academic and employability skills assignment

Cultivating Student Employability Skills: Classroom to Career Preparedness and Readiness

First Online: 30 June 2023

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academic and employability skills assignment

Jacqueline S. Stephen 11 &
Ashley Fru 12

Part of the book series: Knowledge Studies in Higher Education ((KSHE,volume 11))

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Student development of employability skills should be a critical learning outcome of a university degree. Employability skills are often used as an umbrella term to describe competencies, professional, and transferable skills that new graduates need beyond academics to improve their ability when seeking employment, progressing in a career path, and adapting to changes. As a result of the ongoing global coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, community and industry partners increasingly expect graduates to have skills to navigate online work environments as well as online training to meet the anticipated growth in remote career opportunities (Fisher, As work from home becomes the norm, companies get more comfortable hiring fully remote employees , 2020; Mercer Global, Global Talent Trends Report , 2020). Remote career opportunities are projected to continue to grow, especially as companies continue to navigate the COVID-19 crisis and develop plans for a post-COVID-19 workplace. The shift to remote work requires employees to be prepared to work and learn online. Consequently, employment opportunities of the future also necessitate development of specific employability skills. The purpose of this chapter is to identify employability skills graduates will need to prepare them for their careers, provide course-level strategies for instructors to promote student skill development, and discuss high-impact practices for incorporating activities that support student career readiness and preparedness. Challenges and opportunities that emerged because of the COVID-19 pandemic will also be addressed to gain insight on the impact of the shift in employer needs for skills and abilities of the workforce. This chapter, thus, provides discussion on classroom to career readiness and presents a model for a high-impact practice first-year seminar course that emphasizes cultivating employability skills in online undergraduate students.

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Stephen, J.S., Fru, A. (2023). Cultivating Student Employability Skills: Classroom to Career Preparedness and Readiness. In: Stephen, J.S., Kormpas, G., Coombe, C. (eds) Global Perspectives on Higher Education. Knowledge Studies in Higher Education, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31646-3_21

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Understanding instruction words in academic essay titles

Posted in: essay-writing

Instruction or command words indicate what your tutor wants you to do in your written assignment. It's vital that you understand exactly what these instruction words mean so you can answer all parts of the essay question and provide a complete response.

Here's a list of some of the most common instruction/command words you'll see in essay questions (and examination questions as well), together with an explanation of what they mean.

Describe: Give a detailed account of…

Outline: Give the main features/general principles; don't include minor details.

Explain, account for, interpret: Describe the facts but also give causes and reasons for them. Depending on the context, these words may also suggest that you need to make the possible implications clear as well. For example: 'Explain X and its importance for Y'.

Comment on, criticise, evaluate, critically evaluate, assess: Judge the value of something. But first, analyse, describe and explain. Then go through the arguments for and against, laying out the arguments neutrally until the section where you make your judgement clear. Judgements should be backed by reasons and evidence.

Discuss, consider: The least specific of the instruction words. Decide, first of all, what the main issues are. Then follow the same procedures for Comment on, Criticise, Evaluate, Critically Evaluate and Assess.

Analyse: Break down into component parts. Examine critically or closely.

How far, how true, to what extent: These suggest there are various views on and various aspects to the subject. Outline some of them, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, explore alternatives and then give your judgement.

Justify: Explain, with evidence, why something is the case, answering the main objections to your view as you go along.

Refute: Give evidence to prove why something is not the case.

Compare, contrast, distinguish, differentiate, relate: All require that you discuss how things are related to each other. Compare suggests you concentrate on similarities, which may lead to a stated preference, the justification of which should be made clear. These words suggest that two situations or ideas can be compared in a number of different ways, or from a variety of viewpoints. Contrast suggests you concentrate on differences.

Define: Write down the precise meaning of a word or phrase. Sometimes several co-existing definitions may be used and, possibly, evaluated.

Illustrate: Make clear and explicit; usually requires the use of carefully chosen examples.

State: Give a concise, clear explanation or account of…

Summarise: Give a concise, clear explanation or account of… presenting the main factors and excluding minor detail or examples (see also Outline).

Trace: Outline or follow the development of something from its initiation or point of origin.

Devise: Think up, work out a plan, solve a problem etc.

Apply (to): Put something to use, show how something can be used in a particular situation.

