FGCU’s Quality Enhancement Plan focuses on transferable skills
August 20, 2024
Transferable skills are skills that make job applicants stand out to employers, regardless of industry, and include abilities such as teamwork, communication and critical thinking. Students develop these skills in college, but they are often not visible in the titles of courses or the names of majors. To amplify the importance of transferable skills, FGCU is proposing to make transferable skills the highlight of its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
The QEP is part of FGCU’s reaffirmation process by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College (SACSCOC). The plan will undergo review and approval by SACSCOC following their site visit in February 2025. The proposal, “The Skills Advantage: From Campus to Career,” aims to provide more visibility to transferable skills and enhance student-career success. FGCU offers 10 digital skills badges based on the skills employers value most. Students enroll through Canvas and document their path to learning the skill in and out of class in a portfolio. Students will then complete a badge interview and learn how to articulate their skills to employers.
Dr. Glenn Whitehouse, director of core skills and associate professor in philosophy, and Dr. Maria Barbero, assistant professor of integrated studies, present at FGCU’s 2024 Digital Badge Summit.
“As faculty we all teach different subjects; but whatever our content, we also help students gain skills like communication, critical thinking or teamwork,” said Dr. Glenn Whitehouse, director of core skills and associate professor in philosophy. “...Badging is a way to help our students own those skills, communicate them and put them to work to realize their professional dreams.”
Here are few ways faculty and staff can get involved with badging:
- Through faculty cohorts, faculty will learn to create skills-forward assignments that fit into courses and are integrated into their subject matter.
- Faculty workshops are available for those interested in taking an existing assignment and modifying it for badging purposes.
- Staff who have student-facing programs can integrate student activities as part of the badging process.
Faculty and staff interested in integrating badging into their courses or student programs need to contact Dr. Glenn Whitehouse, gwhiteho@fgcu.edu or Patricia Rice, core skills coordinator, price@fgcu.edu. For more information on FGCU’s QEP, visit fgcu.edu/theskillsadvantage.
Wanto to know more?
FGCU is hosting the 2025 Digital Badge Summit Jan. 28-29. The keynote speakers are Dr. Ashley Finley, vice president of research for the American Association of Colleges and Universities; and Rachel Ludwig, vice president of talent development for the Future of Work for the Florida Chamber Foundation. Learn more at fgcu.edu/digitalbadges/digitalbadgesummit
