identify articles of interest related to how the language of students’professional skills has changed over the past 20 years across a wide range of databases andsearch terms. The bibliometric and content analysis showed that the predominant term forprofessional skills in the past 20 years has been “soft skills,” which connotes that professionalskills are somehow less important than technical skills. The key takeaway from this paper is thatthe language around students’ professional skills needs to change. Additionally, Engineeringeducators need to focus on encouraging and providing more opportunities outside of theclassroom for students to develop their professional skills in real-world contexts that are morerealistic for what students will see in
an increasingly high-demand skill in theengineer's toolbelt. However, professionals in many industries, including engineering education,continue to refer to professional skills as "soft skills" [2]. Shuman and colleagues explain howthe term "soft skills" is used "often in a naïve or occasionally derogatory fashion" [3, pp. 41]. Inthis work, non-technical professional skills (i.e., communication, leadership, teamwork) will bereferred to as professional skills. The following paragraphs introduce professional skills inengineering education and examine the role of communication development.As background context, we first examine research regarding the larger context of professionalskills in engineering. When discussing the evolution of
between industry and academia becausemost engineering students go to work in industry [11]. The report calls for the reinvention ofengineering education. Russell Rhinehart (2014) writes, “After 13 years in industry and 28 inacademia, I have concluded that neither the academic perception of excellence nor the tasksstudents are required to complete align with the perceptions and tasks that lead to success inindustry” [12]. While many shortcomings have been cited, this paper will focus on the followingdeficiencies: too theoretical, weak on soft skills, and not enough focus on innovation. They areconsidered next including how they will be addressed in the new engineering program.Too TheoreticalSome refer to academia as the ivory tower because of the
extra-curricular activities, are crucial forenhancing students' employability [10]. Regarding preparation programs, Hero suggestsintegrating collaborative projects that simulate real-world industrial collaborations [11], whileWats recommends enhancing students' soft skills, including communication, teamwork,leadership, and problem-solving, through workshops and training programs [12].Additionally, Hu recommends enhancing students’ ability to apply theoretical knowledge toreal-world problems via pre-collaboration research projects and pilot studies [13]. To enhancestudents’ exposure to industrial practices, Burns and Chopra advocate establishing internshipsand cooperative education programs with industry partners, a strategy shown to be
problem-solving during their senior capstone courses,where students learn how to tackle complex problems while applying their technical knowledge,alongside mastering other essential soft skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, andcommunication. However, there has been a shift to adopt a more authentic and experientialapproach to implementing capstone courses in engineering education of late. Industrialpartnerships effectively provide context-specific challenges that are not easily duplicated withinan academic environment. Through collaborating with industry and encountering real-worldchallenges, students can put their theoretical knowledge into practice outside of classroomsettings. Moreover, besides translating their technical skill sets
skilldevelopment. We appreciate the participation of industry partners towards optimizing theeducational experience, including professional preparedness of bioengineering undergraduatestudents and the engagement in continuous program improvement.References[1] Hadgraft, R.G., & A. Kolmos (2020). ”Emerging learning environments in engineering education”, Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 25:1, 3-16, DOI: 10.1080/22054952.2020.1713522[2] Hirudayaraj, M., Baker, R., Baker, F., & M. Eastman (2021). “Soft skills for entry-level engineers: What employers want”, Education Sciences, 11, 641-675. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11100641[3] Kolmos, A., & J. E. Holgaard (2019). “Employability in Engineering Education: Are
Learning in Acquisition of Knowledge, Soft Skills During Basic and Preclinical Sciences: Medical Students’ Points of View. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 26(2), 119–124. https://doi.org/10.5455/aim.2018.26.119-124.[3] Vaz, R., & Quinn, P. (2015, June). Benefits of a project-based curriculum: Engineering employers’ perspectives. In 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition (pp. 26-278).[4] Vasiliene-Vasiliauskiene, V., Vasiliauskas-Vasilis, A., Meidute-Kavaliauskiene, I. & Sabaityte, J. (2020). Peculiarities of educational challenges implementing project-based learning. World Journal on