Controlled Experiments as Means to Teach Soft Skills in Software Engineering

2017 ◽  
pp. 1355-1373
Author(s):  
Marco Kuhrmann ◽  
Henning Femmer ◽  
Jonas Eckhardt
Keyword(s):  
Software Engineering ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
University Course ◽  
Job Profile

The job profile of a Software Engineer not only includes so-called “hard-skills” (e.g. specifying, programming, or building architectures) but also “soft skills” like awareness of team effects and similar human factors. These skills are typically hard to teach in classrooms, and current education, hence, mostly focuses on hard rather than soft skills. Yet, since software development is becoming more and more spread across different sites in a globally distributed manner, the importance of soft skills increases rapidly. However, there are only a few practical guides to teach such tacit knowledge to Software Engineering students. In this chapter, the authors describe an approach that combines theoretical lectures, practical experiments, and discussion sessions to fill this gap. They describe the processes of creating, planning, executing, and evaluating these sessions, so that soft skill topics can be taught in a university course. The authors present two example implementations of the approach. The first implementation lets students experience and reflect on group dynamics and team-internal effects in a project situation. The second implementation enables students to understand the challenges of a distributed software development setting. With this knowledge, the authors critically discuss the contribution of experimentation to university teaching.

Controlled Experiments as Means to Teach Soft Skills in Software Engineering

2014 ◽  
pp. 180-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Kuhrmann ◽  
Henning Femmer ◽  
Jonas Eckhardt
Keyword(s):  
Software Engineering ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
University Course ◽  
Job Profile

The job profile of a Software Engineer not only includes so-called “hard-skills” (e.g. specifying, programming, or building architectures) but also “soft skills” like awareness of team effects and similar human factors. These skills are typically hard to teach in classrooms, and current education, hence, mostly focuses on hard rather than soft skills. Yet, since software development is becoming more and more spread across different sites in a globally distributed manner, the importance of soft skills increases rapidly. However, there are only a few practical guides to teach such tacit knowledge to Software Engineering students. In this chapter, the authors describe an approach that combines theoretical lectures, practical experiments, and discussion sessions to fill this gap. They describe the processes of creating, planning, executing, and evaluating these sessions, so that soft skill topics can be taught in a university course. The authors present two example implementations of the approach. The first implementation lets students experience and reflect on group dynamics and team-internal effects in a project situation. The second implementation enables students to understand the challenges of a distributed software development setting. With this knowledge, the authors critically discuss the contribution of experimentation to university teaching.

THE ANALYSIS OF NURSING STUDENT SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN LECTURE AND PROBLEM BASED LEARNING APPROACHES 2011

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Hilman Syarif
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Nursing Student ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
P Value ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Significant Difference

Introduction: Student Centered Learning (SCL) is an effective method to develop student's soft skills and hard skills which are very important to support their successful carrier later. This research was conducted to identify the differences of developed soft skills between students who learn with PBL method and lecturing method. Methods: Descriptive comparative method was used in this study. The samples consisted of 15 students who learned with PBL method and 15 students who learned with lecturing method. The sample for this research was selected by random sampling method. Results: The result showed that the average of student's soft skills score in PBL method was 122.63, while student's soft skills score in lecturing method was 116.27. Discussion & Conclusion: There was significant difference of student's soft skills in PBL method and lecturing method (p value = 0.038; α = 0.05). This study recommends nursing program management, faculty of medicine at the University of Syiah Kuala keeps PBL method running and develops other methods which facilitate hard skills and soft skills are development. Keywords: nursing students, soft skill, PBL

scholarly journals Bridging the Skill Gap in Robotics: Global and National Environment

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402095873
Author(s):  
Natalia Shmatko ◽  
Galina Volkova
Keyword(s):  
Soft Skills ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
National Level ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Level Information ◽  
National Environment ◽  
National Trends

