Author Archives: Melissa Anderson

SJSU Plans Spring Pilot of 21st Century Skills Badge Program

San Jose State University is pilot testing a new 21st Century Skills Badge program in collaboration with Education Design Lab and two of SJSU’s top employers: Cisco and Enterprise Holdings.  The effort aims to identify which skills are most needed for entry-level positions with these employers and validate that students who have earned badges for the desired skills successfully transition to work with the employers.

SJSU is one of seven institutions selected to work with Education Design Lab, a nonprofit that specializes in designing and implementing new learning models, to evaluate the efficacy of the digital skills badge program that has been in development for nearly four years.

Don Fraser, an education designer and director of 21st Century Skills Badging, visited San Jose State University Dec. 10 to host a focus group with representatives from employer partners, SJSU’s Career Center, faculty and administrators, as well as a second workshop with students.

“We established this program to address the school-to-work pipeline,” Fraser said, of the #TeeUpTheSkills campaign.  The idea is that employers are looking for a skill set that resembles a T – with critical skills across the top of the t that are needed in all fields, and technical skills that are unique to each industry or position that form the base of the T.

Education Design Lab has developed curriculum around eight skills that they identify as key needs for employers from all disciplines including initiative, collaboration, critical thinking, resilience, oral communication, empathy, intercultural fluency and creative problem-solving.

During the first focus group with employers, Fraser walked them through an exercise that helped them identify the top three or four skills needed for their positions.

During the focus group with seniors who will graduate in 2019, Fraser helped students identify what they thought employees would most want to see, what activities they are involved in that might help them develop some of the skills listed, and what skills they most would want to develop.

Christian Orozco, Justice Studies, ’19, said he could see critical thinking developing as he watches sports.

“I am trying to identify patterns in mixed martial arts, so I can see what could the other person do to adapt to the moves,” he said, of one of the subskills under critical thinking.

Annol Pannu, Business, HR concentration, ’19, saw one of the skills in the Ted Talks she watches.

“I am gathering and assessing relevant information,” she said.

Anita Manuel, the associate director of career education in SJSU’s Career Center, said the university will pilot two of the eight badges in the spring.  The badge areas will be selected based on areas that line up for the employee partners and students.

“We want this to be accessible to all students, but as we pilot it we may reach out to capstone courses or senior seminars,” Manuel said, noting that the badges will likely be available as modules in Canvas, SJSU’s learning management system. “The goal is to have at least 50 students participate in the spring where students can get feedback from the Career Center, peers, faculty and employer partners.”

 

“New, AI-driven recruiting methods enable employers to assess fit for roles based on disaggregated bundles of skills rather than college majors alone,” said Catherine Voss Plaxton, SJSU Career Center director. “In other words, the sociology student may be a perfect fit for a user-experience position if they can provide evidence they have right mix of skills.  The process of earning a 21st Century Skills Badge can be a strong way to shift student understanding of those skills from the abstract to the specific behaviors valued in workplaces.”

Meg Virick, interim associate dean of Undergraduate Programs in the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, attended the focus group with other colleagues.

“Preparing students for the workforce has always been a high priority for us, and the focus group held Dec. 10 exemplified that effort – bringing together representatives from industry, academia and the non-profit world around the table,” she said.

Spartan Completion Grant Helps Grads Get to Finish Line

Lean Columna, ’18 Civil Engineering, is one of 122 fall graduates who are part of a new pilot program for Spartan Completion Grants.

“I have always been intrigued by the various structures that I’ve come across in my life,” he said, noting his interest in the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland. “When I visited that place, I was fascinated on how the structure was built and the features constructed through engineering.”

As he worked toward his degree, Columna found support in his department, with peers studying for exams and doing homework together, and sharing ideas.

“It means a lot for me and my family,” he said, of completing his degree this fall. “My father is the only one in the family that has a degree. As the first born, it sets a great example for my siblings who are also on their way to achieving goals.”

His advice to other students: “Reach out to one another in your department. Find people you can work well together with and help one another out. You’re not alone in all of this.”

The Spartan Completion Grant program provides funds to students who are on track to graduate within one year, in good academic standing and have a financial need. Students are not required to apply for the grants, but those who meet the eligibility criteria are selected by a campus committee. For more information on the grant program, visit the site.

