Collection

2010 North Midwest Section

Authors

Swaminathan Balachandran; Justin Kile

other learning opportunities to get students toparticipate in activities that decades of research studies show are linked to students’ emotionalcommitment to learning (6). Student engagement gained momentum when studies by Stanford Research Institute andthe Carnegie Mellon Foundation among Fortune 500 CEOs found that 75% of long term jobsuccess depended on people, emotional or soft skills and only 25% on technical, discipline-specific or hard skills (7, 8). The Harvard University studies reported that achievements on 2career are determined 80% by soft skills and only 20% determined by hard skills. Technicalskills are defined as "those skills acquired through training and education or

Conference Session

Corporate Engagement Track - Technical Session V

Collection

2018 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity Conference

Authors

Cheryl L. Knobloch, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Topics

Corporate Engagement, Diversity

,andtocompeteforchallengingprofessionalrolesandprojects.Penn State Center for Engineering Outreach and Inclusion has engaged over 200undergraduates with 15 different sponsors utilizing this powerful model. EMIX internsdistinguish themselves in the engineering workplace as confident, competitiveprofessionals empowered by soft skills that strategically complement academicpreparation. EMIX intern cohorts are overwhelmingly characterized as superior, topperformers.Internsexcelintechnicalinternshipsandcompetitivelypopulatethesponsorworkforcewithdiversetechnicaltalentmorelikelytoexcel,toadvance,andtoberetained.This paper will describe essential exportable elements in the successful Penn State EMIXmodel including practitioner timeline, sponsorship development, intern search, applicantscreening

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) - Assessment of Design Projects and Approaches to Capstone Courses

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pun To (Douglas) Yung, Syracuse University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED)

shortcomings in engineeringeducation by more effectively preparing students for their capstone projects and, ultimately, theircareers in engineering.This introduction outlines our response to the identified needs by proposing specific educationalenhancements aimed at closing the gaps highlighted in employer satisfaction surveys. Byintegrating innovative pedagogical methods such as flipped learning, gamification, and project-based learning, we seek to enhance student engagement, improve learning outcomes, and ensuregraduates are well-prepared to meet the demands of the modern workforce. This systematicapproach to curriculum design focuses on developing both hard and soft skills, which are crucialfor the success of our graduates in professional

Conference Session

FPD IX: Research on First-year Programs Part III

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stanley M. Forman, Northeastern University; Susan F. Freeman, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

,undocumented values, ethics and beliefs they acquire while at school, that is, the lessons fromthe Unwritten Syllabus. These other skills, frequently described as soft skills, are often discussedby both teachers and human resource personnel for employers.7 This set of soft skills, such aspersonal accountability and greater work ethic, is not subject to defined teaching methods. Thereare clearly benefits to acquisition of these skills, but it has been a challenge to describe themethods and techniques used to achieve success in these skills and the list of these skills variesfrom source to source. The Unwritten Syllabus may encompass skills such as intellectualcuriosity, caring for others, ability to overcome obstacles and more. In addition, many of

Conference Session

Main Plenary 3 - Opportunities for collaboration with engineering educators in India (ISTE)

Collection

2012 ASEE International Forum

Authors

D. N. Reddy, Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE)

Tagged Topics

ASEE International Forum

EngineeringEducation. Though the Focus is to provide access, to many but equally important is to ensurequality of education. Engineering graduates today require not only adequate technologicalability and problem solving skills, but also must be equipped with soft skills, business skills,inter personnel and intercultural adaptability.Now, the emphasis should be on self learning and the role of teacher is redefined as facilitatorto enable the students to be more involved in active learning through laboratory. Project work ,assignments and case studies Lifelong learning and continuous learning is key aspect of teacherand student.International collaborations are essential for better student development. Inview of theglobalisation and in this endeavour the role of

Conference Session

Teaching Strategies in Graphics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jana Whittington, Purdue University-Calumet; Kim Nankivell, Purdue University-Calumet; Joy Colwell, Purdue University-Calumet; James Higley, Purdue University-Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

