/graduate courses in Computer Security, Data Mining, VLSI and pedagogy in STEM. Mike is an executive committee member of the IEEE Com- puter Society’s Technical Committee on VLSI, as well as an active member of the IEEE, ASEE, ASTE, among others. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2017 Session W1A Hardening Freshman Engineering Student Soft Skills Andrea C. Burrows and Mike Borowczak The University of Wyoming, andrea.burrows@uwyo.edu, mike.borowczak@uwyo.eduAbstract - This paper, based on pre/post
Paper ID #18120Assessing the Impact of an Industry-led Professional Development Workshopon the 21st Century ’Soft’ Skills of CM Students at an HBCUDr. Andrea Nana Ofori-Boadu, North Carolina A&T State University Andrea Nana Ofori-Boadu, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Construction Management Department of Built Environment, College of Science and Technology North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State Univer- sity Address: 112-A Price Hall 1601 E. Market Street Greensboro, NC 27411 Phone: 336-285-3128 Email: andreao@ncat.edu Dr. Andrea Ofori-Boadu is an Assistant Professor of Construction Management (CM) with the
them for the workforce in a more holistic way than simply conveying technical facts. Indeed, soft skills (such as teamwork, verbal and written communication, time management, problem solving, and flexibility) and personal attributes (such as risk tolerance, collegiality, patience, work ethic, identification of opportunity, sense of social responsibility, and appreciation for diversity) play a critical role in the workplace. Successfully applying technical knowledge in practice often requires an ability to tolerate ambiguity and to negotiate and work well with others from different backgrounds and disciplines. These overarching considerations are important for promoting successful professional
engineer’s success. Engineering schools strive to prepare their students in both of theseareas through rigorous education and practice. Technical abilities are taught and practicedthroughout the curriculum, and capstone is where students are given the opportunity to gainvaluable “real world” experience on an open-ended, team-based engineering project.The other component to success in engineering, particularly for new college graduates, is theability to master professional or soft skills such as communication, project management andinterpersonal skills. Companies routinely look for and prize individuals that exhibit theseprofessional skills [1-4].Teamwork is an important skill needed for success in engineering capstone courses. A recentnationwide
]. • Site visits on innovative teaching and assessment Left image: http://news.rice.edu/2015/09/28/scientists-decode-structure-at-root-of-muscular-disease/“Soft skills” necessary for the professional world
engineering manager for HP and AMD. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2017 A Consulting Engineering Model for the EE Capstone ExperienceI. abstractThe ABET-accredited EE degree program at the University of Washington Bothell was started in2009 with 24 students. Currently, the total enrollment in the program, including BSEE andMSEE students, is approximately 250 students. The program has achieved significant supportfrom the surrounding industrial base in our metropolitan area, largely due to the success of its EECapstone Experience.The Capstone program was created with the following educational objectives: Master the soft-skills necessary for success in industry Experience a complete product
have collaborated to achieve research uniformity across both the environments; we are coordinating better in this 3rd year).Research Design:The main goal of this study is to understand how interdisciplinary instruction affects students’ability to identify, formulate, and solve problems, function on multidisciplinary teams, engagewith contemporary issues, communicate effectively in writing, verbally and visually, developappreciation of the impact of planning and engineering solutions in a variety of societal contexts,and develop understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities. Soft skills, such ascommunication, team spirit, leadership, sociability, time management, documentation,presentation, ethics, negotiation, etc., are
to not “swoop in” to a communityassuming that they have the perfect solution.Finally, an unexpected, but upon reflection, not surprising theme is the role of gender in EWBwork. It is well-documented that engineering remains a fairly male dominated field, 7 and therehave been initiatives at many institutions, including Stout, to increase the participation of femalesin the field. In contrast, EWB events are about evenly attended by women and men, and womenare leaders in many chapters. Several women, both students and professional members, noted thatEWB has made the difference for them between staying in the field and moving to a differentcareer path since there is more space for collaboration and a value placed on ”soft skills” that areoften
