that an engineering practice has in relation to social, economic, cultural,health and safety issues, etc. (WA5 to WA8); and essential workplace attributes an engineermust have (WA9 to WA12).Moreover, it may be acknowledged that these attributes cannot be honed only throughtraining in the so-called hard skills. The lack of development of soft skills leaves graduateswith a deficient skillset, necessary for lifelong learning and effective communication [12],having a negative impact on their employability and their ability to contribute to widersociety. According to the authors, interpersonal skills such as ethical responsibility should beincorporated into engineer training, in order to ensure that engineers are able to continuouslyevolve, keeping
high attrition, one method ofimproving retention is to better prepare students for coursework through summer bridgeprograms [15], engineering support centers [16], and supplemental instruction [17]. Theseprograms not only allow minority students to overcome academic hurdles, but they also improvetheir sense of belonging by creating communities, which leads to higher success in completingtheir stem degree. Nevertheless, these efforts are largely limited by a lack of institutionalfunding. Moreover, these programs are mostly driven by student commitment, thus placing theburden on students, which is problematic for an already disadvantaged population. Mentoringhas also been shown to improve the technical, professional, and soft skills necessary to
multimeter and oscilloscope. Many students also found the projectto be a valuable opportunity for hands-on problem solving and learning about the engineeringdesign process and product marketing. Of surveyed students, 70% noted that they learned newconcepts outside of the material taught in the course and the labs. Topics mentioned includeimproved time management, new calculation methods, CAD software, market research, carbonemissions and energy savings calculations, and sustainability practices. Additionally, studentsfelt that the project provided an opportunity to work as a team and improve their soft skills, suchas communication, problem-solving, and team coordination. Though it was well-receivedoverall, several students did not feel that the
factors.References[1] National Academy of Engineering, “NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering,” National Academy of Sciences on behalf of the National Academy of Engineering, 2019. [Online]. Available: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ [Accessed: Sep. 18, 2022][2] C. G. P. Berdanier, “A hard stop to the term ‘soft skills,’” Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 111, no. 1, Jan., pp. 14–18, 2022.[3] J. Trevelyan, “Transitioning to engineering practice,” European Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 821-837, 2019.[4] V. M. Chabalengula and F. Mumba, “Engineering design skills coverage in K-12 engineering program curriculum materials in the USA,” International Journal of Science Education
. Alaswad, and S. Salman. Humanitarian Aid and Relief Distribution (HARD) Game. Advances in Engineering Education, 8(2), 2020[9] M. Barger, J. Sutton, E. Roe, and R. Gilbert. The Toothpick Factory: A Simulation for The Soft Skills. 2008 Annual Conference and Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2-3881[10] J. Kittur, T. Islam. Serious Games in Engineering: The Current State, Trends, and Future. 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference. https://peer.asee.org/37709[11] M. Huyck, D. Ferguson, and R. Wasserman. Assessing Factors Contributing To Undergraduate Multidisciplinary Project Team Effectiveness. 2007 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2-3016[12] M. Y. Lanzerotti, M. Varga, S. J
diversity and inclusivity as not an“added-on” soft skill requirement with limited relevance to their career goals, but as an essentialconsideration in real-world problems engineers must solve. In light of these considerations, wehave approached this challenge by restructuring an existing course which already had beensuccessfully structured to address engineering ethics concepts central to the nature and causes ofengineering failure, by expanding the course via the logical integration of case studies and otheractivities focused on the impact of diversity and inclusivity (or rather the lack thereof) on failuresin development, deployment and use of technology.Effective design or redesign of a course is not a simple matter – in fact, redesign of an
Engineering Education, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 222–233, Mar. 2015, doi: 10.1080/03043797.2014.944102.[37] D. J. Bayless, “Developing Leadership Skills in Engineering Students – Foundational Approach through Enhancement of Self-Awareness and Interpersonal Communication,” PCEEA, Jun. 2013, doi: 10.24908/pceea.v0i0.4818.[38] M. Caeiro-Rodriguez et al., “Teaching Soft Skills in Engineering Education: An European Perspective,” IEEE Access, vol. 9, pp. 29222–29242, 2021, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3059516.[39] S. Özgen, O. Sánchez-Galofré, J. R. Alabart, M. Medir, and F. Giralt, “Assessment of Engineering Students’ Leadership Competencies,” Leadership Manage. Eng., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 65–75, Apr. 2013, doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)LM.1943
and Psychology, Training Technology, Instruction Design, Soft Skills, Gender Studies, Student Guidance and Counselling, Mentoring, Emotional Intel- ligence, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Yoga, Mudras and Healing techniques. She has Coordinated more than 250 short term and overseas programmes. She Coordinated the M.Tech(HRD) programme of the Institute. She has trained more than 300 international teachers and administrators. She is Offering a course on MHRD SWAYAM Platform, covering 19,500 learners in 4 batches. She has Completed 5 doctoral Dissertations in Engineering Education. She has guided M.Tech (HRD), MCA and Overseas Trainees’ Projects. She has published around 30 papers in Journals and presented sev
