Development of soft skills in computer science bachelors in the project learning process

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National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University

DEVELOPMENT OF SOFT SKILLS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE BACHELORS IN THE PROJECT LEARNING PROCESS

O.G. Glazunova, Ed. D, Professor,

V.I. Korolchuk, PhD, Associate Professor

T.V. Voloshyna, PhD. E., Associate Professor

T.A. Vakaliuk, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor

Kyiv, Zhytomyr

Abstract

soft skill computer science

The article proposes and substantiates a method of development of soft skills in Computer Science bachelors using project-based learning technologies, as successful employment of graduates in the IT industry market depends on the level of such skills. Developed communication skills, teamwork, and the ability to plan work on a project are important requirements for university graduates' successful employment in the IT industry. The formation and development of soft skills enables the students not only to meet the requirements of the labor market, but also to more successfully develop professional skills (hard skills). The authors propose indicators of soft skill formation by 5 categories: personal effectiveness, communicative, managerial, strategic and information management skills. The methodology of soft skill development for future specialists in information technologies is based on three stages, each of which involves the implementation of different types of projects: collective, term paper and interdisciplinary. The components of soft skills that are formed during each of the stages are determined. The research substantiates the integration of two learning technologies for the implementation of the proposed methodology - blended and project-based learning, which involve the use of digital technologies. During the experimental research, students independently assessed the level of their soft skill formation according to the defined indicators in line with the proposed categories on a 10-point scale. The results of the conducted experimental study proved the improvement of the level of soft skill formation in Computer Science Bachelors in the process of project training. The statistical analysis of the results of the experiment proved the significance of the proposed method and made it possible to confirm its effectiveness.

Keywords: soft skills; computer science bachelors; project-based learning.

Анотація

РОЗВИТОК SOFT SKILLS БАКАЛАВРІВ КОМП'ЮТЕРНИХ НАУК У ПРОЦЕСІ ПРОЄКТНОГО НАВЧАННЯ

Глазунова Олена Григорівна доктор педагогічних наук, професор, декан факультету інформаційних технологій Національний університет біоресурсів і природокористування України, м. Київ, Україна

Корольчук Валентина Ігорівна доктор філософії, доцентка кафедри інформаційних систем і технологій Національний університет біоресурсів і природокористування України, м. Київ, України

Волошина Тетяна Володимирівна кандидат педагогічних наук, доцентка кафедри інформаційних систем і технологій Національний університет біоресурсів і природокористування України, м. Київ, Україна

Вакалюк Тетяна Анатоліївна доктор педагогічних наук, професор, професорка кафедри інженерії програмного забезпечення Державний університет «Житомирська політехніка», м. Житомир, Україна провідна наукова співробітниця сектору мережних технологій і баз даних відділу відкритих освітньо-наукових інформаційних систем Інститут цифровізації освіти НАПН України, м. Київ, Україна

У статті запропоновано та обґрунтовано методику розвитку м'яких навичок з використанням технологій проєктного навчання для бакалаврів комп'ютерних наук, від рівня сформованості яких залежить успішне працевлаштування випускників на ринку ІТіндустрії. Розвинуті комунікативні навички, командна робота та вміння планувати роботу над проєктом є важливою вимогою до випускників закладів вищої освіти для майбутнього працевлаштування в ІТ-галузі. Формування та розвиток soft skills дозволяє не тільки відповідати вимогам ринку праці, а й більш успішно розвивати професійні навички (hard skills). Автори пропонують показники сформованості навичок за 5 категоріями: особистісна ефективність, комунікативні, управлінські, стратегічні та інформаційно-управлінські навички управління інформацією. Методологія розвитку soft skills у майбутніх фахівців з інформаційних технологій базується на трьох етапах, кожен з яких передбачає виконання різних типів проєктів: колективних, курсових та міждисциплінарних. Визначено компоненти soft skills, які формуються на кожному з етапів. У дослідженні обґрунтовано інтеграцію двох технологій навчання для реалізації запропонованої методики - змішаного та проєктного навчання, що поєднує запропоновані форми та методи навчання з використанням цифрових технологій. Під час експериментального дослідження студенти самостійно оцінювали рівень сформованості soft skills за визначеними показниками відповідно до запропонованих категорій за 10-бальною шкалою. Результати проведеного експериментального дослідження довели підвищення рівня сформованості soft skills у майбутніх бакалаврів інформатики в процесі проєктного навчання, проведено статистичний аналіз результатів експерименту та доведено їх значимість, що дозволило підтвердити ефективність запропонованої методики.

Ключові слова: soft skills; бакалавр комп'ютерних наук; проєктне навчання.

The problem statement

Training a specialist of a new format, who is successful and competent, is entrusted to universities where the integration of technological innovations, cloud resources and services and methods of project learning can provide a new quality of the educational processes, the results of training and development of soft skills. In the modern world special importance is given to so-called soft skills - “flexible skills.” Some of these skills include: English language proficiency, as foreign communication skills are required in customer relations and communication with an international development team; team skills in project execution; effective communication skills throughout project execution, starting from the first communication with the customer to presentation of ready-made solution skills.

The Forbes Coaching Council also considers soft skills to be meaningful and notes that these skills cannot be taught - individuals must be willing to learn and acquire them through their own experience: to communicate in a constructive way, through their own experience of difficult working situations; to be able to listen - through many working meetings where an active hearing is essential; to be able to conduct complex negotiations - after dozens of difficult dialogues on understanding in various projects [1].