University Calumet, we useassessment measures which include faculty evaluation, class critiques and written peerevaluations that individually addresses each level of technical, aesthetic and creative aspects ofeach project or assignment. Discussions or critiques first address the success of technical aspects,then move to the aesthetic aspects, and then the overall creative attributes of the students’ work.This type of evaluation is not only valuable for the students to comprehend each level and puttheir soft skills to work, but also provides valuable assessment feedback to the faculty.The CGT program is relatively new, having been started in the year 2000 with 18 students, andhaving grown to its present size of about 200 majors. The program has

Collection

2024 ASEE PSW Conference

Authors

Liya Grace Ni, Biola University; Elaine Wong, Biola University

session.Students also receive training in hard skills like Arduino programming, CAD design, and 3D printing, aswell as soft skills like writing resumes, giving presentations, SCRUM, etc. A few sample projects arelisted below: 1. Automation of a cannulation apparatus that only had manual capacities before; 2. Prototype a swim tunnel for zebrafish where water flows at a predetermined velocity for a research laboratory; 3. Literature search to compile a database of water contaminants characteristics and treatment methods and development of a user interface with recommended treatment methods for each type of contaminant; 4. Development of a mechanical model of the Windkessel effect to be used for cardiovascular education

Collection

2008 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Wolf-Dieter Otte; Anthony Crain

for a number of years. In these classes, students were “learning bydoing” in a semi-professional environment.Software engineering is concerned with creating and maintaining software applications byapplying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, engineering,application domains, and other fields. In other words, Software Engineering encompasses “hardskills” that pertain to Computer Science, application domain(s) and process knowledge as well as“soft skills”, like thinking conceptually, attending to detail, working in a team, leading a team,etc. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are discipline-neutral.This paper reflects on experiences the author made with optimizing the composition of projectteams. Optimization of

Conference Session

Construction Engineering Division (CONST) Technical Session 1

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Veto Matthew Ray, Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis; Elizabeth Freije, Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis; Marvin Louis Johnson, Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Construction Engineering Division (CONST)

therequirements. Graduates entering the workforce need to present with both soft skills andtechnical skills to perform their job responsibilities successfully. Integrating a simulatedexperience within a construction cost estimating course provides an active learning environmentwhere students can better understand the full extent of the bidding process as a whole includingthe soft skills that drive and connect decision-making and the application of technical skills.Salas et al. [1] define simulation-based training as any synthetic practice environment that iscreated in order to impart competencies (i.e., attitudes, concepts, knowledge, rules, or skills) thatwill improve a trainee’s performance. The study [1] goes on to discuss the advantages ofsimulation

Conference Session

College Industry Partnerships Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carrie Steinlicht, South Dakota State University; Byron G. Garry, South Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

practice engineeringdesign and to facilitate the integration of what students have learned throughout theircurriculum”5 ,“to better prepare graduates for engineering practice”6, and “to demonstrate theirabilities to potential employers”7.Shuman et al., broke down the ABET Student Outcomes a-k into the categories of hard skills andprofessional skills. The Student Outcomes that represent professional, or ‘soft’, skills were  an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams  an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility  an ability to communicate effectively  the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context  a

Collection

2005 GSW

Authors

Wayne N.P. Hung; V. Jorge Leon

revised curriculum allows students to developinvaluable soft-skills when working as virtual teams on international industry-sponsoredprojects. The teaching program is also enriched and integrated with other NSF programs(Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, andResearch Experiences for Teachers) to reach out to other departments, universities, and highschools in the country. IntroductionTaking advantage of lower cost and advance communications, companies in the US have beenoutsourcing their projects to other companies overseas. It was estimated that additional 10% ofcomputer-related job moved overseas in 2004, 2 million financial service jobs will be moved by2008

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Endeavors: Engineering and Liberal Arts

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Katie Zoe Loughmiller, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Work in Progress: Introducing negotiating skills in capstone courseIntroductionEmployers of 21st century engineering and technical students are looking for individuals who inaddition to their technical skills, also possess soft skills. Those soft skills include at a minimumcommunication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Several studies have recommendedrevisions to existing engineering and technical curriculums to incorporate soft skills [1-3]. Inaddition to industry professionals indicating a desire for increased soft skills in graduates,students also see the need for additional exposure while in school [4]. Because there is no formaldefinition of soft skills, it is necessary to determine for each

