(How) Are we teaching Marketable Skills in our Introductory History Courses?

What are Marketable Skills? “Skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities.” “The marketable skills goal challenges institutions to go further” than outcomes “and think explicitly about the job skills students learn within their programs, so that students can articulate those skills to potential employers. Knowing the job skills they are learning may also motivate students to complete their degrees when they see how their coursework will benefit them in the workplace.” We need to “leverage existing efforts (e.g., the Liberal Education and America’s Promise – LEAP – initiative) to ensure that marketable skills are addressed in every program. (p.22)” Texas Higher Education Strategic Plan: 2015–2030 (60X30TX)

Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work Key findings from surveys of business executives and hiring managers conducted May-June 2018 Conducted on behalf of 12360 Note: vertical expressions for subgroups except where noted with support from https://www.aacu.org/public-opinion-research

The learning priorities that executives and hiring managers value most highly cut across majors. Very Important* Skills for Recent College Graduates We Are Hiring 85% in 2014 81% in 2014 83% in 2014 82% in 2014 80% in 2014 Q.10 * 8-10 ratings on a 0-to-10 scale; 15 outcomes tested

Executives and hiring managers rank several other learning outcomes as only slightly less important. Very Important* Skills for Recent College Graduates We Are Hiring 68% in 2014 70% in 2014 56% in 2014 65% in 2014 60% in 2014 23% in 2014 Q.10 * 8-10 ratings on a 0-to-10 scale; 15 outcomes tested

Much/ somewhat more likely Applied and project-based learning experiences, particularly internships or apprentice experiences, give recent college graduates an edge with both employer audiences. Would be MUCH More Likely to Hire Recent Grad with this Experience Much/ somewhat more likely 93% 94% 72% 83% 82% 72% 81% 81% 80% 76% 71% 78% 54% 47% Q.14

Career-Relevant Education Linked to Student Well-Being The purpose of higher education is in question. Some higher education experts insist that the purpose of higher education is to train students for jobs, while others argue it is to prepare them more broadly for meaningful, engaged lives. New research from Gallup and Strada Education Network suggests that these two "different" purposes of higher education are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they may be one and the same. Gallup has made significant leaps in understanding how six key undergraduate experiences prime graduates to succeed in their work and lives after college.  The “Big Six” critical college experiences Support Experiences • My professors at [Institution] cared about me as a person. • I had at least one professor at [Institution] who made me excited about learning. • While attending [Institution], I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams. Experiential Learning Experiences • While attending [Institution], did you have a job or internship that allowed you to apply what you were learning in the classroom? • While attending [Institution], I worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete. • I was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations while attending [Institution]. 2018 Strada-Gallup Alumni Survey MENTORING COLLEGE STUDENTS TO SUCCESS