This article focuses on the demand for skills of highly qualified scientific and technical professionals (engineers and researchers) in robotics, on both a global and national level. Information is collected using the text-mining of open-access vacancies for understanding the global trends and in-depth interviews with experts for a more detailed study of national trends. The study explores the combination of hard and soft skills, as well as interdisciplinary skills. Soft skill requirements play an important role in the demanded skill set of the specialist, but the claims for hard skills (including digital) are not becoming less strict. Programming and the knowledge of specialized software packages are the most important skills, but must be combined with practical skills (assembly, welding, soldering). The broad range of application areas for robotic systems creates demand for new multidisciplinary skills (knowledge of artificial intelligence, new materials, and biology). Rapid technological development underlines the growing importance of soft skills, such as communication skills, self-motivation, and a willingness to learn. Lists of the most demanded skills in different countries principally coincide. Results can be applied for developing policies aimed at eliminating the skill gap in prospective technological areas.

scholarly journals Soft Skill Development in Vocational Schools to Produce Competent Graduates Needed by the Business/Industry World

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-81
Author(s):  
Rismaja Putra
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Vocational School ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Business World ◽  
Important Thing ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Banda Aceh

Companies looking for employees, the most important thing is not hard skills, but soft skills, this is because 80 percent of people are successful because of soft skills. In this case, students from the State Vocational School (SMK) in Banda Aceh need to develop good soft skills since grade X. Special attention and synergy between school principals as leaders, teachers and school officers as teachers and mentors need to be done properly. Implementation in a consistent and integrated manner in a sustainable manner will produce graduates and human resources who are superior and skilled, and graduates who are able to meet the needs of the business world and industry.

scholarly journals Profil Soft Skill Dan Hard Skill Mahasiswa Dalam Memasuki Dunia Kerja

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Nabila Ikrima Jeklor Putri ◽  
Lucy Fridayati
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Family Welfare ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive

The study aims to describe and to know the profile of soft skills and hard skills of the college students to enter the work field. The type of research is quantitative descriptive research. The population of this research is the students of padang state university family welfare education study program totally 49 people. The sampling technique is total sampling that taking the entire population. The technique of collecting data is by transferring a questionnaire (Questionnaire) using Likert scale that has been tested for validity and reliability. The data were analyzed through descriptive analysis with the categorization method. The results of the study is the soft skills and hard skills profile of college students to enter the work field that included in high category are indicators of work ethics, collaboration, discipline, related to norms and the medium category are indicators of speaking skills and confidence.

scholarly journals WHY DOES IT MATTER? EXPLAINING THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES TO FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Donald ◽  
Sofie Lachapelle ◽  
Thomas Sasso ◽  
Kyle Augusto ◽  
M. Gloria Gonzalez-Morales
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The University

While complementary studies are an accreditation requirement and feature prominently in the Canadian engineering curriculum, focus-group conversations with upper-year engineering students have indicated that a lack of awareness of, and appreciation for, soft skills development often prevents students from benefiting from complementary studies to the fullest. Given this reported difficulty to grasp the importance of complementary studies, a study was undertaken at the University of Guelph using a quasi-experimental design to explore the possibility that triggering self-assessment and awareness about career development early in the engineering curriculum promotes greater engagement with complementary studies and soft-skill development. First-year engineering students took part in a learner-centered activity focused on the importance of complementary studies for the development of soft skills. Through active learning exercises and case studies of successful engineering graduates, who described the skills and knowledge required to perform their daily work, the session was designed to encourage students to develop greater self-awareness and intentionality about complementary studies and their associated graduate attributes. The outcomes of this activity and issues on how to embed it in the Engineering first-year curriculum will be discussed

scholarly journals Engaging Software Engineering Students with Employability Skills

2016 ◽  
pp. 1765-1802
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Armarego
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Software Engineering ◽  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Engineering Software ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering

This chapter explores the findings from an Action Research project that addressed the Professional Capability Framework (Scott & Wilson, 2002), and how aspects of this were embedded in an undergraduate Engineering (Software) degree. Longitudinal data identified the challenges both staff and students engaged with. The interventions that were developed to address these are described and discussed. The results of the project show that making soft skills attainment explicit as part of the learning objectives went a long way in assisting students to engage with the activities that exercised these skills.

scholarly journals Engaging Software Engineering Students With Employability Skills

2017 ◽  
pp. 1800-1838
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Armarego
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Software Engineering ◽  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Engineering Software ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering

This chapter explores the findings from an Action Research project that addressed the Professional Capability Framework, and how aspects of this were embedded in an undergraduate Engineering (Software) degree. Longitudinal data identified the challenges both staff and students engaged with. The interventions that were developed to address these are described and discussed. The results of the project show that making soft skills attainment explicit as part of the learning objectives went a long way in assisting students to engage with the activities that exercised these skills.

