Pre-tests for soft skills
Typical pre-tests concentrate on academic skills, particularly math and reading comprehension. Yet so many of our adult students are significantly lacking in all of the soft skills that constitute professionalism. Does anyone have a handle on screening students for soft skills?
James,
Boy, I sure wish there was one (at least one that that was consistently accurate). There are testing instruments that claim to assess for "aptitude and readiness for heath careers", but in my institution, we've used three different products (pre-enrollment tests), and I can say that they offer little reliability in this category. I think part of the issue is career colleges operate on filling seats, and there may be more urging individuals to enroll than an emphasis on "competitive enrollments", where qualified applicants outnumber available seats. But even in these settings, high GPA's, science and math course work, essays, interviews, references, background investigations, past work experience -- all of these attempts to select the "best" still far short in professionalism demonstrated by some students.
Barry Westling
I've often pondered this question. It seems to me that this would be expected tasks in the recruitment, initial assessment, and acceptance of students. Perhaps some institutions are letting in students who aren't properly prepared. This sets them up for failure. This really isn't serving anyone's needs except for the bottom line of the given institution, however one could argue the damage to institutional reputation would eventually take a financial toll in one way or another.
Best wishes,
Melville Petrosky
Melville,
These days, appropriate soft skills are often a foreign idea, and our mission sometimes requires we share the importance due to its impact on post completion employment opportunities. Language, behavior, communication, common courtesy, attendance, and professionalism are those skills that usually need the most attention
Barry Westling
Intresting topic. I often feel student need to be pre-tested in order to be able to succeed in class.
Brenda,
I've developed a pre-enrollment checklist in an attempt to survey incoming students perspectives about soft skills. Unfortunately, some bad habits follow certain students and their behavioral problems persist throughout the program. It is very difficult to measure attitude, cooperation, and responsibility beforehand.
Barry Westling
Unfortunately, I have experienced this. However, then it is our responsibility to get them thru the course successfully. I am currently experiencing this in an astronomical degree. I will try the vocabulary guide. The students have enrolled in an excelarated program and they truly lack the soft skills. They are used to having things handed to them. And I am an instructor that demands that they learn it. They have to so they can function competently. Frustrated indeed
Carol,
One way to teach critical thinking is doing short, relatively simple case studies. Repetitively will gradually reveal a pattern.
Barry Westling
