Our July wallpaper features the Antrokas font and the Auguste Dessert – Watercolor Floral Set.
Included in the free download is one desktop option with a calendar and phone & tablet options without a calendar.
Enjoy!
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.
Inside Mrs Kettle’s classroom
We all know someone who can light up a room as soon as they walk in. That’s Ally Kettle. In her case, it’s a primary school classroom full of children, who are mesmerised by her energy, her command, and her passion for teaching. “My passion is in the classroom, and that’s where I get the most out of who I am.” smiles Ally.
Prior to studying Curtin University’s Bachelor of Education (Primary Education), Ally worked as an interior designer, but she was lacking the satisfaction she once knew as a child – teaching her little brother about the things she’d learnt. Ally had always wanted to teach, so in a change of heart, she called up OUA and asked a student advisor how she could become a teacher. Since completing her Bachelor, she’s moved onto Curtin’s Master of Education, with the hopes of someday becoming a school principal.
What was perfect about OUA’s set-up, was that Ally was able to study in her own time, and use school hours to volunteer at a primary school. When a graduate teaching position came up at Tulliallan Primary School, Ally jumped at the chance. It was her degree, combined with her work experience, that landed her the job over hundreds of applicants.
Now based at Tulliallan Primary School, Ally finds joy in teaching science to 5-12 year olds, who absolutely adore her. “My job is to engrave a love of science into them,” explains Ally, “because back when I was at school I hated it… and I want something different for them”. Ally continues to study through OUA, owing her success to the flexible nature of study, and her personal drive to excel. “When I really applied myself, I succeeded, and I’m so thankful I can say that”.
Study what energises you
Don’t settle on a job that doesn’t feel right. Reach for your dream career, and let OUA be your first step.
- Find the right degree for you – We can guide you in your selection from over 290 degrees, and 1500 subjects, from leading Australian unis.
- No barriers to study – We offer single undergraduate subjects from full degrees without any entry requirements.
- Gain credit towards your degree – Apply for credit for past study, or your work experience, and finish faster.
- Graduate with a degree from a leading uni – Study through us, but graduate with exactly the same university degree as on-campus students.
- Support from start to finish – Our Student Advisors can guide you in the right direction and help with your enrolment.
To express your interest in any of the degrees or single subjects on offer through OUA – fill out the form on this page and a friendly Student Advisor will get in contact.
If you’re keen to explore on your own, simply head over to our website to browse the extensive catalogue of courses from universities across Australia.
Young minds in Nikki’s hands
Seven years ago, Nikki decided to make the move from the Philippines to Sydney, to broaden her opportunities, and challenge herself in a new environment. With a psychology degree to her name, Nikki went back into study – this time, focusing her energy on early childhood education. As a naturally warm and patient person, Nikki was a great fit, and felt her ambition grow stronger. To give herself the strongest possible foundation, Nikki enrolled in Macquarie University’s Master of Teaching (Birth to 5 years), online through Open Universities Australia.
Nikki hits the books at night, while during the day, she works as a Room Leader at KU Children’s Services. She’s in charge of a small group of children, guiding them as they explore new things, and connect with others around them. “The relationships that I’m able to form with the children, and seeing the world from their perspective – it helps me appreciate life more”. What Nikki loves about studying while working is that she can apply what she’s learning immediately, and witness how it works in a real setting. She’s often learned a technique during a night of study, then tried it out the very next morning on the children under her care.
“The relationships that I’m able to form with the children, and seeing the world from their perspective – it helps me appreciate life more”
Nearing the finish line of her degree, Nikki is soon to be a fully qualified professional, and can’t wait to be a positive influence on Sydney’s youngest and most impressionable minds.
Find yourself in a meaningful role
There are so many reasons to pursue meaningful work – the work hours fly by faster, you’re more motivated to get out of bed, and you come home feeling more satisfied. Making a career change is easy through OUA – whether it’s a small shift, or a total 180°.
- Find the right course for you – We can guide you in your selection from over 170 degrees, and 1300 subjects, from leading Australian unis.
- Start studying, regardless of history – We offer single undergraduate subjects from full degrees without any entry requirements.
