How Do You Rank in Terms of the Top Ranking Capabilities of Successful Graduates?

Last Friday, February 19, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am, I attended a presentation/workshop with Dr. Geoff Scott from Western Sydney University. I wasn’t given much information about the presentation other than I was invited along with the other Center for Teaching & Learning Directors, Instructional Designers, and Faculty Professional Growth Directors in the district. In fact, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. Who wants to spend a Friday listening to someone talk about assessment. Not this girl. Turns out Dr. Geoff Scott, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education and Sustainability at Western Sydney University and a National Senior Teaching Fellow with the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching is on a fellowship trip visiting colleges and universities across the world. Maricopa was lucky enough to be his only community college stop. His focus was on “Powerful Assessment in Higher Education” and it was quite entertaining. Of course it helps if the presenter has a funny accent and throws out words like bloody, whackit, popo, and mucking around. For example, he told us we have to detoxify the POPOs on our campuses: The pissed on and passed over. I really got a kick out of listening to him and time flew by. Mostly because he was an excellent storyteller. His delivery of the content came alive and was very informative.

The one thing that stood out for me was a list he shared with us that came out of the research they did. They discovered what the top ranking capabilities were successful graduates. The list made me think about my own successes and how my own capabilities contribute to that success. It also made me think about my colleagues that I work with on a daily bases. It reads like a dream list to me, as not everyone is as capable in all 12 areas, but it is something to aspire too. Have a look for yourself. Where do you stack up? How successful are you in your job?

Top ranking capabilities successful graduates in 9 professions

1. Being able to organize work and manage time effectively
2. Wanting to produce as good a job as possible
3. Being able to set and justify priorities
4. Being able to remain calm under pressure or when things go wrong
5. Being willing to face and learn from errors and listen openly to feedback
6. Being able to identify the core issue from a mass of detail in any situation
7. Being able to work with senior staff without being intimidated
8. Being willing to take responsibility for projects and how they turn out
9. Being able to develop and contribute politely to team-based projects
10. A willingness to persevere when things are not working gout as anticipated
11. The ability of empathize and work productively with people from a wide range of backgrounds
12. Being able to develop and use networks of colleagues to help solve key workplace problems