The Synergy between Psychology and Business: A Case Study on Interdisciplinary Faculty Collaboration

Interdisciplinary faculty collaboration is an effective technique for preparing college students for the demands of working in contemporary organizations. Higher education institutions should encourage and support faculty from different academic disciplines to educate students from interdisciplinary perspectives. When faculty from multiple academic disciplines collaborates, they are not only teaching students from new viewpoints, but they are also modeling the importance of communication, teamwork, diversity, and how to critically think from a holistic approach. This case study explored the synergy that exists between the academic disciplines of psychology and business. Twenty-five senior psychology students were introduced to a self-reflection assessment and an interactive discussion on motivation in the workplace from a business perspective. This was accomplished by illustrating the complementary motivational theories relating to Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy and Alderfer’s ERG Theory. Students’ receptivity to these different, yet harmonizing, theories further demonstrated that various perspectives can still share several commonalities. Contemporary organizations increasingly value employees with diverse skill sets. Superseding a single discipline in favor of a multiple discipline approach highlights the value that interdisciplinary collaboration can provide to organizations as they achieve their goals and fulfill their respective mission and longer-term vision statements

The Changing World of Work: What Should We Ask of Higher Education?

There is a pervasive anxiety in America about the future of higher education. Spiraling costs combined with seismic changes in the American workplace raise questions about whether a bachelor's degree is still worth the cost. In a recent cover story, Newsweek magazine asked: "Is College a Lousy Investment?" For a growing number of Americans, the answer appears to be yes.Today's students accumulate an average of almost $30,000 in debt by the time they graduate. They will go into a job market that looks especially bleak for young people. Many college graduates are unemployed or working minimum-wage jobs. Still more are working in jobs that don't require a college credential.Some of the troubles facing new graduates can be attributed to the post-recession economy. But there are larger forces at work that are transforming the nature of employment in America -- forces that colleges and universities have been slow to recognize, much less respond to

Preparing students for the world of work : the benefits of education : business partnerships

Many of today's work opportunities require appropriately trained and skilled workers. Employers in different countries complain that schools are not preparing students adequately to face the present work challenges. In order to overcome such problems. it is recommended that educational institutions should establish closer links and meaningful ways ol collaboration with the business community with the aim of bridging the gap between education and the world of work. One way of doing this is by creating effective education-business partnerships.peer-reviewe

Building Skills and Alliances to Meet Demand in New Jersey's Labor Market

This summary report examines the Ready for the Job initiatve, which profiled the skill and occupational requirements of 73 occupations in New Jersey. This report highlights four cross-industry demand skills: math and technology skills, problem solving and critical skills, communication and teamwork skills, and entrepreneurship and business skills

Baseline study of employability related activities in Scottish colleges

In October 2004, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC)'s predecessor bodies, theSFEFC and the SHEFC, publishedLearning to Work(SFC 2004), a discussion paperabout how Scotland's colleges and universities can help to enhance learners'employability. In subsequent dialogue with stakeholders, there was agreement thatemployability should be a specific focus for quality enhancement in the college sectorfrom 2006-07. As a basis for further development, the SFC commissioned this studyto provide information on the range of current activities and practices in Scotland'scolleges which contribute to enhancing employability

Collaborative Practices Among Professionals in Special Education Workplaces

The aim of this study is to examine collaborative relationships existing among professionals working in special education and specifically the relationships between school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and elementary school classroom teachers. A survey was administered to classroom teachers in New Hampshire. The first part of the survey asked teachers their opinions regarding the extent to which SLPs should be collaborating with teachers. The second part of the survey asked teachers to estimate how often they engaged in collaborative practices with the SLP currently working in their school. Results indicated that teachers would prefer SLPs to spend significantly more time in the classroom (p = \u3e .05) and co-teaching with teachers (p = \u3e .05). The results are discussed in regard to obstacles that may reduce collaboration between teachers and SLPs. This research highlights the obstacles that teachers and SLPs often face in collaboration and provides implications for solutions to overcoming those obstacles

Collaborating and Coordinating with Employers

A 2009 research brief produced for the NTAR Leadership Center, a consortium led by the John H. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Founded in 2007 under a grant/contract with the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, the NTAR Leadership Center's mission is to build capacity and leadership at the federal, state, and local levels to enable change across workforce development and disability-specific systems that will increase employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. This brief examines the evolving relationship between disability employment initiatives and employers, and highlights the implications that these collaborations have for effectively formulating broad-scale promotion of disability workforce investment initiatives

A New Era of Education Reform: Preparing All Students for Success in College, Career and Life

As society changes, the knowledge and skills required for citizens to navigate the complexities of life and work must also change. As a result, some argue that schools must provide students with a broader set of skills that will enable them to thrive in our increasingly diverse, rapidly evolving and globally-connected world. The intent is not to replace the traditional academic disciplines but to infuse them with knowledge and skills that will better prepare students for success in the 21st century -- often referred to as "21st century skills." While others maintain that as long as a portion of the student population is not mastering basic reading, writing and mathematics skills, schools must continue to focus exclusively on the traditional core academic disciplines. In order to inform the debate about the rationale for and relevance of 21st century skills in Massachusetts' public schools, the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy conducted a survey of superintendents, charter school leaders and principals statewide to gauge the extent to which school and district leaders support the integration of 21st century skills into public education. The goal of the survey was to provide a better understanding of Massachusetts' public school and district leaders' priorities for improving student learning, including their views on 21st century skills. The survey was followed by interviews with a small sample of administrators and educators in districts and schools where the integration of 21st century skills is a priority, in order to better understand district, school and teacher approaches for infusing 21st century skills into teaching and learning.The report describes the background and context for the study, the study methodology, and key findings from the statewide survey and interviews in a sample of schools and districts. The final section of the report puts forth considerations for policymakers and K-12 school and district leaders. Case studies of two public school districts, Reading Public Schools and Brockton Public Schools are included in Appendix B. The case studies offer two different approaches to integrating 21st century skills district-wide. The case study of Reading Public Schools illustrates a district-led approach. The case study of Brockton Public Schools is an example of how one school has spurred a district to focus on 21st century skills.The study gives voice to key education stakeholders who have not been part of the public debate about 21st century skills and provides clarity about what teaching and learning in classrooms that incorporate 21st century skills looks like. While opponents of 21st century skills argue that districts where most students have not yet mastered reading, writing and mathematics skills, should focus exclusively on core academic content, the study revealed that most school and district leaders believe all public schools in Massachusetts should be required to integrate 21st century skills into learning, including schools where students are lacking adequate basic skills. Interviews with superintendents who prioritize integration of 21st century skills revealed that input from a range of stakeholders led their district to expand their mission and vision for student learning to include 21st century skills and rather than adopt a pre-packaged set of skills, the focus in these districts is on particular skills and competencies that ?t the needs of their student body. While most schools and districts have not developed measurable goals for student mastery of 21st century skills, interviews with a small sample of administrators and educators revealed that 21st century skills are assessed at the classroom level, and most administrators view school- and district-wide assessment as a future step in the process of fully integrating 21st century skills. The endings also suggest that administrators believe that, to date, state policymakers have not adequately supported the teaching and learning of 21st century skills.This report was released at a public event on October 7th, 2010. View video clips from this event on our YouTube channel and read an EdWeek article featuring this report

Current Challenges and Opportunities in Preparing Rural High School Students for Success in College and Careers

Outlines challenges for rural high schools such as funding inequities and advantages such as parental support. Recommends best practices and policies for improving standards, accountability, student options, teachers, community support, and resources