Conference Session

EMD Technical Session 2: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Collection

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laramie Potts, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Huiran Jin

injustices, polarizedsociety and that engendered modern societal discord within the built environment. Such issuesraised during the 4IR will require HEIs to develop greater capacity for ethical and interculturalunderstanding, placing a high premium on “soft skills” in engineering education withadaptability to address injustices from past practices (e.g. [14, 15]). Competence and skilldevelopment for workers in the nascent multibillion-dollar geospatial industry is prescribed bythe Geospatial Technology Competency Model (GTCM) [17]. Geospatial technologyprofessionals work in a variety of specializations of the geospatial industry includingsurveying/geomatics and mapping, civil engineering, architecture, urban planning, forestry, andcoastal and marine

Conference Session

Biomedical Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Martin Li, Duke University; Brianna Loomis, Duke University; Kevin Caves, Duke University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical Engineering

teaching others the skills they have learned, and the beliefthat they have deeper grasp with the fundamentals of engineering and problem solving.ResultsPreliminary data has been gathered for the beginning of the semester survey as well as the mid-yearsurvey. Currently two surveys regarding the opinions and attitude changes of students have beenadministered, where a self-reflection on given questions was answered. The provided questions were splitinto two categories: a technical skills section and a soft skills section. The technical skills sectionconsisted of five questions asking the students’ opinions regarding their own proficiency in soldering,multimeter and power/hand tool usage, circuit diagnosis and device repair. The other category

Conference Session

Cooperative Education Addresses ABET

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jess Godbey, Jacksonville State University; Terry Marbut, Jacksonville State University; Dale Broyles, Jacksonville State University & Honda MFG of AL

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

operation andsuccess of a manufacturing facility and decided to add occupational safety and health as a secondmajor.IV. Enhancing Student “Soft Skills”Common deficiencies mentioned by employers of recent college graduates are not the lack oftechnical skills but of the so-called “soft skills”. For example critical skills such as effectivecommunication and personal responsibility top the list. Many cooperative educationopportunities allow the student to build some of these “soft skills”. Examples include the abilityto be on time, keep a deadline, prioritize tasks and maintain a professional appearance. Thiscooperative program, like many others, compels the student to develop and demonstrate theseessential “soft skills”.With this industry partner co

Collection

2023 Fall Mid Atlantic Conference: Meeting our students where they are and getting them where they need to be

Authors

Guozhen Tony An, Queensborough Community College; Dugwon Seo; David Mannes, City University of New York, Queensborough Community College; Raymond K.F. Lam, City University of New York, Queensborough Community College

partner companies and gain training andworking experience while earning college credits to complete their degree programs. The authorsof this paper participated in a year-long New York Jobs CEO Council faculty training program.Initially, this provided the opportunity to revise the formal academic curriculum to include high-value technical industry skills. As the program continues to develop, partner companies haveprovided further feedback about the soft skills they are most looking for from apprentices,including oral and written communication, digital fluency, problem-solving, critical thinking,time management, leadership, and teamwork. Two cohorts of students have already completedthe apprenticeship program, and it is worth noting that many

Conference Session

Learning Outcomes and Pedagogical Strategies: Problems of Alignment

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Graham, Johns Hopkins University; Tobin Porterfield, Towson University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

successful career in journalism and mar- keting, Graham launched Bigger Pie Strategies, a marketing company formed in 2010, and co-founded Serious Soft Skills, an education and training company, in 2017.Dr. Tobin Porterfield, Towson University Dr. Tobin Porterfield is an active business educator and researcher. While he has an extensive profes- sional career in supply chain management, in 2007 he earned his Ph.D. in Supply Chain Logistics from the R.H. Smith School at the University of Maryland. Since earning his Ph.D. he has focused on teaching and research. He has taught around the world and presented his research at regional, national, and global conferences. His work has been published in journals including Team

Collection

2008 GSW

Authors

Debra Pearson

programs allow students not only to significantly improvetheir engineering skills, but also to acquire soft skills and—in the case of work abroad students—topractice solving engineering problems in another culture. From improving retention in engineeringto having programs that attract top student talent, work-integrated opportunities positively impacteveryone involved in the partnership.Work-integrated programs include, but are not limited to: • Traditional cooperative education programs requiring three or more work semesters, which alternate with school semesters (Issues to consider: Are work terms required or optional? Will students pay tuition during work terms? Will top administrators support the effort? How will co-op

