The "Soft" Argument for Engineering Professional Identity Courses: A Case Study

• In Event: Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: Contemporary Topics in Engineering Education Research

Abstract

A growing number of engineering faculty and engineering education researchers have argued for the need to create learning environments that provide opportunities for students to develop their engineering professional identities prior to entry into the workforce and evidence of such a development must extend beyond the traditional metrics of academic success (e.g., grades). Thus, understanding how instructional strategies used in engineering courses explicitly targeting 21st century skills development, or “soft skills” courses may be integral to support student preparation for and commitment to careers in engineering.The purpose of our research was to determine the level of engineering professional identity attained in two different undergraduate engineering courses focused on the development of “soft skills” in engineering (e.g., teamwork, communication).

Authors

• Idalis Villanueva, Utah State University

• Jana Bouwma-Gearhart, Oregon State University

• Louis S. Nadelson, Colorado Mesa University