Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Mar 2023

Rebuilding From the Ground Up: Employer and Alumni Perspectives for Course Redesign

Rachel Dolechek Fort Hays State University ; Kruti Lehenbauer University of the Incarnate Word

Abstract

Institutions rely on career-ready competencies developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) to understand the nationwide job outlook and labor market trends. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to inform a course redesign process in the business curriculum at a Midwestern university in the United States. Using an adapted NACE survey, we found that while Midwestern employers and alumni valued NACE core competencies and employability attributes similarly, there were certain elements that were overlooked in the previous curriculum. Thus, identification of the locally relevant top competencies and attributes was a leading factor in the course redesign process.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2023-03-01
DOI
10.1177/23294906221130075
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Topics
modern rhetorical theory curriculum design labor and working conditions
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