Rasmussen University has designed a framework to strengthen its approach to assessing and improving students’ learning of “Transferable Skills.” The use of the word, “Transferable,” to describe the specific skills that are the focus of this initiative, is intended to express the essential contribution of such skills to lifelong learning and to authentic workplace activities. These skills are: Communication, Critical Thinking, Digital Fluency, Diversity and Teamwork, Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and Information Literacy. In 2020, Rasmussen began a project to re-position Diversity and Teamwork as "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion." The original skills were chosen after conducting an extensive literature review; receiving formal feedback from nearly 100 advisory board members; and gathering substantial input from nearly 400 faculty members across the institution.
In 2014, Rasmussen College began adding the Transferable Skills to courses, focusing first on existing courses, and then on newly developed courses. The six Transferable Skills are today the University’s institutional outcomes, meaning all graduates – regardless of program or credential – will possess these skills at varying levels across the curriculum. The Transferable Skills are part of each program of study offered at Rasmussen University, including Associate's and Bachelor's degrees and graduate programs.
The measurement of these outcomes demonstrates Rasmussen’s commitment to graduating individuals who are well prepared to be successful contributors to their communities. Rasmussen students will have the opportunity to learn and demonstrate each of the Transferable Skills at two or more distinct points at each level of the curriculum, and the skills will be measured as a portion of a course assignment that will be designed to replicate an authentic workplace project. Rasmussen's Department Deans and Chairs, Course Development team, and Subject Matter Experts partnered to integrate these improvements into courses and capstones from each School and program.
Students will be able to speak to and share their Transferable Skills outcomes with potential employers to demonstrate their learning. The University is also working to develop a final report document, in the form of a Comprehensive Learner Record, which will summarize a student’s attainment of the six Transferable Skills. This document, which will be able to be shared with potential employers, will support students in the interview and job seeking process after graduation.