sets play a major role in determining success [23]. We believe that theCUREs model we implemented has helped the students to obtain the workforce skills expected tohave, from the course learning outcomes, and perhaps some other soft skills. This pedagogicalmodel also helps other aspects of general education such as a commitment to quality, timeliness,and continuous improvement. Moreover, in this particular implementation, since we are targetinga professional certification, students get an understanding and the ability to engage in self-directed continuing professional development. These outcomes, represent some programoutcomes that accreditation organizations for engineering, such as ABET, require.We believe that the course model presented
5 . Women rate themselveslower for tasks, which are identified as male gendered. Furthermore, negative feedback from malecounterparts are likely to have a greater effect on women due to this lower self-perception 6 .While these studies address the need to help female students have a sense of belonging andconfidence in the classroom, they do not address the disadvantages female students face in ahands-on learning environment.The importance of adding hands-on education to the engineering curriculum for both genders isknown. There exist many studies about the usefulness of hands-on engineering group projects inthe classroom. Industries like these because they promote useful soft skills like communication,project management, and team work, in
a competency gap between graduates’ soft skills (social,leadership, workplace diversity) and what is needed by employers. Students have the content andtechnical knowledge, but they lack the skills and experience to share that knowledge in anaccessible way, with diverse groups and in multiple modes as dictated by the nature of theproject or workplace. Jollands, Jolly and Molyneaux’s 2012 research on engineering curriculumthat requires multiple technical writing, presentation and communication opportunities, thatincludes peer and faculty feedback, better prepares their graduates for the workplace. AnEconomist Intelligence Unit Report, Driving the Skills Agenda: Preparing Students for theFuture (2015), states that the most highly sought after
thefirst time during the first semester of their junior year. Based on analysis of this transitionalsemester, we identified strategies that students used to build an individual sense of competence,in both technical and “soft” skills. These strategies allow for a fuller conversation regarding howstudents adapt competence gained in their group experiences and identify new areas ofcompetence that must be confronted and mastered. These findings indicate the need to furtherunderstand the differences in the ways that the sequencing of group and individual work mightimpact the development of competencies in individual students, and the ways in which a project-based environment can encourage this development in a systematic and sustainable
immediate benefit of their solutions. The presence and mentoring of the Fall 2017 Mid-Atlantic ASEE Conference, October 6-7 – Penn State BerksPenn State students was instrumental to the success of the projects. The final solutions wereshowcased in an evening event at Penn State Berks, to which parents, teachers, andadministrators were invited. At this event, students presented the process and products, whichneatly tied up the entire program by having them demonstrate not only the technical aspects oftheir work, but also the soft skills required in the engineering profession.Evaluation and OutcomesBecause this was a sustained program conducted over a period of time, the students were able toexplore STEM long-term. The importance of this
) students were not introduced toalgorithmic assessment. We are exploring the correlation design until upper-division courses, and (iv) we needed tobetween this logical-thinking test and student success, and attract and retain undecided and traditionally under-also improvement in students’ logic ability as evidenced represented groups of students. The overall goals were toby pre- and post-test comparisons. include project design and teamwork experience, introduce programming earlier, stress “soft skills” such asIndex Terms - electrical engineering, mentors, problem- communication, ethics and student success, and to
. Robbins, et al. identified three engineering organization meeting and encouraged to choosepredictors of college success: traditional predictors that one of the 30 in which to become involved. The College ofinclude academic ability and achievement, demographic Engineering also sponsors a professional development seriespredictors, and psychosocial predictors. [1] It is the third that covers topics to help students develop “soft skills.” Somecategory that is the most changeable, and therefore the focus of these topics include diverse career paths, leadership,of Krumrei-Mancuso, et al.’s study. [2] They identified six finding mentors on the job, finding leadership opportunitiespsychosocial factors
opportunity to develop and measure a number of professional skills,including communication and teamwork25,26. These abilities are often called “soft skills”although some engineering educators would rather they be called “the missing basics”, becausethey are essential for students to become successful engineers27.One team has developed measures for how well students can demonstrate contextualcompetence28, defined as “an engineer’s ability to anticipate and understand the constraints andimpacts of social, cultural, environmental, political, and other contexts on engineeringsolutions”29. This work goes beyond simple notions about transferring learning from one contextto the next, and defines the broader arena in which engineers work. The focus on
