This is a short talk given to the 2020 National Science Foundation meeting of ECR Principal Investigators on 11/30/20.

1. ECR AWARD #1561686/1561493
Dr. Matthew T. Hora
Assistant Professor of Adult & Higher Education
Director of the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions
University of Wisconsin-Madison
ExploringFactorsthatShapeEducation&WorkplaceTrainingon
Essential21stCenturyCompetencies:
ATranslationalStudyinFourHigh-STEMJobRegions
matthew.hora@wisc.edu @matt_hora http://empower.wceruw.org http://ccwt.wceruw.org/
A COLLABORATION BETWEEN UW-MADISON & THE ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

2. THE EMPOWER TEAM
DR. MATTHEW HORA (PI)
ASST PROF, ADULT &
HIGHER EDUCATION, ED
POLICY STUDIES
DR. ROSS BENBOW (CO-PI)
ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER
WI CENTER FOR
EDUCATION RESEARCH
DR. BAILEY SMOLAREK
ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER
WI CENTER FOR EDUCATION
RESEARCH
CHANGHEE LEE
PHD STUDENT
DEPT OF ED LEADERSHIP
PALLAVI CHHABRA
PHD STUDENT
DEPT OF CURRICULUM &
INSTRUCTION
LUKE SCRIVENER
PHD STUDENT
DEPT OF SOCIOLOGY
DR. BEN ZWICKL (PI)
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
SCHOOL OF PHYSICS &
ASTRONOMY
DR. KELLY NORRIS MARTIN (CO-PI)
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
DR. SUE ROTHWELL
POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER
SCHOOL OF PHYSICS &
ASTRONOMY

3. 1. Does participation in internships vary by race/ethnicity, major, or socio-economic status?
2.To what degree does the structure (e.g., length, task clarity, mentorship quality) of
internship programs influence students’ career adaptability, wages, and employment?
3. How, if at all, do online internships vary with respect to these questions?
The EMPOWER Study
Exploring Multiple Postsecondary Opportunities through Workforce & Education Research
Competencies
STEMM Sectors
Cities
4
Houston, Raleigh, Denver, Seattle
Communication, Teamwork,
Problem-Solving,
Self-Regulated Learning
Health Care, Energy, Computer Science,
Mechanical Engineering

4. MOTIVATIONSFORTHESTUDY
HOW PREVALENT IS “21ST CENTURY SKILLS” INSTRUCTION?
BUILDING UPON NSF PROJECTS ON WORKPLACE SKILLS IN NY & WI
AN ETHNOGRAPHIC FOCUS ON SKILLS CONCEPTION & USE
AREFACULTY&TRAINERSEMPHASIZINGTHESESKILLS? IFSO,HOW?
FOCUSONINDIVIDUAL,ORGANIZATIONAL&SECTORALFACTORSSHAPINGPRACTICE
1
2
3
4
AVERSION TO “MAGIC BULLET” EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
STUDIESOFTHE“SKILLSGAP”&WORKPLACESKILLSINPHOTONICS
HOWDODIFFERENTPROFESSIONS&ACTORSDEFINE&USETHESESKILLS?

