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Recent studies claimed that the absence of a paradigm is a challenge to developing education for sustainable development and soft skills competencies. This integrative study examines stimulating these transferable and transversal competencies through constructivist approaches to teaching from the cognitive, social, radical, and critical perspectives. The study argues that the use of constructivist approaches to teaching can contribute to the achievement of education for sustainable development and soft skills competencies through the delegation of power from teachers/lecturers to students. This, in active and interactive classrooms, empowers students and builds their confidence to develop on the personal, academic, and professional levels. The use of the cognitive constructivist approach assists in developing competencies based on a clear understanding of the cognitive structures of students in a vibrant classroom environment. The use of the social constructivist approach assists in constructing individualized learning environment based on predetermined zones of proximal development in sociocultural contexts. The radical and critical constructivist approaches to teaching, through the rejection of conventional epistemologies, allow students the freedom to creatively address issues related to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. This becomes effective through the fostering of self and social awareness, challenging existing ideas, and provoking innovative thoughts that are necessary to shape a sustainable future.

Prospective graduate students' noncognitive attributes are commonly evaluated as a part of a holistic review of their admission applications. Yet it is difficult to determine which noncognitive attributes are considered by those who evaluate graduate admissions applications and what approaches they take to measure applicants' noncognitive attributes. It is even less clear to what degree prospective graduate students understand how they are evaluated for graduate admissions and how the evaluation of their noncognitive attributes factor into admissions decisions. Drawing on surveys of graduate enrollment management (GEM) professionals and prospective graduate students in the United States, our study investigated the noncognitive attributes prospective graduate students and GEM professionals deem important to success in graduate school and the application components each group believes demonstrate those attributes. Results suggest that some alignment exists between the perspectives of prospective graduate students and GEM professionals on the noncognitive attributes most important for completing a graduate program of study. We share recommendations for improving the agreement between prospective graduate students and GEM professionals including the need for more explicit and transparent communication about how graduate admissions applications are evaluated, which is of particular importance as admissions processes forgo the consideration of applicants' race.

Our principal objective is to explore if interculturality is relevant for the success of a bilateral student mobility program, Mexico-Japan Technical and Academic Exchange Program (MJTAEP). First, the authors explain their methodology and objectives of field work. Second, they situate their analysis within a framework of growing academic cooperation, common ends, and variability, depending on national objectives. Third, they consider the motivations/aspirations of Mexican fellowship holders, as stated by respondents to an electronic survey (106), as well as in-depth interviews (21). The authors look specifically at the quality of courses aimed at providing linguistic, cultural, and technical tools to the Mexican grantees. Two topics are evaluated in detail: (1) the drivers and obstacles of academic integration of Mexicans in Japanese universities, and (2) the acquisition of hard and soft skills (relationships with sensei, alumni or administrative officers and knowledge/proficiency requirements) to facilitate student incorporation in the host society and institutions.

This study aimed at investigating the undergraduates' soft skills in a private HE institute in Lebanon from various perspectives. The study adopted a mixed-method approach for collecting and analyzing the data. Two different surveys, compiling major features of incorporating soft skills into USAL's study programs, were administered. 108 undergraduates and 23 instructors from different majors competed the surveys. A focus group interview was conducted for student affairs office personnel (SAO) to examine its role in developing undergraduates' soft skills. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 while qualitative data were classified into themes and analyzed against the quantitative data and USAL's policy and regulations. Findings indicate, from a triangulated perspective, that USAL's undergraduates have revealed an average level of soft skills although they admit their significant importance for employability and career advancement. In addition, USAL's role in developing undergraduates' soft skills appears satisfactory with respect to the curriculum, the instructors' responsibilities and conducts, and SAO liabilities. Challenges impeding the process of integrating soft skills are pinpointed and discussed. Recommendations for the betterment of investing soft skills within USAL' context, policy and practice, are shared.

Upon graduating, students are expected to have acquired soft skills to meet potential employers' expectations. Since employers today are competing for qualified graduates possessing relevant training and workplace competencies, ELT teachers should guide their learners towards obtaining both a comprehensive understanding of theoretical concepts and a range of interpersonal abilities. This study examined whether Thai teachers incorporate these soft skills in the classroom, which soft skill elements are prioritized and taught, and how the teachers implemented these elements in their EFL classrooms. Twenty ELT teachers from Rajamangala University of Technology in Thailand participated in an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Data was collected using a 4-point Likert-scale questionnaire, which revealed that the teachers reported that they integrated soft skills into the classroom, primarily in the domains of learning skills, literacy skills, and life skills. The three soft skills reported to be most utilized were communication skills, technology literacy, and collaboration and teamwork, which are all essential for improving English language proficiency. The findings suggest that ELT teachers identify and facilitate the acquisition of weaker supplementary skills, such as leadership, to equip students with the necessary skills to succeed.