- Gain credit towards your degree – Apply for credit for past study, or your work experience, and finish faster.
- Graduate with a degree from a leading uni – Study through us, but graduate with exactly the same university degree as on-campus students.
- Feel supported from start to finish – Our Student Advisors can guide you in the right direction and help with your enrolment.
To express your interest in any of the courses on offer through OUA – fill out the form on this page, and a friendly student advisor will get in contact. Otherwise, head over to our website to browse over 190 degrees and 1500 subjects from leading Australian universities.
Related courses:
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) – Curtin
Master of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) – Curtin
Master of Education – Curtin
A career 180° for criminology graduate
It was mid-career when Chris began work in the justice system, with no prior experience. He’d worked in hospitality, retail and aged care, but never law. What landed him a job, and turned his life around, was the degree he’d recently completed – Griffith University’s Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
As a Court Assessment and Prosecutions Supervisor, Chris’ day-to-day work sees him mentoring staff, appearing in court, assessing people’s suitability for court orders, and prosecuting those who defy court orders, to name a few duties. His goal at the end of the day is to protect the community, and help offenders better themselves by listening to their stories, empathising, and supporting them back into good behaviour. Chris adores his role – it’s the most meaningful he’s ever had. “When you walk out of here at 5 o’clock, you’ve made a difference”.
In 2001 after high school, Chris enrolled online study, but found that the technology at the time was lacking. On top of that, the subject matter wasn’t of interest, so Chris jumped into the workforce instead, motivated to make money to support a child on the way. Years later, after a separation from his partner, Chris went in search of a big change, and found it in a new degree. “It was a turning point in my life – it was really something that I wanted to do,” recalls Chris “and the fact that I committed myself to it, and got through it, was a real feather in my cap”.
“You see it on TV, but it’s actually nothing like that. You’re dealing with real people”
Chris’ favourite aspects of the course were psychology, where he was able to get into the mind of a criminal, and the court process, which taught him about the types of courts and the roles within them. He was particularly interested to learn about things like the events between the point of arrest and appearing in court. “You see it on TV, but it’s actually nothing like that. You’re dealing with real people” says Chris.
Chris plans to continue working his job up until retirement, attesting to the old adage that a person who loves their job will never work a day in their life. With hard work and a little faith, it’s entirely possible to turn your career around.
There’s always a way
Landing your dream role isn’t an easy task, but you’ve got to start somewhere, and the best first step is knowledge. Through Open Universities Australia (OUA), you can:
- Find the right course – Choose from over 290 degrees and 1500 single subjects from universities across Australia.
- Earn the same degree as on-campus – Enrol through us, then study online with your chosen uni (and graduate with them too).
- Study, regardless of your history – Start with single undergraduate subjects without any entry requirements.
- Gain credit towards your degree – Apply for credit for past study or work experience, and finish faster.
- Feel supported from start to finish – Get help from a friendly student advisor, right through to graduation.
To express your interest in this course, or any that we offer – fill out the form on this page, and we’ll put you in touch with a friendly student advisor. If you’re keen to explore on your own, simply head over to our website to browse the extensive catalogue of courses from universities across Australia.
Related courses through OUA:
Bachelor of Criminal Justice – University of South Australia
Bachelor of Laws – University of New England
Master of Criminology – Macquarie University
Master of Forensic Mental Health – Griffith University
Juris Doctor – RMIT University
Retrieval Practice and Bloom’s Taxonomy
By Cindy Nebel
As researchers attempting to bridge psychological science and education, we come across several challenges. Each of us has expertise in the area of retrieval practice, where many of the classic studies take place in the laboratory with simple materials. Researchers have therefore attempted to answer several questions to address the extent to which the research conducted in the laboratory meaningfully applies to the classroom. We have discussed these issues in previous blogs, specifically with relation to the lab to classroom model, transfer to related material, and how knowledge of facts are required for application.
One criticism that we have received is that retrieval practice is primarily good for fact learning, but not for higher-order learning. In other words, retrieval practice might serve rote memorization but not the ability to critically think about material or apply it. We addressed this question here and explained that facts must be sufficiently encoded in order to use those facts in a new situation. Because retrieval supports knowledge acquisition, retrieval practice of facts should therefore support application.
