Text Strategies for Helping Students Prepare for the Workforce

Helping students prepare for the workforce has always been a multi-faceted endeavor. The disruption caused by AI has added new dimensions to this challenge. Some of what we already do well has newfound relevance, and in other ways, we will need to keep current with and respond to the changing AI landscape.

Focus on Durable Skills

With large philosophical and practical questions in play about the nature of work and the future relevance of certain skills, we have a unique moment to center those "durable" skills like critical thinking and socio-emotional intelligence that we know provide upward career mobility across fields.

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Review your assessments for any embedded durable skill development or consider how you might add such a component. For example, could you add a public speaking component to a project or invite students to consider others' perspectives when making an argument?

Use an AI Collaborator

Sample Prompt: Can you please give me some ideas about connecting my course content with durable skills? I want to use the latest report from the World Economic Forum as a basis and encourage students to explore the skills they find most relevant. The course I teach is Introduction to Sociology.

Emphasize Problem-Solving

Problem-solving skills cut across college curricula and professional fields. While generative AI may be initially understood as a tool for generating written and visual content, it has vast potential to assist with problem-solving. Teaching its use in this context can also allow us to differentiate between ethical and non-ethical applications of the technology.

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Try creating assessments that engage students in complex problem-solving, such as case studies and projects that incorporate real-world scenarios and hands-on application of knowledge.

Use AI as a Collaborator

Sample Prompt: Can you help me create a case study or problem-solving scenario for students in a Humanities course that speaks to this learning outcome? 'Identify how social or historical factors shape the ideas or emotions that people express or the objects they create." Ideally, I would like them to explore the capabilities of generative AI as part of their problem-solving method.

Share Research on Workforce Trends

Students are thirsty for information about how AI will impact their future careers. And while no one can predict the future, interesting studies about the current state and future of work are being released regularly. The material in these reports can be incorporated into a course in a variety of ways to teach content and skills and to spark student interest and engagement.

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Brainstorm ways that a workforce report might work within your course as a way to enhance content or provide the context for practicing a skill. For example, in a Composition course, students could evaluate the use of headings to guide the reader's experience, or in a Math course, students could work with specific data in relevant ways.

Use AI as a Collaborator

Remember that LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude allow you to upload large documents as context. Try uploading a report (see our recommended list) and "chatting" with it. Sample prompt: Please provide three takeaways from this report to share with students studying health professions.

Your Reimagine Roadmap

If you plan to use one of the activities above, make a note under Helping Students Prepare for the Workforce. You can also use this space to brainstorm other ideas or make note of questions for yourself.

Resources

When Your Technical Skills Are Eclipsed, Your Humanity Will Matter More Than Ever

AI and Workforce Reports