This paper analyses the relation between generic competencies of students of Psychology and their academic performance and employability. A sample of 43 students of Psychology in a Spanish university was used to measure their generic competencies, academic performance and employability. Correlational and regression tests were conducted to evaluate the relation between the variables. The generic competence 'adhering to principles and values' is positively related to employability, while the competencies 'achieve results/client satisfaction' and 'socialise and create networks' are positively related to academic performance. No significant relationship was found between academic performance and employability. Generic competencies favour both academic performance and employability. The competencies which influence only one of these aspects are different. Our research offers insights to teacher learning communities to engage in a profound reflection on the inclusion of methodologies that facilitate the development of competencies related to academic performance and those most in demand in the labour market within the field of Psychology. Generic competencies are essential part of the education of students of Psychology. These competencies are institutionally developed with the aim of orienting the education of psychologists towards their future professional practice. It is essential to understand how the development of generic competencies may facilitate academic performance and employability of graduates in Psychology.

This study investigated the degree of practicing soft skills by science teachers using the descriptive approach. To achieve the study's objective, an observation card was developed. It was used to monitor three lessons for each subject (n=60) science teachers, who were distributed into six groups according to work experience and educational qualification, in the Directorate of Education of Bani Kinanah District in Irbid Governorate. The results showed that science teachers practice soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, negotiation, planning and time management, teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking to a high degree, with an explained variance (9.13%), on all dimensions of the observation card. However, the results also indicated statistically significant differences ([alpha] = 0.05) between the arithmetic means of the teaching practices of soft skills among science teachers resulting from the different levels of educational qualification and teaching experience. Thus, teachers with educational qualifications typically practice soft skills to a greater extent with an average level of (14.48%) than their peers without educational degrees. Teachers with advanced experience are more likely to exercise soft skills with an average level of (11.73%) than their counterparts with medium and simple experience. Therefore, the study recommended including soft skills practice as a university course, endorsing it in universities, and continuous training for science teachers on teaching practices for soft skills through training courses and workshops.

Critical thinking, creativity, communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, empathy, resilience, ambition, grit, and innovation (Heckman & Kautz, 2012). These skills, often referred to as 'soft' skills, are considered a requirement for employment and advancement for the 21st-century graduate (Carnevale & Smith, 2013). Within a Western Canadian School of Business, in an environment highly regarded for technical skill achievement in diploma and degree graduates, faculty set out to investigate the absence or inclusion of human skills in curriculum outcomes as an initial phase of investigation. There is an institutional presumption that human skill development is innately a part of the programs. The intention is that human skills (LeBusque, 2020) or power skills (PMI, 2022) naturally occur during course delivery, creating a commonality across foundational courses to reinforce the skill sets identified, developed, and refined as students complete their credentials. However, industry reports (Lapointe & Turner, 2020; RBC, 2019) and the authors' own institutional data collected from new graduates and employers indicated room for improvement in these skills. To gain a better understanding, the authors undertook an examination via document analysis of all common core courses that form the program foundation. Through the lens of dynamic skill theory (Mascolo, 2020), this evaluation involved 24 common courses, comprised of 1,442 course objectives, resulting in a range of 134 Bloom's Taxonomy verbs. In this paper, the authors begin the exploratory first phase of a broader comprehensive study with a focus on course foundations for learner development. Through this analysis, the authors present a draft framework to better understand and strengthen the learning foundations, to proceed with considerations for realignment and strategic scaffolding of both technical and human skills from entry through graduation.

The purpose of the study is to examine how Industry 4.0, and the digital environment, have together created a new situation for companies and universities in terms of soft skills for employability. While companies aim to introduce a new structure, universities try to align with these changes by developing new educational methods, curricula, and models. Many researches are focusing on -- rightfully so -- Industry 4.0 skills and competences to gain throughout higher education. However, we have shifted our research interest and asked students to what degree their university years added to their knowledge, self-management and skills. 147 engineering and technical manager students' responses from two faculties at Óbuda University, Hungary were analyzed to see their evaluations of the role of the university in the framework of Education 4.0, and their chances in the job market. Quantitative and CHAID analyses were used. Students' responses show significant differences between the two faculties regarding languages, teamwork, self-management and in the different order of the skills seen as most paramount to employability. Engineering students attach greater importance to field-relevant knowledge, while technical manager students find decision-making more useful. The research proved that Education 4.0 is here and Z generation studying at universities prefers problem-based learning, including creativity, analytical, and critical thinking while would like to have good communication skills. Universities need to adapt to these changes and integrate hard as well as soft skills development in tutoring. The importance of technical-IT knowledge is just as important as having interpersonal skills, excellence in problem-solving, so students need to be taught how to analyze problems, engage in scientific debate, or express themselves clearly as previous literature indicated.

Cybersecurity has become increasingly important not only in the technology sector but in criminal justice professions as well, and significant challenges have arisen as a result. However, these challenges are not well discussed in the literature. To address this gap, and to study the cybersecurity trends impacting criminal justice professionals and the skills, knowledge and abilities criminal justice students need to succeed upon graduation, this research focuses on the role cybersecurity plays in the jobs that compose the main components of the criminal justice system and adjacent areas: law enforcement, the judicial process, corrections, social work, and military. This research utilizes semi-structured interviews with current and recently retired practitioners. Findings from this study revealed eight broad themes, many of which are complementary including changing technologies, generational gaps, over reliance on information technology professionals, and best practices for education composed of experiential learning, soft skills, specialized curriculum and interdisciplinary approaches.