However, a recently published study (1) by one of our colleagues, Dr. Pooja Agarwal, examined whether retrieval practice could do more than just support the acquisition of factual information. The study was based on a common prescription for using Bloom’s taxonomy (2): students should first focus on the lower levels of the taxonomy before higher-order thinking can be accomplished. Dr. Agarwal directly compared retrieval practice with the use of lower vs. higher-order thinking to determine if the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy were indeed necessary before moving to more complex thinking. Here is what she did:
First, she examined the effect of quizzing using either fact or higher-order questions on a final test two days later using laboratory materials. Participants read passages that supported two sides of a controversial issue (e.g. “Does welfare do more harm than good?”) and then were given the opportunity to study the passage again, took a fact-based quiz, or took a higher-order quiz over the passage. In order to illustrate the difference, here is an example of each type of question:
Over 100 ‘Evergreen’ New York Times Articles With Questions and Activities for Students
The above video is featured in this Article of the Day.
_________
Every school day we choose an important or interesting news or feature story to become our Article of the Day, then write a quick series of questions and activities designed to help students both understand the piece and connect it to their own lives.
Each edition has suggestions for engaging students before they read, comprehension and critical thinking questions to support them as they go, and ideas for taking the topic further when they’re done.
As you might expect, many of our Articles of the Day respond to the big issues and news events of the day. This year, topics included the U.S. midterm elections, the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh and the California wildfires, along with international events like protests and crises in France, Sudan and Venezuela.
But we also try hard to choose pieces as our Article of the Day that are “evergreen”: stories that are interesting in their own right, and that will be powerful, vivid and compelling in the future. From the 181 Articles of the Day we published during the 2018-19 school year, we selected 102 evergreen stories to include in the categorized list below, drawn from the Arts, Sports, U.S., World, Education, Science, Health and Technology sections. We hope some of these articles and their related learning activities can become part of your curriculum.
Have you taught with our Article of the Day feature? Let us know how, and please share any suggestions you might have for making it even more useful, by posting a comment.
Science and Technology
Global History, Politics and Culture
In a virtual world, the sky is no longer the limit
Kayleigh Oliver began her career as one of just six women in a room full of more than 100 computing students. 10 years later, she works as a QA and Release Manager at Immerse, a virtual reality training software company. Kayleigh also runs her own app development business in her spare time. We spoke to her about the exciting real-world opportunities opening up through the virtual environments.
While the technology surrounding VR continues to advance at pace, the skills and qualities needed for a successful career remain the same.
The new BSc in Computer Science, launched by the University of London and member institution Goldsmiths, has been developed to meet demand for talent in advanced technologies like virtual reality.
Virtual reality is a really exciting field because there is so much potential. With VR, people can access training wherever they’re based around the world. With our platform, all they need is a headset and a link to the scenario.
When Facebook spent $2 billion in 2014 to acquire Oculus, a small start-up specializing in VR headsets, confidence and interest in virtual reality soared. Now, with the global VR market predicted to be worth $49.7 billion by 2023, companies across a diverse range of industries are investing in the trends of virtual reality and augmented reality.
One such application is in training: the virtual reality software company Immerse works with a range of clients, from Shell to EY, to create bespoke VR training programs. Kayleigh Oliver has worked for Immerse for more than two years, managing a team of QA engineers.
“It’s my role to ensure that every product we release is high-quality and that the underlying infrastructure running the VR technology works correctly, however and wherever it’s being accessed. I’m good at it because I’ve got good attention to detail – everything has to feel exactly right. It’s a highly technical job but you also need to be able to communicate clearly and accurately. For example, it’s key to write precise reproduction steps to fix any bugs you identify. Virtual reality is also a physical setting for fully testing functionality, so there’s no need to hit the gym after work!”
Industry estimates suggest more than a billion people will regularly access virtual reality and augmented reality content by 2020. Kayleigh believes more companies should consider the benefits of VR technology for their business.