Identify: Put a name to, list something.

Indicate: Point out. This does not usually involve giving too much detail.

List: Make a list of a number of things. This usually involves simply remembering or finding out a number of things and putting them down one after the other.

Plan: Think about how something is to be done, made, organised, etc.

Report on: Describe what you have seen or done.

Review: Write a report on something.

Specify: Give the details of something.

Work out: Find a solution to a problem.

Adapted from: Coles, M. (1995), A Student’s Guide to Coursework Writing, University of Stirling, Stirling

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Academic and employability skills report Assignment

This report will be based on academic skills and how this is associated to employability skills and reflect upon my own skills. The report will be sectioned by numbers and a sub heading these titles will consist of; effective literature research, academic sources, reflect upon personal academic research skills, effective presentation skills, reflect upon personal presentation skills, identification of core academic skills, critique of personal skills audit, academic skills associated to employability skills, association to a specific career path and an conclusion. 3. Effective literature research

There are many vast ways Of finding relevant literature; however, it is important when collecting information that you understand the physiognomies of the content and how this can be implemented (Williwaw, p. 63, 2011). Bleater, C, Hughes, C and Tight, M (2001 , cited in Bell, 2005), states that the internet and the library are effective ways of literature researching, for instance; the internet has many PDF and E-journals as-well as relevant web sites however, facts that need to be considered are how reliable your source is and weather the authors are credited. The library has many kooks that can be effective when researching literature. . 1 Academic sources Academic sources vary for instance; there are many different types of academic sources such as journals, books, PDF and the scholarly website online. To distinguish if a source is academic can be done by ensuring that the source is reliable and the author is creditable and the information implemented is accurate, likewise the date must be considered the more up to date a sources is the more reliable this is likely to be for instance if an another publish a book in 2005 there might be another book or edition published with more up to date information on a later date.

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On the other hand, journals are more collective and modern with a creditable author however; their work has not been endorsed or reviewed by other authors. Books are a good academic source as the have been reviewed and credited nevertheless, it is important to check year Of publication as there may be more up to date information. The internet is not usually advisable nevertheless this can be used if the source is creditable such as government sites (direct. Ova). 3. Reflect on personal academic research skills To begin with I found finding academic sources hard as I want not familiar with journals and the Solvent Library website on the portal. However, have now gained the sills of using the library the portal and have found that keywords are important in finding more relevant information and how to employ my time more effectively. Eve also established what is reliable and what is not and I am Only to use books and journals however, if I do need to use the internet will only use a government website as know it is creditable, also understand that on the portal there are other ways to find academic information such as succeed at Solvent that can help me get academic information that I require. 4. Effective presentation skills To have an effective presentation it is important to know your observers, for instance if you are presenting for a particular organization is it important to know the companies background and what the hope to aim to achieve this will enable the presenter to understand what the organization is looking for which will help deliver an effective presentation, (Hatchet, McCarthy, 2002).

Correspondingly the structure is important for a successful presentation for instance; most structures contain a clear introduction, main body and conclusion. A clear introduction should signpost the contents of their presentation on the first slide stating the topic on which the presentation is based on and highlighting the main arguments. The main body consists of the main arguments or key point of the topic; this should be clear and easy to understand. The conclusion is a clear evaluation of the contents of the presentation, (Remold, 2003).

Similarly the delivery is the main key for success if the delivery is precise for instance; when presenting it is important to use visual aid or hand-outs and Eve practiced their speech beforehand so that the presenter feels confident and the presentation timing can be accurate, it is not advised to have your full speech on the day but have reminders of key points, also speech needs to be considered for an effective delivery for example, it is important to speak loud and clear so that the listeners are not confused on what is being said.

Body language is another thing that should be considered effective body language sets off a good atmosphere, which can be done a simple smile and regular eye contact with the audience (Mandela, 1999). 4. Reflect on personal presentation skills When am presenting I feel nervous and need to work on my confidence as this affects my delivery, however, I feel if practice more I would feel more confident as I would know my speech as well as my topic that am presenting.