withtools and services encompassing individualized mentoring, soft-skills training, researchopportunities, internship/COOP experiences, scholarships, and peer-mentor activities. Theseprogram elements were integrated into a learning community that joined the efforts of students,faculty, and university staff. After four years of program execution, salient results in the studygroup include retention rates above 97%, student persistence up to 98.8%, and graduationindexes four times higher than those observed in the general population. Moreover, quantifyingthe socioeconomic status performance gap within the group revealed reductions up to 50% withrespect to that observed in the general population.Throughout this work, results from the performance of a
planning for the worst case scenarios, andthe use of some analytical software such as NVivo. In addition to these hard skills, someparticipants also referred to soft skills they had gained during their training. Some examples theyprovided were related to working with others in a team and communication skills. For instance,one participant reported: I feel like I'm better at communicating things. Almost like I have a better vocabulary. I have better communication skills because of the institute. I'm trying to think of like specific things, having the social reality was really nice, being able to show that to my students, being able up to get them to kind of wrap their head around what that looks like and what that means
] M. R. Sandlin, M. R. Price, and K. Perex, "A capstone experience: Impacts of a behavioral style learning unit on soft skill development and team dynamics," Journal of Agricultural Education, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 21-34, 2018, doi: 10.5032/jae.2018.01021.[8] M. Shaw, "Managing mixed-culture teams in international schools," in Managing international schools: Routledge, 2004, pp. 153-172.[9] M. Tennant, Psychology and Adult Learning. London: Routledge, 2020, p. 129.[10] ABET, "2022-2023 Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs," Baltimore, MD, USA, 2021.[11] A. Bakhtiar, E. A. Webster, and A. F. Hadwin, "Regulation and socio-emotional interactions in a positive and a negative group climate," Metacognition
. Historically, amajor deterrent for women considering STEM has been lower levels of math self-assessment [8],though recent studies suggest that this is becoming less important for persistence [12], [13]. Forinstance, researchers found that students’ have broadened their perception of the skills required inCS [13] with more awareness of the non-technical or “soft” skills, such as reliability and teamwork,that are sought by employers [29]. This shift suggests a need to explore how students perceive thefield of ML/AI and highlights the importance of studying other factors contributing to persistence.Professional role confidence, comprised of expertise confidence and career-fit confidence, is thedegree to which a person feels confident in their competence
research [4].Students who are interested in their research topic are intrinsically motivated in the success oftheir research experiences and develop a more positive outcome overall for the students andeveryone involved in the process, including the research mentors. By engaging in 10-weekREUs, the students develop technical skills, knowledge and sharpen their critical thinking andproblem-solving skills, while enhancing their essential (soft) skills through participating ininformal and formal networking and professional development activities.Members of the summer GCSP-REU were accepted into their departments of choice within thecollege of engineering and completed all first-year requirements. While there are many differentdisciplines that the REU
design as a “values-based proposition” as a way ofillustrating the relationship between the social and the technical. Participants broadly agreed thatin engineering the social and the technical are intermingled; however, many noted that academicinstitutions and industry pervasively privilege the technical, relegating the social to a minor role,as a “soft” skill. Most agreed that the intermingling of the social and the technical is essential ifwe are to solve the more difficult problems faced by our global societies.The value of interdisciplinarity as a way of understanding sociotechnical as a concept tookcentral focus for all four groups, suggesting that collaboration and connectedness are key tosociotechnical activity. Ethics also emerged as a
and teamwork at 40% each. Other areas noted are being an initiative-taker at 30%, andbeing motivated and passionate, tied with time management at 20%. It is not surprising thatemployers want people who are competent communicators and effective teammates, as theseinterpersonal elements are core to establishing a successful workforce. These findings reinforce therequired technical skills highlighted earlier and justify interweaving them into the curriculum andreinforcing them throughout. Figure 2. Results of open-ended content analysis of Co-op faculty to the inquiry to outline professional people and power (‘soft’) skills needed for success.Students’ Survey: Cornerstone and Capstone PerspectiveCornerstone &
withhigh levels of leadership and professional skills [3]–[5]. Historically, leadership and professionalskills have been referred to as “soft skills” indicating lesser importance than the “hard” ortechnical skills typically associated with engineering. Leadership development was often pushedto the margins of engineering education using an end-of-program project or a few electivecourses to fulfill the requirements [6], [7]. However, recent work explores the potential andsuccess of integrating leadership and professional development into the technical aspects ofengineering education. This literature indicates that out-of-class activities such as summerinternships or research experiences (e.g., REU programs) can be beneficial in furthering