“Virtual reality is a really exciting field because there is so much potential. One of the clients we have worked with is a leader in mobile satcomms that uses satellites worth around £80 million. They needed to be able to train their staff to use that equipment without risking wear and tear. With VR, people can access the training wherever they’re based around the world – all they need is a headset and a link to the scenario.”
Kayleigh earned her degree in software engineering more than a decade ago. However, as she explained that while the technology surrounding VR continues to advance at pace, the skills and qualities needed for a successful tech career remain the same.
My degree taught me how to learn programming languages. If you learn the core elements – data structures, loops, algorithms – you can apply that to any language that is developed in the future.
“Hardly any of the programming languages I learned back then are still being used. But my degree taught me how to learn languages – how to pick things up quickly, test them, and work out what I liked. If you learn the core elements of a language – data structures, loops, algorithms – you can apply that to any language that is developed in the future.
“Beyond the technical understanding you gain, studying a degree teaches you essential soft skills you’ll need in any job. Things like how to work with team members with different priorities; and how to communicate technical information to non-technical people. Tech is always evolving and new software is constantly being launched – that’s one of the exciting things about it – but the soft skills will be useful throughout your career.”
Beyond the technical understanding you gain, studying a degree teaches you essential soft skills you’ll need in any job.
In addition to her VR role, Kayleigh has also set up her own app development business, Junction 5. Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is simple – don’t be afraid to fail, and to learn quickly from your experiences.
“To run your own business you have to be very determined to stay ahead of the curve. Make sure you’re keeping up with what’s going on in the industry, and don’t be afraid to experiment with new devices and software. You might fail, just make sure you fail fast, learn from it, and move on. Working in tech is rewarding because everyone loves what they do. If you love technology then it’s not just a job – it’s your passion.”
Find out more about BSc Computer Science degrees like BSc Computer Science (Virtual Reality).
Grids are gone, Welcome2 T-Quad
I’m sure you have heard of this old ditty from the days of past, “Ol’McDonald had a grid, e-i-ee-io. And on this Grid he has some vendors, e-i-e-i-o. He had vendors in this quad, he had vendors in that quad and didn’t have your vendor, e–i-e-i-o.”
As you can see Ol’McDonald was a traditionalist. He stayed true to what many of us are used to when it came to grids and learning systems or grids with anything in the consumer markets.
Yes, Ol’McDonald who was probably 120 back in the early seventies, so he knew his grids.
A New Approach
Say so long to the grids of yesterday. Leaders quad? Up and comers? Average? Avoid like the plague err low on the pole quad?
Well, they do work, heck I’ve used that approach in the past. But, after consulting my horse – a long day on the Pony Express will do that, I said to Igor, we need to change this up. No, we cannot stay on the farm with Mr. McDonald. We need to recognize what folks really want to know – who to buy!
T-Quad
Three quadrants – I’ll call them building blocks or just block for short. Each block err quad (the formal term) will have different labels depending on the category itself.
LMS T-Quad
Top of Quad – the main top tier quad – will be systems to Buy (a listing of six) – with dots on the area, based on functionality, UI/UX, Analytical data, data visualization and reporting,
The top quad will cover Functionality/UI and UX (learner side), then the next top quad in this category will focus solely on the administration side including UI/UX and data visualization/analytical data and metrics. The third will be Wild Card (sounds cool, huh?).
The mid-quad – part of the T, are “Vendors to Watch” ” (six vendors) – This is a list of vendors who you may want to buy, but recognize they are on the rise – potentials – just like your favorite actor who you feel is underrated because they haven’t had that breakout role, but they are talented!
In all seriousness, these are systems that I have no problem recommending, but recognize they are in the potential phase.
They could continue to rise and achieve elite or they could slump and be right there on the Lifetime movie channel or whatever channel you have that shows movies that are between the direct to video circuit or handed out on a street corner.
At the base of the T – is the third quad. This will be a group of six vendors who once were on the rise, but something has happened. They aren’t in the “do not buy and/or avoid category”, rather they are in the “consider category, but be aware that they have some flaws.”
