Improving a Learning Program and Navigating Learning

by Samson Adeoye and Eric Kaufman -- 

The summer of 2023 activities comprised three sequential sessions – a project evaluation and two check-ins – where different engaging avenues were employed to further the


Agricultural Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership (AWT4CL) project.

Celeste Carmichael facilitated a focus group as part of the project’s formative evaluation to ensure continuous process improvement and enhanced learning. Members of the AWT4CL cohort met virtually to discuss their experiences and perceptions about the project. According to the cohort, the AWT4CL has helped to enhance their communication, networking, relationship-building, and collaboration skills and abilities. A participant recounted:

“I think it’s been very valuable, and one thing I think would serve us better is the networking aspect. I feel like we have developed relationships and been able to do some checks and balances for one another to improve our program’s consistency across the VCCS.” 

Participants reflected on their new learning and improvements on their jobs due to the PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) project. One participant received an outstanding faculty recognition and monetary award as a result. This further strengthens the notion of durable skills. According to the participants, treating learning as a job (“jobification”) rather than a game (gamification) offers a learning incentive for students. As part of areas for improvement, participants believe peer group learning can be fostered by maximizing available resources.

As they shared their PDSA project experiences in the check-in session facilitated by Dr. Donna Westfall-Rudd, cohort members’ described acquiring and mastering durable skills – such as creativity, innovation, problem-solving, teamwork, and decision-making – as a journey and a process. A member noted: “It’s a process of evolution, and I guess that’s really at the heart of the PDSA model – multiple iterations.” Some of these issues are reiterated in the blog post, “Workplace Scenarios: What Would You Do?” The application of the PDSA model cut across different disciplinary areas, including plant science and technology, dendrology, agribusiness and financial management, horticulture, and animal science. See related blog posts to learn more about the PDSA projects.

Related blog posts on PDSA projects and durable skills 

             

This summer, potential connections between PDSA activities and related durable skills were established with the conscious competence ladder. Dr. Eric Kaufman anchored a session where cohort members highlighted and discussed some of the nuances related to different stages of consciousness in skills acquisition and utilization. The bottom of the ladder – unconscious incompetence – may be described as a stage of naivety where curiosity to learn or develop skills may be low. See a blog post on this interesting phenomenon, where Dr. Kaufman laid out some considerations to learn and “think again.” Conversations also surfaced related to articles in Fast Company and Inside Higher Ed about students’ perceptions to digital badges.

The final check-in for summer 2023 saw an interesting discussion on the need to “think again,” exploring learnings from Adam Grant’s book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know. The key takeaways were thinking like a scientist, conflict management, questioning knowledge, and being open to others’ points of view. The different perspectives tie smoothly back to different aspects of the APLU durable skills and the learning/digital badges attached to them. Small groups and conflict management in synchronous or asynchronous learning stuck out in the discussion. Approaching conflict may vary based on different contexts, but participants agree that students should be encouraged to embrace conflicts and not see them as negative developments that should be avoided. Cohort members are excited to explore the credentialing processes as they pilot the badges with their students.

Learning is a process of continuous improvement, and navigating the learning process requires this consciousness. Which of the elements of the summer trifecta do you find most promising for your durable skills development experience? The project team is happy to hear your feedback.


Acknowledgment:

Conscious Competence Ladder graphic from Taylor et al. (2022) article on "A career development program" in Australian Journal of Career Development.

Note:

The six-person image at the top of the post is a screenshot of the cohort focus group session

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