发布时间 : 星期五 文章Unit - 3 - - Preparing - Students - for - the - Global - Economy更新完毕开始阅读
Unit 3 Preparing Students for the Global Economy
Sylvia Mendoza
To empower students to succeed and make a difference in the 21st century, educators, business leaders, and recent college graduates agree that students have to be better prepared through a liberal, well-rounded education and the ability to apply their skills and knowledge to hands-on, real-world learning experiences. College Learning for the New Global Century, a recent report released by the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP), covered specific areas in which institutions can help students prepare for the transition into the work force.
More than 300 business leaders and 500 recent graduates were polled as focus groups. Both thought undergraduate college education should provide a balance of a liberal well-rounded education and knowledge and skills in a specific field while incorporating community service, hands-on experience, social responsibility, and global awareness. “What was found was that in a demanding global environment, we need more cross-disciplinary knowledge with more skills in a range of areas,” says Ronald Crutcher, president of Wheaton College in Massachusetts and LEAP council co-chair. “Although a student’s emphasis may be on engineering, without a more well-rounded education and a higher level of global awareness, that student may not succeed in the business realm.”
A whopping 87 percent interviewed agree that America’s colleges and universities need to raise the quality of student achievement to ensure the United States remains competitive. “There is a need to connect what businesses, corporations, and employers want and what colleges offer to meet real-world challenges,” explains Crutcher. “We have to stop channeling students into a narrow field. We need to teach them to think critically, write well, and be a team player with global awareness in order to be a viable contributor to the business or nonprofit sectors.”
Essential aims, learning outcomes, and guiding principles for a 21st-century college education, along with recommendations for concrete changes colleges need to make to achieve those goals, are found in the report. At the top of the list of priority areas are an interdisciplinary approach versus a narrow field of study, developing intellectual and practical skills, cultivating a sense of personal and social responsibility, and offering opportunities of experience to apply what students learn to real-world problems and settings.
The AAC & U (Association of American Colleges and Universities) started surveying students and employers to address discrepancies in what they were being taught and how well prepared they were to join the workforce once they graduated. The College Learning report is a result of LEAP’S 10-year campaign that seeks to expand public and student understanding of what really matters in college — the kind of learning that will truly help them succeed in the workforce and help them contribute to the economic creativity and democratic vitality of the nation.
In a previous report, the council began to address the types of skills graduates need to have. The outcomes: besides having a main focus or line of education, they would have to think critically and write well. On the negative side, they found there was a basic disconnect about the type of education students needed to pull this off. “It was a pleasant surprise for members on the board that many of us were on the same page. It became the basis for this current report.”
The College Learning report shows how vitally important a liberal education is, says Humphreys. “We can focus on what business leaders want and argue for a broader-vision education. To produce responsible citizens in a complex society with global emphasis, we must teach important skills that are marketable. Employers want students to talk about the experiences that brought their education to life.”
Business executives place the greatest emphasis on what they look for when evaluating the skills of potential new hires, and 69 percent of employers said combining broad knowledge with more in-depth focus is “very important.” Employers were somewhat concerned about recent college graduates not having necessary specific job or technical skills but agree that “the technical can be taught.” They expressed the greatest frustration with the challenges of finding “360-degree people.” Crutcher agrees. “That’s what it means to be flexible. The mind has to be agile, or you’ll be left behind.”
So what more do employers really want from recent college graduates? “They want students who can function in groups, work in teams, write critically, have analytical reasoning, and communicate effectively,” says Humphreys. “Keep in mind the most important thing — the world is changing — becoming more global and more connected because of technology, and we have to change with it. Emphasize undergraduate research. Less memorizing. Put into action what you’re learning. Both business leaders and recent graduates say engaged learning is key to continued success in the workforce.”
Employers appear to support the recommendations. Both employers and recent graduates stress the need for colleges to integrate skills and knowledge of a major to broader areas of study and to apply both to real-world settings and situations through community service, internships, and study-abroad experiences, for example.
They strongly endorse the concept of a liberal education and producing good citizens. It also helps if students develop a sense of social responsibility through practical skills that span all areas of study, such as communications.
A strong work ethic and sense of loyalty promises greater dividends for the employer and possible greater success for the individual. This type of graduate is a good investment for an employer and can have a long-range impact not only on self-growth but on business development and the community at large.
Recent college graduates who were polled brought to light an interesting fact that supports the findings, as well. Only half the graduates polled expect to always be working in their current field. If that is the case, they need the well-rounded educational experience to make the transition into other fields. Many of the recent graduates rank the same learning outcomes as top priorities as do employers and ask colleges and universities to pay attention to these. They include: 1) applied knowledge in real-world settings; 2) science and technology; 3) global issues; 4) critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills; 5) communication skills; and 6) creativity and innovation. The report and its recommendations are in alignment with LEAP goals, which are to prepare today’s students for an era of greater expectations in every sphere of life.
Because change and focus cannot happen overnight, LEAP is a 10-year advocacy and education campaign, says Crutcher. All steps aim at providing every student with access to a high-quality education that develops intellectual and ethical capacities; expands cultural, societal, and scientific horizons; cultivates democratic and global knowledge; and prepares
graduates for successful participation in a dynamic and rapidly evolving economy.