Elevate Your Curriculum with Embedded Transferrable Skills

In today's educational landscape, there is an increasing focus on integrating the "transferrable skills" valuable for any career or life role: Skills such as:

• Critical thinking
• Effective communication
• Community contribution

These skills transcend specific knowledge areas or occupations, making them inherently transferable.  Therefore, there is no reason to separate them from more advanced analytical and thinking abilities, according to Silva’s 2008 report, “Measuring Skills for the 21^st Century.”

And many colleges do not separate them.  In fact, they elevate them to core college-wide values. However, because they are often not defined by content-related, assessable outcomes with measurable criteria, they are often overshadowed by course or program skills.

That begs the question: how can colleges integrate these crucial competencies across curriculum?

Define and assess transferrable skills with WIDS

Traditional curriculum formats do not commonly provide a framework for defining and assessing transferable skills.  But WIDS offers software and consulting services that help educators systematically

• Define transferable skills by developing clear learning outcomes
• Link the skills-based outcomes to activities, courses, or programs
• Assess the skill-based outcome with aligned performance assessment tasks

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Integrate transferrable skills effortlessly with WIDS

WIDS software comes pre-loaded with a comprehensive library of Employability Skills - each accompanied by example performance criteria. Educators can also develop or import their own outcomes. Each skill can then be associated with specific programs, courses, and outcomes.

This ensures that:

• The skills are clearly stated as assessable outcomes
• The skills are integrated into existing curriculum
• The skill performance criteria from the basis for assessment rubrics
• The skills rubrics allow for pinpointing and verifying learner skill achievement

By using WIDS, your college can ensure that the transferrable skills are not just theoretical concepts but are actively taught, practiced, and assessed as an integral part of every student's learning experience.

WIDS (Worldwide Instructional Design System) is a nonprofit organization that provides curriculum design software, consulting, and training services.  Download the free Core Abilities Performance Assessment Task.

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