Wild Card are all the tangibles – support, training, roadmap track-record, Tier 1 NexGen. You could find vendors that are in the other quads at the top level, equally here and the same applies to the second category of Admin UI/UX/data one too.
Compare Three
That is right. From all that information noted above with the three T’s will come a mini-table listing the top three that score the highest in each quad (points will be identified, so there is no confusion. Maybe Widget in category one is “recommend to buy” – that is worth 10 points. Widget is in the lower T in second category worth three points. Widget in “Wild Card” is lower T again, another three points.
Widget scores 16 points. I doubt Widget makes it to the final three.
LXP T-Quad (Six per Quad)
I have to ask. Who did you like better – Mother Nature, Mr. Freeze ( I can’t recall his name and I am too lazy to look it up) or Heat miser? No reason, just curious.
Anyway, the LXP T-Quad is going to be served up a bit different. It is still a T, but will be three categories.
Category 1 – Functionality (excluding skills specific)/UI/UX (Learner and Admin), Data and reporting/content partnerships/marketplace
Category 2 – Skill building and development – functionality and capabilities
Similar to the LMS:
Top of the T – Recommend Buy
Mid T – Vendors to Watch
Lower T – Flawed, but doable.
Top Three
Add em up and score. The Final Three.
So yes, you could be a “Buy” in category 1, and a dumpster fire in category 2. Uh, I will not be publishing that list (i.e. dumpster fire).
Sales Enablement Platform T-Quad (Six Per Quad)
These are systems that focus on sales training (also customer service – but they do not always pitch that). They all have some level of a sales component to them, hence the entire platform, some even have a mini CRM, but not all. What they do have – most that is – are channels or playlists of sales content. So they are heavily focused on sales training.
The T-Quad here is different, because so many folks are unaware of them, it is a very small niche compared to other learning systems, and thus it isn’t fair to follow the T structure as the others.
It is one category – The entire system – with the focus being on the learning side of the platform, since they push strongly on sales training.
Some SEPs include Raven360, QStream, Mind Tickle, the soon to be launched Hub360, ShowPad (just raised 70M USD in series D funding and bought LearnCore last year for 50M USD) and Brainshark. That is just a few names, there are a lot more, thus, there will be a Sales Enablement Platform Buyer’s Guide coming out this fall with the entire list of the systems.
The Grid appears at the same time, and thus, listed by “Recommend”, “Consider”, “Maybe go back to Consider”. I’m kidding.
Recommend, Consider, Potential – those are the three quads.
There isn’t a score break out per se though.
NexGen Learning Systems T-Quad (Eight per Quad)
These are vendors who have excelled in the areas of mentoring, skill management, data visualization (ideally includes BI tools or integration), integration app capabilities (beyond the usual of Salesforce, HRIS platforms, etc.), Playlist/Channel functionality, content curation, video management, machine learning and mobile Version 2.0.
– You could see LMSs, LXP, SEP, Learning Platforms, whatever a vendor wants to call themselves but it is a learning system solution, micro-learning platform, etc.
The breakouts are
a. Elite – You can’t go wrong with any of these vendors
b. Gold – Still can’t go wrong, but are not the whole package, very strong, just not elite.
c. On the Rise – Has some really strong areas, and some average areas, hasn’t risen to the level of Gold.
Learning Systems Bell Curve
It is a bird. No, wait a plane. Superman – you are alive – but after seeing your last movie, please go back and be dead.
Bell curves can be a bit wonky to some folks, and I totally understand.
This bell curve though will have labels so you know where the vendor is at all times. If they are in the middle – i.e. top of the bell curve (Elite), heading down the curve (right of the top) – depending where they are on the curve, not as strong as they once were, but still solid/good, if they are at the lower bottom – there are better ones out there, do not waste your money.
On the left side of the bell curve – the “risers”, the “ones to watch”, and near the top on that little bit of bell right below the top – Very good.
Basically, left side, top are recommend depending on your needs; right side off of top, still good/solid, mid of the right side of the curve – uh, have you heard of the Titanic? Abandon ship! Bottom of the curve? Better option is being part of the Poseidon Adventure (Great movie, but a key reason, why I won’t go on a cruise ship).