PTBL

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
LieHuo Chen ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
XiaoGuang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Software Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Engineering Department

With software projects are becoming increasingly complicated, soft skills such as collaboration, effective communication, rhetoric, socio-cultural, accountabilities and collision resolution in real-life software projects, as well as computer programming are badly required for team members to cooperate and finish the strenuous projects. Therefore it is fundamental for software engineering students to improve such skills, if they want to accelerate the success of teamwork. Nowadays, the ability of effective cooperation and communication is much more important than raw programming talent. Teams with average programmers who communicate well are more likely to success than those with superstars but not good at communication. At the same time, these soft skills are just difficult to teach and learn which require true collaboration and communication between students. The traditional learning activities for training soft skills are insufficient based on the facts that teachers and mentors pay too much attention on professional and technical abilities instead of soft skills. In this paper, a novel learning model called Problem and Task Based Learning is proposed which includes Problem-Based Learning, Task-Based Learning, and Web3D technologies. This new model could elevate the teamwork skills in software engineering and overcome the common limitations of the traditional course. This paper also presents two courses using this learning model-a Task-game course and a virtual 3D meeting, as well as some experimental results obtained from the students and the teachers who have participated in the two case studies. Both students and teachers are from Software Engineering Department of Tsinghua University.

Students’ Awareness and Embracement of Soft Skills by Learning and Practicing Teamwork

10.28945/4650 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 185-201
Author(s):  
Noa Ragonis ◽  
Orit Hazzan ◽  
Gadi Har-Shai
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Software Engineering ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents a study about changes in computer science and software engineering students’ perceptions of their soft skills during their progress through the Computer Science Soft Skills course. Background: Soft skills are often associated with a person’s social, emotional and cognitive capabilities. Soft skills are increasingly sought out and are well recognized by employers alongside standard qualifications. Therefore, high importance is attributed to soft skills in computer science and software engineering education. Methodology: Content analysis was applied to interpret, categorize and code statements from students’ course assignment answers. Data analysis was performed gradually at the three main stages of the course and by the two students’ study populations. Contribution: The paper highlights the variety of (a) soft skills that can be learnt in one course, both on the individual level and on the team level and (b) assignments that can be given to students to increase their awareness and motivation to practice and learn soft skills. Findings: Data analysis revealed the following: (a) five individual soft skills categories, with 95 skills, and five team-related soft skills categories, with 52 skills (in total, the students mentioned 147 soft skills); (b) course assignments and particularly team-based activities elicited student awareness of their individual soft skills, both as strengths and weaknesses; (c) students developed their reflection skills, particularly with respect to team-related soft skills; and (d) significant differences exist between the two groups of students in several categories. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is important to provide undergraduate students with opportunities to integrate soft skills during their training. Establishing a meaningful learning process, such as project-based learning, enables students to apply and develop soft skills when accompanied by reflective thought processes. Recommendation for Researchers: A similar course can be taught and be accompanied by similar analysis of students’ learning outcomes, to examine the influence of local culture on the characteristics of soft skills. Impact on Society: Increased awareness of soft skills in scientists and engineers’ undergraduate education. University graduates who will strengthen their variety of soft skills in their academic training process and will be more meaningful employees in the workplace and in society. Future Research: Our future research aims (a) to explore additional innovative ways to increase students’ learning processes, awareness and practices in relation to soft skills and (b) to research how students’ soft skills are developed during the entire undergraduate studies both on the individual level and the team level.

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