I do feel that I’m good at my introductory slides and that I use relevant information from academic sources to argue my points in the main body, nevertheless, I could also improve my skill by getting to know my audience better as this could help me when presenting as this could also improve my contents of my presentation and my delivery. Likewise I feel ore practice is needed especially if I am working with a group as it helps with confidence, delivery, organization and timings. 5. Identification of core academic skills Core academic skills are important for students to understand dissimilar methods in producing academic work to enable an individual to become an independent learner to succeed at university for instance; researching is an important core academic skill as this finds relevant academic sources that contain important information (Shapiro, 2010). Academic writing which is writing in the third person with the usage of academic sources and Harvard preferences is important for students to improve their writing abilities.

Presentations which aid oral communications this supports many students to develop and improve their communication skills. Problem solving is another core academic skill for instance; students deliver oral presentations, essays, and reports all of the elements of work require evaluation and analysis which suggests that students have problem solved, core academic skills also teach organization and time management skills, (Baldwin Wallace University, 2012). 5. Critique of personal skills audit Eve acquired a vast amount of skills during my education for example; I have learned organizational skills and have realized how important organization is for my assignments and in a profession. I also have developed crucial analytical and evaluation skills I feel I need to improve my skills on oral communication and academic writing however; I do feel I have gained good time management and efficient researching and reflection skills that will hopefully enable to succeed on my university course and future employment.

The are many diverse ways that I could improve and develop my skills such as action planning, essay plans and starting assignments early with a clear plan of action. 6. Academic skills associated to employability skills Most academic skills such as academic writing, organization, time management, meeting deadlines, researching, oral communication, critical analysis/ evaluation and problem solving skills are all relevant to employability skills.

Depending on the job title many of the above skills will be required for instance; academic writing is used in most jobs such as writing references or reports, most jobs also require people to attend work on time e organized and able to meet specific deadlines. Oral communication is important for staff to be able to communicate effectively and problem solving is important to being successful in an organization (Thomas, C, J, 2003). 6. Association to a specific career path Academic skills are implemented in the events industry for example; Meeting deadlines is essential for an event companies success this takes a lot of time management and the usage of load in and load out plans, organization, effective oral communication, writing reports and schedules. It is also important to problem solve in the events industry so implementing contingency plans are an effective way of problem solving. . Concussions In conclusion effective literature research is important to be able to find relevant information that is reliable for instance; using the library and the internet is an effective way of finding the relevant sources required however, it is important to consider dates and authors that are credited, this skill is important for higher education.

Similarly there are many different types of academic sources such as; books, PDF and journals conversely, how irritable a source is depends on the date of publication because different arguments and findings could have been released on a later date. Journals are more frequently published however, they have not be credited if a person implements a journal in their work they should check that the information is correct and reliable.

On the other hand website are not valued as a reliable source nevertheless, using the right website can be used as an academic source such as government websites. Personally found it hard to find academic sources, however, being able to SE technology and the internet have found it easier to access academic sources to find the relevant information I require, I also understand the importance of using sources with recent dates as this makes my sources more creditable, furthermore I have also learned that the only time I must use a website is if it was a government website.

Presentation skills are important for higher education however, they can also be important in particular jobs, for an effective presentation it is important to consider the listeners background; the structure needs a clear introduction main body NC inclusion, the use of visual aid help with an effective delivery. However, it is also is important to practice the presentation previously as this helps strengthen the confidence and the delivery, this also helps with the timings when speaking this should be down calm slow, loud and clear and always with a smile it is also equally important to have regular eye contact.

However, I feel I have acquired some of these skills such as a clear structure including a clear introduction, main body and conclusion and that my information is relevant and comes from academic sources, my delivery feel hat I do have a smile and I do look at my audience nevertheless, do need to improve my skills on confidence think this can be done by more practice beforehand. I think presentation skills are important if I want to succeed at university and be successful in the events industry.

Similarly Core academic skills helps students gain a knowledge of different skills to succeed in university and employment for instance; important skills such as organization, communication, time management, academic writing, references and problem solving are key skills for university but also to be successful in a particular career. I feel I have developed and improved certain aspects of my skills that I have acquired for instance I feel I have good time management researching and organization skills.

However, I need to improve certain areas such as; confidence when presenting which can be done by practicing my delivery, also need to improve my oral communication this car also be done through the usage of presentations, my academic writing could also be improved this can be done by action planning and writing reports NC essays. Academic skills relate to employability skills for instance many skills that are plopped in higher education are implanted at work such as; organization, researching, oral communication, problem solving and time management skills.

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