workshops and mock job fairs, students learn soft skills, corporate culture, resume writing, and interviewing skills.• Industry Advisory partnerships. Local MESA advisory boards offer valuable connections between students and industry leaders. Corporate representatives, including MESA alumni, participate on boards and provide scholarships, strategic planning, summer internships, field trips, scholarships, employment opportunities, and other resources.• Dedicated MESA director. Participating colleges receive funding to hire a full-time administrative director to coordinate MESA activities or provide significant resources for faculty “buy-out” time. Directors have expertise in STEM coursework and
division.We coded each paper using the coding scheme from our original work [1-4] (Table 1). However,we omitted one category, soft skills, because very few papers included it as a goal, even in theoriginal review (and none of those reported results related to soft skills). Multiple coders wereassigned to several papers and we discussed any disagreements, per recommendations forqualitative analysis [5]. The coding scheme categorizes papers based on their goals, the data andanalysis detailed, and the outcomes achieved. We identified 76 papers and proceedings withinterpretable results (see Appendix). We then synthesized findings and gaps from the recent timeperiod.Table 1. Coding scheme Code
. While this course uses active learning approaches and team projects, the scope of theircontents distinguish them from similar courses that seek to achieve improved graduation andretention rates. For instance, in this course, soft skills such as technical writing, use of Excel,developing an individual academic plan of study, cooperative education, internships, culturaldiversity, quality, safety, and ethics are covered. Basic technical skills covered include math,mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering technology. The rationale for this course is toexpose students to these subjects and topics before they enroll in core engineering technologycourses such as applied statics.Assessment of learning:While the author plans to conduct this
in the context of project-based learning (PBL). When properlyimplemented, PBL can greatly increase the sense of engagement among students, while alsoimproving retention of course concepts and the development of related soft skills[5].Incorporation of PBL techniques has been successfully demonstrated for a wide variety ofprojects and settings in thermal and fluid engineering courses, including the design of abrewery[6], HVAC equipment[7], and thermal insulation devices[8]. In addition, the inclusion of“real-world” clients has been shown to have positive impacts on student engagement in courseprojects[9].The course had been taught in a traditional lecture format in the previous year (Fall 2015). Theintent for 2016 was to restructure the course
/science.1240487Granello, D. H. (2016) Campus Suicide Prevention REACH Training Program, [PowerPoint Slides].Itani, M., Srour, I. (2015). Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Soft skills, Industry Expectations, and Career Aspirations. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000247.Lee, D., Olson, E. A., Locke, B. Michelson S. T. & Odes E (June 2009). The Effects of College Counseling Services on Academic Performance and Retention. Journal of College Student Development, Volume 50, Number 3, pp. 305-319. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/265820/pdfLongfield, A., Romas, J., & Irwin, J. D. (2006). The Self-Worth, Physical and Social Activities
college studentdevelopment and on eliciting much interest from the K-12 students and teachers. The EAPparticipants have expressed gains in soft skills, confidence in abilities to succeed in engineering,and an increase in the self-perception as skilled leaders [5]. As the ambassadors engage oncarrying out the critical mission of serving the EAP, they develop the necessary communication skillsand technical competencies for presentations and mentoring activities. This engagement and skilldevelopment increase the interest and confidence in STEM education, especially during the earlyyears of undergraduate education through the exposure to engineering challenges that show thereal-world relevance of science and engineering. Also, through mentoring in
determining if a revision is warranted at this time. The summaryfindings for each question are as follows: (1) Do the reviewed sources affirm aspects of the ASCE BOK2? The majority of the sources either directly or indirectly affirm various aspects of the BOK2. Sources specific to engineering appear to support many of the premises and outcomes identified in the BOK2. Some sources are silent on some of the “soft skill outcomes” of the BOK2, with one example being humanities. Overall, the committee felt the sources reviewed affirmed most aspects of the BOK2. (2) Do the reviewed sources suggest things that may need to be revised or clarified in the BOK? Several of the reviewed sources did support the need for