Conference Session

College Industry Partnerships Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Dylan John, Georgia Southern University; Yunfeng Chen, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

wage rates (Macilwain, 2013).Therefore, the question to be answered is: how we find an appropriate balance betweenmaintaining the high value and demand for STEM graduates, while also ensuring that STEMgraduates are successful in finding employment. The authors of this paper conducted apreliminary qualitative study to identify some of the critical skills required and traininginvestments for success in STEM related disciplines. Following the preliminary study, theauthors have developed a hypothesis that STEM education should have a strategic focus in theenhancement and development of a redefined STEM: Soft Skills, Technical Skills, Experienceand Managerial skills. Future studies should also be conducted to further explore and verify thevalidity

Conference Session

Minorities in Engineering Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Josh Mattes, Sitting Bull College; Robert V. Pieri, North Dakota State University; Austin James Allard, Turtle Mountain Community College; Michael Maloy Parker, Cankdeska Cikana Community College; Ann Vallie; Teri Ann Allery; Lori Nelson, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College; Karl Haefner, Cankdeska Cikana Community College

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2019 Cultivating Meta-cognitive Skills and Emotional Intelligence in First- Year Curricula MOTIVATIONColleges and universities have traditionally devoted considerable resources to restructuring andrefining learning environments in order to address deficits in "hard skills" such as reading,writing, mathematics, and critical thinking. Comparatively fewer resources have been devoted toimproving the cultivation of “emotional intelligence” and "soft skills/attributes" such asinterpersonal communication skills, metacognitive analysis of study methods [1], resiliency [2],[3] motivation, and problem solving around non-academic issues. However, research andexperience have shown

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Pete Tschumi

, skills, and abilities needed for entry-levelinformation technology jobs at their companies. These individuals either worked in these jobs ordirectly supervised employees engaged in these jobs.In each focus group, data was collected for each of ten categories: soft skills, business concepts,and each of the eight job clusters. For each category, we asked the participants to list first all ofthe knowledge that an entry-level employee needed to be effective. Then we asked them to listthe skills and abilities an entry-level employee needed. These focus groups generated a largeamount of data for the ten categories. After collecting the data from the focus groups theCommittee used the Baum Center to consolidate and refine the data. The result became

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Lance Schachterle

Conference, several deans werenoted using phrases like “spreading the soft skills across the curriculum.” By this they may wellmean that those ABET Criterion 3 requirements dealing with non-technical skills might beembedded within engineering courses. Of the eleven outcomes of Criterion 3 listed below, thesix in italics have traditionally been considered as “soft skills” in engineering education, perhapsbecause students can develop them as well in H/SS or other liberal arts areas as in engineering:Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and AssessmentEngineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have: (a) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data (b) an ability to design a system, component, or

Collection

2020 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Kenneth Van Treuren

, ready or not,here comes iGen and the faculty must be prepared to face them. Industry PerspectiveiGens do not seem prepared for what they will face in industry. Industry tells us new hireengineering students lack the social and soft skills to be successful.10 Technology has become animpediment to developing interpersonal relationships and people skills. iGens would rathercommunicate through technology than in person, a frustration to industry managers, especially whenthe communication concerns conflict. A KRONOS Workforce Institute study discovered that 40%of iGens say their high school or college prepared them for the work place however, they admit thatthey were never taught how to negotiate, public speak

Conference Session

Communication and Professional Skills in BME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Ebenstein, Bucknell University; Joe Tranquillo; Daniel Cavanagh

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

valuable in seniordesign. The first course, taken in the spring of junior year, is aimed at introducing students to awide range of ‘soft’ skills including regulatory issues, teamwork, environmental impacts, andformal decision making. Students then take a course in the fall of the senior year that focuses ondeveloping relevant ‘hard’ skills including CAD, machining tools, rapid-prototyping,mammalian cell culture, and statistics-based experimental design. The other two courses of thissequence make up the two-semester senior design capstone experience that follows a traditionalproject based model. However, in addition to in-depth exposure to the formal engineering designprocess, students are also required to interact professionally with an external