I think you see where this is going
They will play a key role in the 2020 Top 50 Learning Systems – not all of the entire criteria mind you, but a very important role – so you can see early on here in mid to late 2019, where they are placed, based on the T-Quad.
And now a brief word on my Gender research study
For those who are not aware, I am working on a research study involving gender in the workplace and leadership development. The study is focusing on the learning system space. A study investigating this area (I am holding off making all the details public) has never been conducted before in e-learning, let alone learning systems.
Since learning systems make up the biggest segment of e-learning, it was fitting to start here.
Over 100 learning systems around the world have been contacted and asked to participate. From vendors in the 10 people range to ones over 14,000 employees.
Many have been very supportive and have already responded with their information (I requested) or will be doing so in the next 1.5 weeks.
While the list of those already “in” is extensive, here are some names you might recognize (this is not the entire list of vendors who are participating)
Linkedin, Workday, SumTotal, Cornerstone On Demand, Skillsoft, eLogic, Cross Knowledge, D2L, Unicorn LMS, Saba, Docebo, Digits Glo, Fuse Universal, Degreed, EdCast, Udemy, Growth Engineering, eCom Scotland, Skillgate, Learning Pool, Spoke (Unboxed Technology), Eurekos, Gyrus Aim, Instancy On Demand, UpsideLMS, Absorb, Coorpacademy, Learn Amp and Axonify.
Here are vendors we contacted and heard only crickets (despite multiple requests)
Coursera, OpenEDX, Blackboard, Adobe, Oracle, Mind Tickle, QStream and G01.
One vendor informed us that they have declined to participate
SAP
Publish Time (August) and Interviews
The study will be published in late August. It will be 100% Free.
It will include interviews from several folks including those from Linkedin, Cornerstone, SumTotal, Axonify – thank you Carol – amazing CEO, Growth Engineering and Cross Knowledge.
And it will contain additional data based upon our research topics.
There will be two posts on the subject material. One will be on this blog, the other on my Findanlms.com site.
Lastly, there will be a video of my findings, that will be on the Findanlms.com web site, under our new vendor videos section coming at the end of July. Yes, I will have my own channel/playlist too.
Bottom Line
From the study, I can’t thank the vendors who are participating enough. We have had vendors reach out to us, saying they want to be part of the study and we sent them over the information. To any vendor who wants in, but we do not have on our list – please contact me, and I will send you over what I need.
As for the Grids, I refer back to my old traditional friend, Ol’McDonald,
“There’s a new grid, over there is another new grid, hey check it out, these are
Grids, and not grits.”
E-Learning 24/7
Winners of Our Second Annual Student Podcast Contest
The inner monologue of an anxious teenager. A fictional radio story about a robot takeover. An investigative report about teenage climate activists. A personal narrative about what it’s like to have a baby at 15.
These are just a few of the winning pieces from our Second Annual Student Podcast Contest, in which we invited teenagers to create an original audio program, five minutes or less, about anything they wanted.
We received nearly 900 submissions — including interviews, conversations, reviews, investigations, personal stories and fictional tales — from students all over the world.
But there were 39 entries — 12 winners, 15 runners-up and 12 honorable mentions — that stood above the rest. These podcasts pulled us in right from the start and kept our attention to the end. They brought their topics to life with music, environmental noise, media clips and the human voice. They were entertaining, informative and emotionally gripping.
But don’t take our word for it. You can listen to all the finalists for yourself, below.
Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone for participating! In the meantime, don’t forget our Summer Reading Contest, which runs from June 14 to Aug. 23.
