Background
The study was conducted by the Samuel Neaman Institute for the Rothschild Bridge for Higher Education and Employment (EDRE). It examined the attitudes of higher-education leadership, teaching and learning centers, and academic faculty members regarding the integration of core skills and competencies into academic courses.
This topic is grounded in a global consensus that, alongside disciplinary knowledge, higher education must cultivate skills relevant to the 21st century, such as critical thinking, teamwork, self learning, and presentation skills.
Research Objectives
To examine the attitudes of academic faculty members toward integrating skills into the courses they teach.
To assess the willingness and capacity of advancing teaching centers to train and support faculty in implementing skills integration.
To examine initiatives, recognition mechanisms, and institutional support at the level of senior management.
Methodology
The study included five institutions (universities and publicly funded colleges) and three target populations (senior management, teaching and learning centers, and faculty). It combined:
An online survey of faculty members of participating institutions (N = 387; response rate: 7%).
Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with senior administrators, faculty members, and directors of advancing teaching centers.
Key Survey Findings
General attitudes: 90% of respondents view skills integration as important; over 60% are willing to integrate skills in practice and to undergo training.
Training gaps: Most lecturers who have integrated skills did not receive dedicated training, however reported a need for personal mentoring and pedagogical support.
Disciplinary differences: Greater willingness to integrate skills is evident in the social sciences and engineering compared to the life sciences, exact sciences, and health professions.
Prominent skills: Presentation, independent learning, reading and writing, teamwork, critical thinking, and disciplinary skills.
Teaching methods: Seminars, flipped classrooms, projects, and internships were perceived as particularly suitable for skills integration.
Challenges: Shortages of technological resources, time, and incentives; lack of institutional recognition in academic promotion.
Required support: Workshops, assessment tools, teaching assistants, personal mentoring, and recognition in promotion processes.
Key Interview Findings
Universities lead large-scale initiatives (e.g., LEAD at University A, Academia 360 at University C, LAMDA at University B).
Colleges focus on operational solutions, integrating skills in first-year courses or specific modules while strengthening industry links.
Faculty support: The primary needs are pedagogical mentoring, formal recognition, and incentives, alongside encouragement of departmental “champions.”
Cultural and value gaps: Research universities experience tension between preserving theoretical knowledge and responding to labor-market needs, compared to colleges’ stronger emphasis on applied training.
Technological innovation: Expanding integration of artificial intelligence and digital tools in teaching, particularly in first-year courses.
Discussion
The findings indicate institutional and individual readiness to advance skills integration in academic courses, alongside challenges to consistent implementation: the absence of a shared definition of “employability skills” lack of standardized measurement and assessment, and significant variation across institutions and disciplines. Faculty motivation is high, but systematic institutional support is required.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Institutional level: Establish clear policy, adopt a spiral model for gradual implementation, provide incentives and recognition in promotion, and allocate dedicated resources.
Faculty level: Broaden interpretations of skills, integrate applied projects even in theoretical courses, and promote interdisciplinary collaboration.
National level: De