, employers, and schools [5]. They conclude the benefits for both thestudent and the employer are more than problem solving via experiential learning; benefits alsoinclude students’ abilities to communicate their areas of interest (and employers’ abilities tounderstand how students communicate their interests), interpersonal skills. and making valuablecontacts through networking opportunities. Finally, Finch, Hamilton, Baldwin, and Zehnerconducted a literature review and concluded that job acquisition strategies for, students (from avariety of backgrounds) should highlight both their problem-solving skills and “soft skills” as jobspecific functional skills are not as important to potential employers as originally thought [6].“To be a successful job
the group, enhances effective communication,and develops soft skills. These elements sensitize group members (whether students oremployees), and the possibility and opportunity to maximize the presence and participation ofwomen exist, thus generating a more inclusive environment. In addition, participants mentionedthe importance of holding workshops and awareness-raising talks on gender and inclusion issues.Innovate educational strategies. Participants from the Group of students and faculty membersindependently agreed on the need for students to have field experience as part of their training sothat when they graduate, they will be more confident in their knowledge and skills and will notsimply be entering an environment that is alien and
., classenvironment, course sequence) is vital to improve student learning and persistence in CS.B. CS Curriculum Design There have been great strides in determining potential areas of improvement among CScourses and programs [e.g., 26, 27, 28]. One area of literature focuses on college students nothaving the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the industry [29, 30, 31, 32]. In regard totheir soft skills, graduates tend to struggle with their verbal [31, 33] and writing [28, 30, 34]skills, in particular, clearly articulating their problems when they need help [29]. In regard totechnical skills, graduates often lack the ability to use a number of industry software tools, suchas configuration management and database tools [29, 32, 35]. Another
importantly, refining a pedagogical approach. This skill set is seamlessly transferable toprofessorship. These positive unintended consequences merit further exploration.There is, of course, more work that could be done to increase equity throughout the qualifyingexam process involving active participation of academic departments. For instance, transparencycan be increased through the use of a rubric or otherwise clearly stated criteria for a ‘passing’evaluation. Also, the exam could be framed as an opportunity for every student to learn aboutthemselves and improve by creating the expectation that examiners will provide all students withboth positive and critical feedback. Furthermore, the implicit soft skills that are tested by oralqualifying exams
the engineering program structure could be filled with theuse of DT and that the present curriculum drove students to think in a ‘Just-in-Case’ manner– where students learned things in case they were going to be tested on them. With their DTapproach, specific content about the learning outcomes could be made accessible to students.This study found that it is pertinent for students to learn the necessary soft skills from ayoung age to get multiple opportunities to apply them during their engineering course [49].Moreover, there was great emphasis on the times and methods in which students’ learnerscomprehend the relevance of the content they are taught [49]. This can be compared to theresults of this study using EDIPT in an Asian context. As
differences inperceived value between the IVE and non-IVE teams. The differences came from students fromdifferent countries as the Palestinian students perceived greater value in the experience than theirUS peers regardless of whether they were on an IVE team or not.IntroductionIt is critical that engineers not only have technical expertise, but also be able to work on diverseteams, effectively communicate with broad audiences, have a global perspective, and considerthe implications of their solutions on users and society as a whole. The importance of theseessential skills (sometimes referred to as “soft” skills) have been highlighted by the engineeringprofession. ABET, the accrediting body for engineering programs, points to these competenciesin
productivity.Communication skills were another area that benefitted from students’ participation in this project.Within the team itself, students had ample opportunities to hone their soft skills likecommunication. Students worked closely with one another to set goals and delegate tasks, keepingthe team focused and the project on track. Students also practiced effective communication throughproblem-solving meetings where assumptions and methods of calculation were decided throughdebate and collaboration. Communication between student researchers and advising facultymembers was also an important aspect of the project. During weekly meetings and through regularcorrespondence, students gained experience asking questions and receiving guidance from theirfaculty
research and design (i.e. apprenticeship style) projects have naturally been theprimary avenues for student research, as they remain the major modes of quantitative explorationin STEM professional and academic fields [12]. However, there are other presumed merits to theresearch interview approach utilized here in the STEM environment: ● It forces students to confront the impact of science and engineering on a broad population. ● It can “humanize” STEM work, connecting data to people. ● It strengthens soft skills like communication, socialization, and ethics. ● It provides additional training beyond lab or workshop attributes. ● It familiarizes students with government policies that intersect with their