The World Economic Forum named integrated problem-solving skills, critical thinking and creativity among the top 10 skills which will continue to be in demand. The main groups of skills that employers believe will be in demand by 2025 are: critical thinking and analysis, problem-solving, self-management, working with people, management and communication of activities, technology use and development, core literacies, physical abilities. While there is a wide-ranging consensus that no single skill set or area of expertise is likely to be able to sustain a long-term career in the future, the core soft skills of the 21st century - including not just creativity and flexibility but also complex problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration - will be crucial for enabling people to become better able to adapt to the changing needs of the job market [2].

Future IT specialists need to acquire the above-mentioned personal skills from the university level for a successful career, but traditional methods and forms of organization of work in higher education institutions (HEIs) do not contribute to the development of these skills. A Carnegie Mellon Foundation study found that 75% of long-term job success depends on the level of soft skills employees had. Another LinkedIn study found that 57% of employers value soft skills more than hard skills when making new hires [3].

Analysis of recent studies and publications

The need for qualified specialists in the field of information technologies is constantly growing, both for existing specialties and for new ones in the field of high technologies, training for which must be introduced in higher education institutions. For such specialists, it is important to have the ability to work in a team, therefore, it is recommended to use the project methodology during the training of future IT specialists. Therefore, a successful IT specialist needs to constantly improve their knowledge, skills and abilities, including soft skills, to be in demand in this job market. O. Hazzan and G. Har-Shai [3] argue that people involved in software development processes deserve more attention, and therefore their “soft skills” should also be developed, beyond their scientific and professional skills. P. Moss and C. Tilly [4] define “soft skills” as abilities and traits that relate to a person, their attitude, behavior, and not formal or technical knowledge.

S. Burbekova [5] notes that in order for an IT specialist to meet the demands of the job market, they need to work on developing soft skills such as communication skills, team building and leadership. Soft skills such as leadership, communication, negotiation, problem solving, and team spirit are important for any software development process, as they play a crucial role and influence how a person performs tasks, so they must be taken into account when designing academic curriculum [6].

Another learning activity outside college is internship/work practices or Industrial Field Experience (IFE), which greatly affects students' soft skills [7]. After the expert validation process, only seven elements were accepted to be the subconstructs for measuring soft skills among Construction Technology students, namely, communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving skills, teamwork, ethics, professional moral and leadership skills [8]. Modern programming is collective, and the usefulness of an individual IT specialist is closely related to their usefulness for the entire team, therefore it requires teamwork, leadership skills, certain knowledge of psychology and management [9].

R. Lavi, M. Tal, Y. Dori [10] in their study identify 14 skills needed by specialists in the 21st century, such as the ability to learn individually, the ability to solve problems, critical thinking skills, the ability to think systematically, skills of experimentation and testing, ability to cooperate, skills of written, oral and intercultural communication and others. In their work, researchers propose to form these skills using active learning methods, in particular, the method of project-based learning, which focuses on interaction and solving real problems.

The research goal. Given this, the purpose of the article is to feature a methodology developed for the formation of soft skills in computer science bachelors in the process of project training and verify it experimentally.

Research findings

In modern conditions, a competitive IT specialist must have both professional skills and soft skills, that's why they should be viewed as expected results (learning objectives) in the process of training future IT specialists. Today's employers in the IT industry expect a candidate to have dozens of different skills: the ability to think creatively and manage time, communication skills, networking, project management, effective teamwork. The researchers [11], [12] identify the following skills: personal effectiveness, management and strategic skills, information management skills and critical thinking. After analyzing the above classifications of soft skills, 5 categories of skills were formed, which are the most important for the future successful career of IT graduates. The first category includes communication skills. These include: the ability to work in a team, negotiation, the ability to communicate effectively using various tools (within the team, customers, managers), interpersonal communication, the ability to persuade, resolve conflicts, make group decisions, and give presentations. Communication skills are extremely important for a successful IT specialist, as software development teams can work remotely. Thus, the effectiveness of project work largely depends on the ability to communicate with each other, on the knowledge of foreign languages, business correspondence, conflict resolution, group decision making. Another part of the application of communication skills is related to working with clients, namely: active listening, the ability to ask questions correctly, to speak concisely, the ability to work with objections are components of effective communication. The second category includes personal performance skills, which include time management competences, responsibility, resilience, goal achievement, creativity and analytical thinking. To be successful in IT business, it is extremely important to be proactive and innovative, to constantly self-improve, as IT professionals increasingly prefer interesting projects, new technologies and enterprises with a transparent system of work organization. The third category consists of management skills, which include: competences in teamwork, the ability to form and unite a team, to establish a system of communication between its members, the ability to motivate team members, to show leadership qualities. These are the competencies that are necessary for successful work as part of a software development team.

To conduct IT business, it is necessary to develop strategic skills among IT students. These skills are in the fourth category and include strategic decision-making competence, which is very important when using the cutting-edge technology; the ability to operate in a risky environment; to plan students' activities and those of the development team; the ability to delegate authority. Critical thinking is one of the skills of the twenty-first century and one of the necessary skills for effective information management in the field of IT. The future IT specialist needs to be able to analyze, synthesize, evaluate data and messages, make decisions - the competence of the fifth group in the developed classification.

Table1 presents the classification of soft skills that need to be developed in the process of training future specialists in information technology to ensure their further development and successful employment in the relevant field.

It is possible to develop professional skills and soft skills in future IT specialists by organizing training activities using blended learning technology, which is to mix methods and forms of organizing training activities using information and communication technologies (ICT), project training and teamwork on the project.

Table 1

Required soft skills of IT students