Using Structured Activities to Teach Durable Skills

by Adam O'Neal, MBA -- 

Durable skills are in high demand by employers, but teaching these skills to students in an academic environment can prove challenging. Teaching classes focused primarily on durable skills can lead to students compartmentalizing the content into the context of a leadership class, for example, and failing to transfer the skills to practical applications in their field. In classes focused on content, group projects present opportunities to teach skills like teamwork, leadership, critical thinking and problem-solving. Executing this effectively in a way that explicitly conveys the skills being learned—without distracting from the content—can be difficult. I discussed concepts of durable skills—teamwork, communication, leadership, problem-solving and critical thinking—but I had no effective way to assess the process of executing the project. One possible solution is to create a structured instrument that addresses the durable skills being featured.

Students who execute group projects without guidance can produce reasonable-quality deliverables. The process is often disorganized and lacks attention to durable skills because students focus on deliverables and not process; thus, little or no learning of durable skills takes place.

What might help? A structured instrument with clear instruction for planning, review, and accountability might provide a way for students to develop stronger durable skills, while executing a project focused on a course’s content. 

I teach an Introduction to Agribusiness and Financial Management class with a large project as the primary deliverable and main assessment. This team project involves writing a business plan for a fictional agribusiness and giving a presentation to request funding for the business. In the past, the results have been mixed. 

This year, I am using a Group Project Meeting Tracking instrument designed to (1) direct the groups in executing this large project, (2) collect data on how the process is advancing, and (3) require reflection by the group members on lessons learned about leadership, teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking. 

This class is taught in a synchronous online format using Zoom as a platform. Each week, the group meets to work on pre-assigned goals, with rotating leader and recorder roles in each meeting. The instrument focuses on assigning Strategic Next Actions (SNAs) to Designated Responsible Individuals (DRIs).  DRIs have responsibility for the specified task rather than the entire project. The SNAs are tied to Meaningful Objectives that I assign for each week, and there are due dates for unresolved SNAs. Every week, the document from the previous week’s meeting is turned in before class, and a new form is provided—tracking weekly progress.  The document also requires reflection from the group on Lessons Learned on Leadership, Teamwork, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking. 

The group project—and so the use of this instrument—is in the early stages. There are some growing pains with helping the students understand the purpose of the Lessons Learned, but it seems to be helping the groups to focus on how to attack the project in a logical way that follows the lecture material. 

I would suggest looking at this sort of instrument as an option for a class, especially one with significant group work, as it presents an opportunity to explicitly work durable skills into the process. I believe this method will help focus the groups on getting the project done in an organized, logical manner, and it will make them aware of what durable skills they are learning in the process. You can reach me at aoneal@virginiawestern.edu to discuss this concept further and share your own insights. 

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Image Acknowledgments

Durable Skills Wheel image developed by America Succeeds used with permission. 

Zoom Call with Coffee image created by Chris Montgomery and free to use under an unsplash.com license.