Tenure and Promotion: Jooyeon Ha

Jooyeon Ha

Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

Years at SJSU: 4

Department: Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management

RSCA focus: Hospitality services marketing, foodservice management, consumer psychology, consumer behavior, food and cultures, hospitality quality management and information technology in hospitality management

Associate Professor Jooyeon Ha participated in the 2016 University Grant Academy, and has received SJSU Central RSCA grants to support her research on solo dining and measuring quality of service technology in restaurants. She has presented research on dining alone at the Korean American Hospitality & Tourism Educators Association Conference, where she received the 2018 Award for Excellence in Service, and the Asia Pacific Tourism Association (APTA) Conference.

Her latest accepted article “Why do people try different restaurants? The investigation of personality, involvement, and customer satisfaction” will be published in the International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration. Other recent articles have focused on online hotel booking behavior, how authenticity at ethnic restaurants influences the experience and how loyal customers perceived the quality of restaurants.

Ha teaches five courses that prepare her students to work in a global industry, including an internship class and multicultural and international issues in hospitality management. She serves on her department’s search and RTP committee, and has served on a multitude of other college and department-level committees.

Note: Congratulations to the 43 faculty members who received tenure and/or promotion for 2018-19. We have invited each faculty member to participate in a series of posts profiling their teaching, service, and research, scholarship and creativity activities. Those faculty who opted to participate will be featured throughout the fall semester on the Academic Spotlight blog and the digital sign in the Administration Building lobby.

Tenure: Maria Bullen

Maria Bullen

Maria Bullen

Maria Bullen

Tenure

Years at SJSU: 4

Department: Accounting

RSCA focus: Organizational sustainability reporting for public and private entities, accounting standard setting and financial reporting, audit quality, accounting and business education, and human resource accounting.

Associate Professor Maria Bullen has published more than two dozen articles on accounting, HR and organizational sustainability reporting in peer-reviewed journals. Her most recent article in the Journal of Instructional Pedagogies is focused on how to enhance professional advancement in accounting and business careers through engaging activities with students. Bullen has been involved in dozens of conference proceedings and presentations In 2017, she presented her research at the Innovative and Creative Educations and Teaching International Conference and the Southeastern Decision Sciences Institute 2017 Annual Meeting.

She has served as the chair of the Audit Committee of the Associated Students since 2017, is currently a senator with the Academic Senate and is a member of the Instruction and Student Affairs Policy Committee, in addition to her participation on college and department-level committees.

Bullen teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses, and remains a dedicated instructor.

“I enjoy keeping current in the profession and bringing into the classroom what I have learned from professional involvement and my research activities,” she said.

Note: Congratulations to the 43 faculty members who received tenure and/or promotion for 2018-19. We have invited each faculty member to participate in a series of posts profiling their teaching, service, and research, scholarship and creativity activities. Those faculty who opted to participate will be featured throughout the fall semester on the Academic Spotlight blog and the digital sign in the Administration Building lobby.

Tenure and Promotion: Tabitha Hart

Tabitha Hart

Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

Years at SJSU: 6

Department: Communication Studies

RSCA focus: Inter/cultural communication, ethnography communication, applied communication, organizational communication, technology and communication and interpretive/qualitative methods.

Associate Professor Tabitha Hart has coauthored more than a dozen book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals on communication. In 2018, she co-authored her first book Regulatory processes of learning: Contributions of Cultural Historical Activity Theory. Her published works have focused on intercultural communication in the digital age, online ethnography and qualitative analysis software.

Hart has completed white papers and research reports on student success, including a report based on student interviews and focus groups aimed at decreasing low grades and withdrawal rates in engineering courses and a white paper on internships for academic credit. She presented her work on developing assignments and activities for maximum impact in regards to internships at the California State University Symposium on University Teaching in April 2018.

In addition to teaching nearly a dozen courses in Communications Studies, Hart has been involved in SJSU’s Writing Across the Curriculum initiative, SJSU’s Reading Program and served as a faculty in resident for internships with the Office of Student and Faculty Success.

Note: Congratulations to the 43 faculty members who received tenure and/or promotion for 2018-19. We have invited each faculty member to participate in a series of posts profiling their teaching, service, and research, scholarship and creativity activities. Those faculty who opted to participate will be featured throughout the fall semester on the Academic Spotlight blog and the digital sign in the Administration Building lobby.