5. OUTLINE OF THE EMPOWER STUDY FOCI

6. RESEARCHPAPERS&
CONFERENCEPROCEEDINGS
FINDINGS FROM THE EMPOWER STUDY
Hora, M. T., Smolarek, B. B., Martin, K. N., &
Scrivener, L. (2019). Exploring the situated and
cultural aspects of communication in the
professions: Implications for teaching, student
employability, and equity in higher education.
American Educational Research Journal,
56(6), 2221-2261.
Benbow, R. J., & Lee, C. (2019). Teaching-
focused social networks among college
faculty: exploring conditions for the
development of social capital. Higher
Education, 78(1), 67-89.
Hu, D., Chen, K., Leak, A. E., Young, N. T.,
Santangelo, B., Zwickl, B. M., & Martin, K. N.
(2019). Characterizing mathematical problem
solving in physics-related workplaces using
epistemic games. Physical Review Physics
Education Research, 15(2), 020131.
Hu, D., Carusone, C., Rothwell, S., Martin, K. N., & Zwickl, B.
M. (Under review). Educators’ descriptions of 21st century
competencies in STEM. Journal of Science Education &
Technology.
Hora, M.T. & Lee, C. (Under review). Industry in the
classroom: Does industry experience increase or enhance
faculty skills-focused instruction? Journal of Higher
Education.
Poirier, J., Macias, V., Zwickl, B. M., & Rothwell, S. (2020).
Preventive and exploratory: Two workplace problem-
solving cultures. Paper presented at Physics Education
Research Conference 2019, Provo, UT. https://
www.compadre.org/per/items/detail.cfm?ID=15317
Smolarek, B. B., & Scrivener, L. (2019).
Examining business-driven education
reform by new policy actors: a discursive
analysis of UpSkill Houston. Journal of
Education Policy, 1-18.
Hora, M.T., Chhabra, P. & Smolarek, B. (In press). Exploring
the factors that influence how (and why) community college
instructors teach communication and teamwork skills in
computer technology courses. Community College Journal
of Research and Practice.
Macias, V., Poirier, J., Zwickl, B. M., &
Rothwell, S. (2020). Transferability and
specialization: Analyzing STEM students’
perspectives of problem-solving. Paper
presented at Physics Education Research
Conference 2019, Provo, UT.

7. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Which cultural models, if any, inform these situated forms of communication practice?
1
2
3
How do students, faculty, and employers in nursing and petroleum engineering conceptualize
features of oral communication genres in their professions?
What contextual or situational factors are most frequently associated with these oral
communication genres (i.e., situation networks)?
INTERPRETATIONS & USE OF THESE SKILLS ARE CULTURALLY CONSTRUCTED & NOT
GENERIC BUT SITUATED IN SPECIFIC TASK ENVIRONMENTS

8. HOW VIEWS OF COMMUNICATION ARE EMBEDDED IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS
AND CONTEXTS: NOVICES
Emphasis on establishing inter-subjectivity
(via Q&A/listening) among patient care
team members from different role groups
(specialists, nurses, etc) to ensure safety at
the bedside
NSF-ECR (DGE#1561686)
2016-2020 ($1,739,670)
Hora, M. T., Smolarek, B. B., Martin, K. N., & Scrivener, L. (2019). Exploring the situated and cultural aspects of communication in the professions:
Implications for teaching, student employability, and equity in higher education. American Educational Research Journal, 56(6), 2221-2261.

9. Image : Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times
HOW VIEWS OF COMMUNICATION 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
Q: How can we guide our students from novice to expert
communication behaviors valued in our professions?

10. INTEGRATINGKEYSKILLS
INTOTHECURRICULUM
HOW TO BEST TEACH KEY SKILLS
1
2
3
IDENTIFYANDDEFINEKEYSKILLSINYOUROWN
PROFESSION/DISCIPLINE
RE-DESIGNASYLLABUS,LECTUREORLABWITH
THESKILL(S)ASLEARNINGGOALS
GIVEASHORTLECTUREONTHENATUREAND
IMPORTANCEOFTHESKILL(S)
MODELORDEMONSTRATETHESKILL(S)
CREATELEARNINGACTIVITIESFORSTUDENTSTO
PRACTICETHESKILL(S)-GIVEFEEDBACK
4
5

11. KEY NEXT STEPS: ANALYSIS OF EMPLOYER-BASED DATA ON ROLE THAT
THE 4 SKILLS PLAYS IN “HIRING FOR CULTURAL FIT” & WORKPLACE
TRAINING PROGRAMS
THANKYOU!
matthew.hora@wisc.edu @matt_hora http://ccwt.wceruw.org/