectively adapting the sports management
curricula SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education. 2, 12-30.
BusinessDictionary.com (2016). Retrieved from :
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/business-environment.html
Collet, C., Hine, D., & du Plessis, K. (2015). Employability skills: Perspectives from a
knowledge based industry. Education and Training, 5(5), 532-559.
.
43

44. References (cont’d)
Deloitte & Touche (2014). Stakeholder engagement. Retrieved from
http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/za/Documents/governance-risk-
compliance/ZA_StakeholderEngagement_04042014,pdf
Dhond, A. A. (2011). Enhancing employability through higher education. HEF’s India Journal
of Higher Education, 2(2),76-81
Diffen (2015). Compare anything: Andragogy vs. pedagogy. Retrieved from
http:/www.diffen.com
Dill, D. D. (1991). Academic accountability and university adaptation: The architecture of an
academic learning organization. Higher Education, 38, 127-154.
Emes, C. & Cleveland- Innes, M. (2003). A journey toward learner-centered curriculum. The
Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 33(3), 47-70.
Green, E., & Stahura, K.A. (2014). Business-education partnerships: A corporate –social
responsibility and sustainable workforce strategy for commercial casinos. International
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems, 7(2), 28-40.
44

45. References (cont’d)
Gibson, L.A., & Soderman, W.A. (2014). Millenials and technology: Addressing the
communication gap in education and practice. Organization Development Journal, 63-
75.
Ivanova, V., & Arenas, A. (2014). E-leadership skills for SMEs: Challenges to the Universities.
Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings, 256-264.
Matheson, R., Wilkinson, S. C., & Gilhouly, E. (2012). Promoting critical thinking and
collaborative working through assessment: Combining patchwork text and online
discussion boards. Innovations in Educational and Teaching International, 49(3),
257-267.
Rudnick,J.D., Jr., Cahill, D.J., & Schumacher, A.J. (2016). Leverage the heterogeneity of critical
thinking: Creating new classroom knowledge. Transnational Journal of Business 1(1),
21-34.
Schonberger-Orgad,M., & Spiller, D. (2013). Critical thinkers and capable practitioners:
Preparing public relations students for the 21st century, 10(3), 210-221.
Sulphey, M.M. (2015). Patterns of employability skills among business students. IPE Journal of
Management, 5(2), 57-73.
45

46. References (cont’d)
Suvedi, M, Ghimire, R.P., & Millenbah, K.F. (2016). How prepared are undergraduates for a
career? NACTA Journal, 60 (1a), 13-20.
Sledgiankowski, D. ( n.d.). Accounting majors perceptions of the acquired information
technology (IT) skills and their self-perceived employability. Hofstra University, 1-3.
Stukalina, Y. (2008). How to prepare students for productive and satisfying careers in the
knowledge-based economy: Creating a more efficient educational environment.
Baltic Journal on Sustainability, 14(2), 197-207.
Tewari, R., & Sharma, R. (2011). Managerial skills for managers for
the 21st century. Review of Management, 1(3), 4-15.
Verpoorten, D., Westera, W., & Specht, M. (2011). Using reflection triggers while learning in
an online course. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(6), 1030-1040.
Winsted, A.S., Adams, B.L., & Silah, M.R. (2009). Teaching the ‘soft skills’: A professional
development curriculum to enhance the employability skills of business graduates.
American Journal of Business Education, 2(5),35-44
46

47. References (cont’d)
Wilson, S., & Zamberlan, L. (2012). Show me yours: Developing a faculty-wide
interdisciplinary initiative in built environment higher education. Contemporary
Issues in Education Research. 5(4), 331-342.
Willians, L. & Lahman, M. (2011). Online discussion, student engagement, and critical
thinking. Journal of Political Science Education, 38, 127-154.
Zehrer, A., & Mossenlechner, C. (2009). Key competencies of tourism graduates: The
employer’s point of view. Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism, 266-287.
.
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