(Babury & Hayward, 2014). The challenges and progress made on some of the specific parts ofthe National Strategic Plan are discussed in the following subsections.2.1.1 Quality Assurance and Accreditation:Babury, Deputy Minister of Academic Affairs in the Afghan MoHE, and Hayward (2014)indicated that according to the World Bank, recent research that outlined the significance ofquality university education together with the need for soft skills for the national developmentrecommended the following: “University graduates need to emerge from the university system with the academic knowledge, technical competence and soft skills that make them employable in both private and public sector institutions. Hence, it is important that
assisted in changing the current UNIV 1301 course from a teacherdominated instruction and philosophy course to a more student learning centered,engaging, hands-on, engineering problem solving course that improved student-facultyinteraction and student motivation. Although some basic manufacturing technologies werebe used to build products, a majority of the course included hands-on activities aimed atimproving understanding of the ‘Engineering Design Process’ as part of a semester longteam project. In demand soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and inter-disciplinary engagement were highlighted and encouraged.In this paper some of the tools utilized to assist in the redesign of the ‘Foundations ofEngineering’ course are detailed below:1
schoolwork and strive to keep their grades up,37.5% agreed or strongly agreed, 37.5% were neutral, and 25% disagreed or strongly disagreed.After the second year in the program, the feedback we received about meetings indicated thatstudents did not favor watching videos during that time. We have slowly moved away from thevideos toward free discussion for students to learn about each other, to express their concerns,aspirations, plans, etc., and practice soft skills such as communication. We are further planningto include skills such as work-life balance, surviving as a woman in STEM, time management,etc. Other changes implemented based on student feedback were the distribution of agendas andminutes to students and mentors to keep them
rates.The main goal of this study is to understand how interdisciplinary instruction affects students’ability to identify, formulate, and solve problems, function on multidisciplinary teams, engagewith contemporary issues, communicate effectively in writing, verbally and visually, developappreciation of the impact of planning and engineering solutions in a variety of societal contexts,and develop understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities. Soft skills, such ascommunication, team spirit, leadership, sociability, time management, documentation,presentation, ethics, negotiation, etc., are all critical in successful delivery of a standout App. Oursurvey questions cover these aspects in a succinct manner.Evaluation Design for
capacity building not only in terms of technical skills but also soft skills such as effective communication and management. Indeed, in order to achieve the SDGs, higher education must do more than train a high quality workforce; it must both prepare and inspire highly skilled individuals to be innovators—and most importantly, agents of change—in their institutions and industries. But to nourish the momentum of change begun through its degree and research programs, higher education must be a catalyst for establishing a Community of Practice by stimulating cooperation among academia, business, and government, including providing opportunities for training and continuing education of the water sector and
what-if case study-based curriculum): Hypothesis 1: Participation, identification, and development of multiple engineering and non-engineering solutions will help URM and women engineering students to enhance their engineering identity. This translates to: “The PFE skill score is significantly higher in the ‘studied’ group relative to the ‘non-studied’ group.” Hypothesis 2: Exploration of social issues will help improve sensitivity of engineering students to social issues. This translates to: “The T skills survey rank is significantly higher in the ‘studied’ group relative to the ‘non-studied’ group.” Hypothesis 3: Scaffolding of the engineering students will lead to significantly improved soft skills at the time of
interviews withfaculty and guest panelists. These soft skills (essential skills) development programming, alongwith addressing strengths and weakness were identified as some of the most influential fromstudent feedback.In addition to the auxiliary programming for S-STEM participants, developing a pipeline transferstudents from area community colleges was essential as part of the S-STEM scholars program.At present USM is committed to developing college level articulation agreements with thecommunity colleges. A number of articulation initiatives have been implemented at thedepartment levels within the STEM academic areas with 27 STEM related articulation agreements with area community colleges as well as two 2 others in the works that are STEM