TO CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP, TECHNOLOGY AND HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS MUST GO HAND IN HAND

摘要

Technology is rapidly changing the business landscape. Workforce skills gap is widening in the digital business environment. Universities and employers call for developing students’ higher-order thinking skills along with integrating technology into academic curricula. We conducted a survey to assess learning outcomes from two groups of undergraduate students: business majors and information technology (IT) majors. SAP ERP hands-on case studies were used for this comparative experiment. The student survey results showed that the students of both majors believed that learning SAP software can lead to more rewarding jobs and they felt confident about their competitiveness in the job market. Although IT majors with stronger technology background have a better understanding of how SAP ERP works with technology than business majors, the findings suggested that both groups of students need to improve their critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills in order to become creative innovators. Differences between academic backgrounds and professional qualifications demand collaboration and professional communication skills at higher education and workplaces. In addition, an alliance between higher education and industry is a promising way to advance education and training for enhancing students’ right skills needed in the dynamic business environment.