Skill-Up Program
Skill-Up Program
Skill-Up Program
12|02|2020
Deregulators
Willow Seitz, Tim Sweeney, Ammar Hayel, Drew
Schofield
Skill-UP
The Proposition
Because courses are being delivered online, it is difficult for students to get to know
their own classmates or interact with the other schools at Kingstec. The Skill-UP
program is a virtual event designed to unify the campus and promote key soft skills.
The way we propose to do this is by holding a series of challenges between schools
for the duration of a week.
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Kingstec Schools & Concentrations
To create a generally “One Team Campus” despite our current situation, we need to
take into consideration the unique characteristics of each school. Skill-UP has
developed events that appeal to the attributes of some schools, and challenge others,
encouraging students to interact between schools, build friendships and establish
networks.
For the first event, we recommend a choose your own adventure styled escape room.
Each school would have a designated Microsoft Teams room, wherein a live video
feed of the escape room is being played.
Students work together within Microsoft Teams to determine what action to take next.
The first school to make it out of the escape room wins the game.
COMPETITIONS IN GENERAL
SERVE AS A CATALYST FOR
BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
BY BRINGING PEOPLE
TOGETHER IT CAN BOOST
CONFIDENCE IN TIMES OF
PROSPERITY AND GALVANIZE
COMMUNITIES IN TIMES OF
NEED.
(Neubert, 2017)
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Event 2: Kingstec Debate
Soft skills: Organization, conflict management, persistence, time management
The next event we recommend is a debate between the schools. The questions are
Kingstec-related, and change with each year as new problems or concepts within the
campus community present themselves.
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Event 3: Kingstec Family Feud
Soft skills: Time management, logical reasoning, communication, curiosity
Our third event is a Family Feud styled competition between the five schools, also held
within Microsoft Teams. The meeting is controlled by a designated gameshow host,
presenting a live feed of the game answers and questions.
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Event 4: NSCC Talk
Soft skills: Communication, creativity, leadership, stress management, storytelling
Our final recommendation is an NSCC version of the TED Talks. Students can sign up
for allotted time periods to present creative and innovative ideas. This event provides
an opportunity for the schools to share their passion, competing in a way that is both
creative and personal.
The student(s) who receive the most votes on their speech wins. Consequently, so does
the school they belong to.
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Event 5: Movie Night
Soft skills: Social intelligence, trust building, respect, listening
Our final event—taking place on the last day of the program—is designed to
announce and congratulate the winning team. The school who wins the program
decides what movie the Kingstec campus will watch.
Movie content can be shared via Microsoft Teams, or the share feature of Amazon
Prime.
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Key Concepts
Student Motivation
You may be wondering how Skill-UP would convince students to participate in these
events. We know that people are motivated by intrinsic and external factors. Our
events directly align and appeal to what each school is motivated by. For example,
the escape room provides a sense of accomplishment and problem-solving tasks that
are engaging for the mind. The debate is influential and challenges the norm.
Freedom of creative expression is given when participating in the NSCC Talk. Skill-UP
is also focused on the development of soft skills, which targets those who are
motivated to learn.
There are also some external reasons to participate in this program. The winning
school receives these awards:
➢ A plaque that reads they are the winners of the Skill-UP program, to be
displayed at their respective school
Communication Strategy
➢ Brightspace announcements
➢ Goosechase announcements
➢ E-mails
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➢ Scheduled class pop-ins from a Deregulators representative
Leadership Roles
An independent organization within the school, such as the Deregulators, would host
this program. There is also the opportunity to partner with the Student Association, as
there are many roles within the events that require management, and multiple
platforms that need to be established.
Campus Culture
Skill-UP is a new virtual culture created from the effects of COVID-19. Having class
online has created unique challenges involving professionalism and soft skills. Time
management is more important now than it ever was before. These events will not
require a new culture on campus per se; instead, a virtual culture will be further
established. Diversity is an important consideration in online platforms. The ability to
take advantage of each other’s unique characteristics and respecting differences in
groups is amplified. Patience and understanding are more present in team projects.
The group management that is required in Skill-UP is directly related to the problems
students are having in their virtual classes.
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Bibliography
Neubert, J. (2017, November 18). Four core ways educational competitions can benefit
your community. [Web]. https://www.competitionsciences.org/2017/11/18/four-
core-ways-educational-competitions-can-benefit-your-
community/#:~:text=The%20structure%20of%20competition%20provides,communitie
s%20in%20times%20of%20need
Kerr, M. (2019, June 6). Top 10 Soft Skills Employers Love. [Article].
https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/soft-skills
StartUpStockPhotos. (2015, January 8). Children win at video game. [Image]. Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/photos/children-win-success-video-game-593313/
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