Abstract:

Higher education is facing diverse and significant forces of disruption, which raise fundamental questions about the purpose of higher education in the 21st century. As information - and indeed disinformation - becomes more freely available than ever before, and as the half-life of knowledge reduces as a result of rapid technological, cultural, political and economic changes, the relative value of information and knowledge depreciates, leaving higher education institutions to reflect upon what their core 'telos' is and how they can remain relevant and truly impactful in a world now defined by hyper-novelty and saturated with information. Parallel to this, recent years have seen graduate employers shift towards a 'skills first' recruitment model, whereby they are increasingly focused on the specific skills that graduate applicants have, rather than simply their area of study and qualification. However, until now higher education institutions have been slow to adapt to this trend.

With this in mind, this presentation will offer a compelling case for the explicit prioritisation of transversal skills, such as creative thinking, communicative competence, data literacy, ethical decision making, and many more, within higher education programmes. It will firstly clarify what is meant by transversal skills and the unhelpful confusion around this and other terms, such as 'soft skills', 'transferable skills', 'human skills' and 'power skills'. Following this, the rationale for the importance of transversal skills to learners' personal and professional development will be clearly articulated, after which a detailed strategy for how to authentically and robustly integrate transversal skills within higher education curricula will be outlined, so that these skills are developed and formally assessed in conjunction with discipline expertise. Included in this will be an exploration of the challenges, values and principles that underpin such a significant educational innovation. This is based on a major strategic initiatives in an Irish university lasting over five years, which has created a robust transversal skills framework for higher education, enabling these skills to be formally assessed within curricula, and has created a digital platform that records learners' transversal skills and also enables them to generate a fully personalised, customisable transversal skills report which they can share with potential employers. This report presents an individual's level of competence is specific transversal skills in a clear, concise and cogent manner, giving learners an advantage in the graduate labour market and assisting employers in making more informed, evidence-based and efficient decisions. As part of the presentation the platform will be demonstrated to attendees, giving then clarity about how it functions and the value it offers within the context of higher education.

Keywords:

Higher education, transversal skills, soft skills, skills, digital innovation, future of education.