Teaching and Assessing Professional Skills

Presentation Date: 

Saturday, June 3, 2023

Location: 

Ottawa

Presentation Slides: 

Abstract: There are many important life and professional skills that students need, which are often not taught or assessed in statistics and mathematics classrooms. When students enter the workplace, they will be expected to: work in teams and have accountability to their team members; communicate technical results in writing for various audiences; design and deliver presentations and field questions; give and receive meaningful feedback; and self-reflect on their goals, progress, and achievements.

Educators should provide opportunities for students to develop these skills throughout their undergraduate education. Moreover, I believe these should be integrated with their technical education, not only as a separate course.

This talk will discuss best practices for incorporating professional skills using team projects, reflective writing, and other authentic assessments. Participants will also be invited to share their own practices and will come away with tangible ideas for incorporating these skills into their classrooms and assessments.