_________
Student Podcast Contest Winners
“How My 90-year-old Neighbor, a Holocaust Survivor, Sees America Today” by Lila Shroff
“Sexism at Lillian Osborne” by Kaia Janmohamed
“Teen Pregnancy Story” by Trinity Edwards
“The Truth About Your Seat Belt” by Molly Cleary
“A Day in the Life of an Anxious High Schooler” by Cece Benz
“Ram’s Evolution” by Tomer Keysar
“Alexa, the Start of the Robot Revolution” by Silas Bartol and Mila Barnes-Bukher
“The Ides of March: An Uprising to Save the Earth” by Madeleine Klass
“Black Ink” by Kaela Wilkinson and Jalen Lewis
“Period Poverty” by Genevieve Schweitzer
“Depression Memes and Me: Why I Stopped Looking at Depression Memes” by Zuheera Ali
“My Incarcerated Family” by Samantha Zazueta (shown at the top of this post)
_________
Runners-Up
In alphabetical order by title
Note: Students who submitted more than one entry, or who used copyrighted music, were disqualified.
_________
Contest judges: Jessica Cheung, Caroline Crosson Gilpin, Jeremy Engle, Michael Gonchar, Willow Lawson, Julia Longoria, Keith Meatto, Andy Mills, Kelly Prime and Natalie Proulx
It’s a Match: Essential Skills Mapped to Critical Business Functions
By Kyle Clark, Enterprise Content Strategist
Coursera’s Essential Skills Map identifies the skills of tomorrow for key functions, future-proofing your workforce while helping your business keep pace with digital transformation.
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Technology is rapidly transforming the nature of jobs and skills. Partnering with over 1,900 companies globally through Coursera for Business takes us deep into the evolving skills landscape, where the increasing rate of digital change is reducing the half-life of skills. An ongoing challenge for companies is to reliably identify the future skills they will need. The World Economic Forum points to a ‘growing skills instability’ and estimates that the core skills required to perform most roles will change by 42% (on average) by 2022. More than ever, employees must walk a tightrope between improving current skills and acquiring new skills. Companies need to anticipate and invest in developing future skills that will matter while also steering investment away from skills that will become obsolete. Those who linger will increasingly be disrupted by agile, digitally transformed players vying for a piece of their market share.
To address the skills transformation problem, we have developed an Essential Skills Map for Digital Transformation – our recommendations of the critical skills you need to compete and succeed in your industry. Our Essential Skills Map is based on an exhaustive analysis of data from millions of Coursera learners on trending and future skills, from AI to design thinking, that key functions in your organization need. In other words, these are the skills employees in critical teams should be learning to help you stay ahead of the competition.
Essential skills by function (no one size fit all)
Coursera’s Essential Skills Map is based on learner enrollments, performance data, and insights from over 40 million learners globally combined with our experience partnering with over 1,900 enterprise customers from around the world. Our algorithms determine the top skills learners in specific roles are pursuing. We then add insights from our content experts and enterprise partners to distill the data into recommendations by skill and function. The final result is the Essential Skills Map, which displays the top three recommended skills in business, technology, and data that learners need across specific business functions.
Competency mapping made easy
We hear time and time again from our customers that creating competency and skill maps for multiple functions is expensive and time-intensive. Even worse, many of our customers’ competency maps become out of date soon after launch. But companies need some way to understand skills across functions in order to achieve their goals, especially since digital transformation requires organization-wide changes. The Essential Skills Map solves for the initial heavy lifting of competency mapping by helping you pinpoint future skills across your most critical business functions. It also stays up-to-date because the Map itself is based on dynamic data from our platform that automatically updates over time. In short, we provide the latest skills map so you can continuously identify where you need to focus.
Matching trending skills to courses from the world’s leading institutions
Besides identifying the top skills for major functions, the Essential Skills Map also matches the corresponding courses that your employees can take on Coursera to acquire those skills. For example, the top skills for Engineering include Leadership, Agile Management, and Machine Learning, so we recommend the following courses: Foundations of Everyday Leadership, Digital Product Management: Modern Fundamentals, and Neural Networks and Deep Learning. We provide similar recommendations across functions including Data Science, Finance, and Marketing, as well as Management.
To get started and access the Essential Skills Map for your organization, reach out to our Essential Skills Specialists. Customers, contact your Customer Success Manager for more details.
Coursera’s Essential Skills Map builds on Coursera’s rich database of talent insights and is used by organizations worldwide to design winning workforce transformation strategies. Learn more about how your industry stacks up in the skills of tomorrow in the Coursera Global Skills Index 2019.
