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Central New Mexico Community College: WorkKeys and
KeyTrain Integration Project
Thinking Media
worked with Central New Mexico Community College,
the largest community college in New Mexico, to
integrate WorkKeys® and KeyTrain®
into existing program curricula and instruction.
The project, initiated in 2003, was completed in
June 2008.
Background
CNM’s schools of
Applied Technologies and Health, Wellness and Safety
began using WorkKeys as a measure of students’
preparedness for the workplace in 2001. Students
are assessed on specific WorkKeys skills selected by
program directors in collaboration with David Licht,
CNM’s WorkKeys Program Director.
Unlike other
college WorkKeys programs that assess students upon
entry and graduation, CNM assesses students
throughout their course of study as part of their
grading process for specific courses. For students
in some Applied Technologies programs, as much as
20% of their final grade for a course is related to
KeyTrain and WorkKeys.
As use of WorkKeys
and KeyTrain increased among faculty and students,
CNM sought ways in which current teaching practice
and curricula could incorporate building WorkKeys
skills while teaching the program content.
Project
Activities
The curriculum
integration project initially focused on reviewing
course syllabi, lesson plans, tests, textbooks,
online course resources, audio-visual materials and
classroom instruction for opportunities to
incorporate WorkKeys skills. Where local
occupational profiles had been completed, the
project consultants used the profiled skill levels
as WorkKeys performance goals for a program. In the
absence of local data, ACT’s Occupational Profile
database was used to estimate WorkKeys skill
requirements.
Based on the
curriculum reviews and class observations, Thinking
Media:
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created a template and method for incorporating
WorkKeys skills into the existing curriculum for
CNM faculty, and
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worked with faculty on strategies for infusing
WorkKeys skill building into existing curricula
without developing new curricula.
Recognizing that
faculty had limited, if any, knowledge of WorkKeys,
Thinking Media developed and taught five courses on
WorkKeys Business Writing, Listening, Locating
Information, Observation, and Teamwork skills. The
purpose was to:
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create an awareness of the importance of
WorkKeys skills to student success,
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foster an understanding of the skill and skill
levels and their relevance to program and
occupation goals,
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familiarize faculty with the WorkKeys Targets
for Instruction and
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provide examples for integrating WorkKeys
learning in the classroom.
Outcomes
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Thinking Media completed audits
and reviews for thirteen programs - Air
Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration,
Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Dental Assisting,
EMS/Paramedic, Fire Science, Health Unit
Coordinator, Landscaping, Medical Laboratory
Technology, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory
Therapy, Surgical Technology and Veterinary
Technology.
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All thirteen programs that were
reviewed have integrated WorkKeys and KeyTrain.
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Nineteen additional programs have
subsequently adopted and incorporated WorkKeys
and KeyTrain.
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Project consultants facilitated
dozens of WorkKeys Targets for Instruction
classes, training over 100 full-time and adjunct
faculty in selected WorkKeys skills.
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WorkKeys testing for programs
increased by 45% from 2006 – 2007.
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KeyTrain use increased
dramatically and is used in the schools of
Applied Technology; Business and Information
Technology; Health, Wellness and Public Safety
and Adult and General Education.
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