Conference Session

Creating a Technology Incubator and Creating a Seed Fund

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jim Subach, Arizona State University; Lakshmi Munukutla, Arizona State University; John Magrane, Microchip Technology Inc.; Carol Popovich, Microchip Technology Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

typically have minimal skills and, in many cases, little interest.Additionally, the broad area of soft skills can be difficult for engineering students tograsp and they openly question its value. Yet, when presented in a graduate course inbusiness agility for engineers, one of us (JS) has seen students recognize the value ofthese skills and begin to develop and utilize them within 4 weeks of the start of thecourse. One student’s comment typified the reaction: “When I started this course I sawno value in soft skills. Now I can see that they can be more valuable than technicalskills.” Companies such as Microchip Technology are well positioned to mentoruniversity students. Companies can provide guidance with regard to creating businessplans

Conference Session

Abroad Educational Opportunities in Engineering

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Susannah Spodek; D. Joseph Mook; Lester Gerhardt

face shortages in the labor supply, there havebeen calls from industry for those newly entering the workforce to come better prepared.Graduating engineering students, in addition to their technical educations, are expected tobe prepared with “soft skills,” work experience, and a wide-ranging background nottypically provided for in a traditional engineering program. According to Brenda Cox,Manager for International and Advanced Procurement, BMW Manufacturing Corporation,“you must not only be skilled in your area of expertise, but be flexible and have what isoften called the ‘soft skills’. These soft skills are needed to maximize your effectivenesswithin an organization.”1 ABET (the Accreditation Board for Engineering andTechnology), recognizing

Conference Session

Nontechnical Skills for Engineering Technology Students

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

George Zion; Ronald Fulle; Carol Richardson

Session Number: 1348 Building Ethics and Project Management into Engineering Technology Programs Authors: Ron Fulle, Carol Richardson, George Zion Affiliation of All: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)AbstractOur Industry Advisory Board (IAB) strongly suggested that we include more managerial skills inthe Engineering Technology curriculum. Revised ABET criteria now require such skills. Ourprograms were already so long that they adversely impact student retention. The dilemma washow to implement more so called “soft skills” without adding more hours to the

Conference Session

Capstone Design in ECE

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ibrahem E. Atawi, University of Tabuk; el-Hadi M. Aggoune, University of Tabuk; Fares S. Almehmadi, University of Tabuk

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

excellence in engineering education and positioning itself for ABET accreditation,the College of Engineering (CoEng) at the University of Tabuk (UT), Tabuk located in SaudiArabia has integrated a strong engineering practice component into its educational programcurricula. This component relies on a series of courses that foster a variety of soft skills wrappedaround four design project courses and two four-week practical training periods at a company orresearch facility. Furthermore, students at the senior level are strongly encouraged to undertakerealistic projects. In this paper, we describe our experience with three groups of students fromthe Electrical Engineering (EE) Department who undertook projects sponsored by the SensorNetworks and

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Sudhir Mehta

percent of the students believe that the integration of soft skills into their courses areeither very important or important. The students considered problem solving (97%) and criticalthinking (95%) skills to be of most importance. TABLE I Importance of Integrating Soft Skills in Academic CoursesWhat is your opinion on integrating the following soft skills in your courses?Scale: A) Very Important B) Important C) Neutral D) Not Important E) Not Important at all Soft Skills Percentage Responses* A B C D ECooperative

Conference Session

Pay It Forward: Critical Thinking, Reflection and Faculty Engagement Promote Success in Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Caroline R. Noyes, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jonathan Gordon, Georgia Institute of Technology; Joe Ludlum, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

White/ Asian 89.3 83.8 84.3 82.3 84.8 88.0Co-op Participation % Participating 23.8 17.3 26.6 27.5 23.9 29.9 in Co-opThe analysis involved comparing the academic performance, as measured by final course grades,of co-op and non-co-op students in required core engineering courses at the institution. In orderto capture the largest possible samples of students for comparison, the analysis focused onrequired (rather than elective) engineering courses in each major. Additionally, each course wascategorized as “hard skill” or “soft skill” based on the ABET program outcomes the courseaddressed (see Table 2). This classification is