TRANSFERABLE SKILLS ASSESSMENT

UCONN HESA

NOTE: Skill items were generated from research by Pope & Reynolds (1997), Waple (2006), Herdlein (2004), Burkhard et.al (2005).

Directions:

BACKGROUND STEP 1: Look at or at position announcements that may of interest to you. For the most interesting positions, you may be able to find specific information about preferred skills from the position announcement. If you can’t find specific information, go to the institution’s website to try to find a full position description.

STEP 2: Base this step on your review of preferred job announcements and position descriptionsand your reflections with faculty and prior supervisors. For each of the skills listed, please indicate in the appropriate spaces, your general level of current competence and the level of competency you desire to reach by the end of your HESA program. Use the following rating scale:

4= high level of competency [typically found among entry-entry levelprofessionals]

3= moderate level of competency[typically found among graduate students]

2= minimal experience with this skill[some exposure, but not significant]

  1. = no experience with this skill

Example:

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
1 / 4 / Manage physical resources / **
2 / 2 / Group facilitation

STEP 3: Review your rankings and place two stars by the seven skill areas that you would most like to develop through your practicum experience. These will most likely be skills where there is a gap between current and desired competence;however, you may also chose to strengthen some areas already developed as well.

MULTICULTURAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
______
______
______
______
______
______/ ______
______
______
______
______
______/ Recognize, articulate and advance the needs of
Students of color,
Women students,
Students with disabilities,
LGBTQ students,
Students with various religious orientations
Others who have historically been underserved and underrepresented. / ______
______
______
______
______
______
Interact effectively with diverse students.
Build effective teams among students who have diverse identities
Demonstrate cooperative relationships among those with different cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation identities
Demonstrate awareness of my own culture, biases and cultural assumptions
Apply knowledge of cultural differences to make sensitive and appropriate interventions/referrals
OTHER:

COLLEGE STUDENT NEEDS AND DEVELOPMENT

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
Advise student groups
Advise individual students
Recognize and evaluate dynamics of student groups.
Interpret and enforce university policies and regulations
Apply student development theory
Understand, articulate and apply demographic trends regarding students and student characteristics
OTHER:

PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITIES

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
Demonstrate flexibility in managing work
Use creativity in addressing problems effectively
Apply active listening skills
______
______
______
______/ ______
______
______
______/ Utilize effective oral communication skills with
  • groups
  • colleagues
  • supervisor
  • formal presentations
  • students

Mediate conflict
Understand and apply effective assertiveness/confrontation skills
Participate as a university representative on department committees, task forces, etc.
______
______
______
______
______/ ______
______
______
______
______/ Utilize effective written communication skills in
  • memos
  • summaries
  • information reports
  • program justifications
  • training materials

______
______
______
______/ ______
______
______
______/ Effectively provide information and advice to
  • students
  • faculty
  • parents
  • University staff
  • Other stakeholders (e.g town leaders)

______
______
______
______/ ______
______
______
______/ Understand and apply ethical precepts and critical thinking skills in
  • Recognizing a problem or issue
  • Identifying options
  • Making reasonable choices
  • Having the conviction and ability to implement choices

______
______
______
______
______/ ______
______
______
______
______/ Understand and work effectively within a campus organizational culture as it relates to
  • “reading” the organizational culture
  • Understanding how decisions are made
  • Understanding collaboration patterns
  • Understanding formal and informal leadership
  • Understanding how power is distributed
  • Understanding how information is shared

OTHER:

RESEARCH STRATEGIES AND PROGRAM ASSESSMENT

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
Use research and/or assessment results to inform administrative decisions
Provide and/or participate in program evaluation
Understand how program evaluation and/or assessment is created or used
______
______
______
______
______
______/ ______
______
______
______
______
______/ Provide and/or participate in assessment projects, such as
  • Student needs assessment
  • Utilization of services
  • Student Satisfaction
  • Outcomes
  • Benchmarking
  • Campus Environment

Understand appropriate resources for program evaluation and/or assessment
OTHER:

STUDENT LEARNING INITIATIVES

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
Recruit participants for programs & activities
Present/facilitate programs
Plan, coordinate and oversee student programming
Collaborate with other departments or offices regarding programs or services
Promote university programs and events through such activities as designing public relations materials, creating advertising, developing marketing strategies
Instruct undergraduate courses
OTHER:

RESOURCE UTILIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
Prioritize work efficiently
Manage multiple tasks –multitasking
Participate in staff selection
Participate in staff recruitment
Develop and/or maintain budget
Supervise employees
Understand physical resources and facilities management issues =
Understand financial management issues
Setting goals and/or articulating a vision
______
______/ ______
______/ Use technology effectively to complete work and communicate with others
  • Websites
  • Databases

______
______/ ______
______/ Develop and/or provide training for employees
  • Pre-service
  • On-going

OTHER:

HISTORY AND FOUNDATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Current competence / Desired competence / SKILL / TOP seven that may be addressed in practicum
Effectively apply leadership theory
Understand and apply legal issues & concepts
Effectively apply management theory
Understand how strategic planning is used
Articulate the philosophy of the department I work in
OTHER:

Some reflection questions to think about:

  1. What are my skill strengths?
  2. What skills need additional attention?
  3. What might I do in a practicum site to develop the skills that are most important to me?
  4. Are there additional considerations that might influence my choice of a practicum? These might include logistical considerations like location, time of day that you would be involved OR more substantive considerations like characteristics of your supervisor, quality of the office, etc.
  5. What questions might I ask to learn about
  6. the skill development opportunities available in a practicum?
  7. the additional considerations?