Content area
The modern job market demands soft and future skills from both technical and non-technical professionals. It is often challenging to teach these competencies in a traditional academic setting. This paper presents an effective approach for developing these skills through a short, intensive, joint project. While our case study is an Erasmus+ program, the methodology can be applied within various frameworks. We use problem-based and active learning, along with group work, to teach. The approach also emphasizes diversity by arranging multidisciplinary student groups to work on software development tasks. In our project, less than half of the participants had a computer science background, demonstrating that these tasks are engaging for non-technical students. The multicultural and international environment of the project is crucial in a global working environment, and its brief, intense nature helps simulate real-world stressful situations. This methodology provides a practical way to prepare students for the demands of the modern workplace. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the project in developing certain key skills, though not all competencies showed a measurable increase during the event’s short duration.
Details
Pretesting;
Critical Thinking;
International Cooperation;
Competence;
Active Learning;
Entrepreneurship;
Learning Processes;
Measurement Techniques;
Group Dynamics;
Cooperative Learning;
Communication Skills;
Interpersonal Competence;
Computer Science;
Empathy;
Ethics;
Native Speakers;
Evaluative Thinking;
Creativity;
Cultural Awareness;
Journal Writing;
Lifelong Learning;
Problem Based Learning;
Higher Education;
Cross Cultural Training
Soft skills;
Higher education;
Students;
Software development;
Task forces;
Teaching methods;
Collaboration;
Curricula;
Communication;
Teamwork;
Entrepreneurs;
Active learning;
Hypotheses;
Cooperation;
Flexibility;
Empathy;
Creativity;
Critical thinking;
Problem based learning;
Multidisciplinary practices
; Beczkowski Michał 1
; Simbeck Katharina 2 ; Dziergwa Katrin 2
; O’Reilly Derek 3
; Dowdall Shane 3 ; Monteiro, Joao 4 ; Lucas, Catarina Oliveira 4 ; Hautamaki Johanna 5
; Ahonen Heikki 5 ; Bollaert Hiram 6 ; Possemiers Philippe 6 ; Stawska Zofia 7
1 Faculty of Physics and Applied Informatics, University of Lodz, prez. Gabriela Narutowicza 68, 90-136 Łódź, Poland; [email protected] (K.P.); [email protected] (M.B.)
2 Faculty of Computer Science, Communication and Business, HTW University of Applied Science, Wilhelminenhofstraße 75A, 12459 Berlin, Germany
3 Department of Visual and Human-Centred Computing, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dublin Rd., Marshes Upper, A91 K584 Dundalk, Ireland; [email protected] (D.O.);
4 Instituto Superior Politécnico Gaya, Av. dos Descobrimentos 333, 4400-103 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
5 Information and Communications Technology, Centria University of Applied Science, Talonpojankatu 2, 67100 Kokkola, Finland; [email protected] (J.H.);
6 Management and Communication, AP University of Applied Science and Art, Lange Nieuwstraat 101, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium
7 Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering, Institute of Applied Computer Science, Lodz University of Technology, Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Łódź, Poland