Background: Developing teamwork skills is a central objective of engineering education. Psychological safety and conflict management are pivotal components of teamwork, yet despite their significance, research in engineering project-based learning (PBL) contexts is scant. Understanding students' experiences with psychological safety and its interaction with conflict is crucial to inform PBL pedagogy. Purpose: This study delves into first-year engineering students' experiences of psychological safety and conflict, including their evolution in a PBL course. Methods: Throughout the semester, we collected data from 82 students via written reflections and focus groups. Employing a thematic analysis underpinned by the team conflict dynamics model, we characterized students' experiences with psychological safety and conflict. Findings: At the semester's outset, psychological safety was notably lacking. Students often hesitated to share ideas due to apprehensions about peer reactions and fears of negative judgments. As the semester advanced, consistent positive affirmations nurtured psychological safety, increasing students' confidence and readiness to discuss ideas openly and engage in healthy task conflict. Notably, process conflicts arising from absenteeism, poor communication, and procrastination were prevalent across teams. When unresolved, these conflicts eroded psychological safety, intensifying stress, exacerbating frustrations, and provoking relationship conflict. Conclusions: Our study underscores the intertwined nature of psychological safety and conflict in shaping the first-year design experience in student teams. We urge faculty to recognize their pivotal role in fostering an inclusive culture and highlight pedagogical strategies that can bolster psychological safety at the onset, encourage healthy task conflict, and monitor unhealthy process and relationship conflicts.

This research aims to present a Fuzzy Expert System with psychologist expertise that seeks to assist professors, researchers and educational institutions in assessing the level of incorporation of students' Soft Skills while attending Active Learning sessions. The difficulties encountered by higher education institutions, researchers and professors in evaluating subjective and behavioral components, such as Soft Skills, was one of the problems that motivated the undertaking of this research. The theoretical framework on which this work is based includes the development and evaluation of Soft Skills in students, some concepts and characteristics about Active Learning and the main attributes and properties of Fuzzy Logic. This research is of an exploratory applied nature, a qualitative and quantitative approach is proposed, in which the methodological triangulation between the bibliographic analysis, the case study and the modeling and implementation of the expert system called Fuzzy Soft Skills Assessment was used to achieve the objective proposed.

Due to their soft and hard skills, retirees in any field of study, including the arts, humanities, social, natural and biomedical sciences, mathematics and engineering, carry a wealth of experience, both personal and professional, could continue to be of benefit to students and early career researchers, even after they have retired. Their educational background and experience could enrich the education knowledge stream if their input, expertise and skills could be tapped after retirement, provided that they are physically and/or mentally healthy, able to communicate their ideas in a clear, lucid, and constructive way, and have accompanied support. Perspectives are offered about how retirees could benefit the research and education knowledge stream across disciplines in schools and institutes of higher education, such as universities.

Many experts project generative AI will impact the types of competencies that are valued among working professionals. This is the first known academic study to explore the views of business practitioners about the impacts of generative AI on skill sets. This survey of 692 business practitioners showed that business practitioners widely use generative AI, with the most common uses involving research and ideation, drafting of business messages and reports, and summarizing and revising text. Business practitioners report that character-based traits such as integrity and soft skills will become more important. Implications for teaching business communication are discussed.

Previous research has identified "UPGRADE Your Performance" as a method for teaching employment soft skills to students with disabilities. "UPGRADE Your Performance" instruction is a multicomponent intervention including self-evaluation, self-graphing, goal setting, and technology-aided instruction. This pilot study investigated the generalized effects of "UPGRADE Your Performance" on soft skills of secondary students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities participating in an 18-21 transition program located on a university campus. Results indicated that when students improved in two targeted soft skill areas, generalization occurred to three non-targeted soft skill areas. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are included.

The study investigates the impact of three aspects of the residential summer enrichment program (RSEP) on gifted students' decision to recommend the program to friends. The research was conducted at a public university in Saudi Arabia, with 356 gifted students from grades nine to 11. The study used Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling to examine the causal connections between these factors and students' intention to advocate for the RSEP. The findings show that students' satisfaction with logistics arrangement, soft-skills program, and science program significantly influences their intention to promote the program. The logistics arrangement had the highest unique contribution to this intention, followed by soft skills and science programs. The study suggests that RSEP can enhance motivation, participation, program quality, and provide valuable input for decision-makers in Saudi Arabia. Enrichment programs should prioritize creating a secure learning environment while considering individual well-being and growth.

Teaching soft skills like team dynamics and critical thinking in content-heavy higher education curriculum can be challenging. Employing educational escape rooms is a novel game-based learning strategy in various disciplines, including health sciences. Escape rooms provide the opportunity for a group to work together as they solve puzzles within a limited time. The skills harnessed and developed within the game by participants are parallel to these soft skills. The present study sought to design a neuroscience-themed physical escape room for the purpose of soft skills development and obtain feedback from undergraduate biomedical or health science students following the completion of the room. Likert-type scale statements in the feedback survey regarding the enjoyability, teamwork development and critical thinking within the game scored positively. Unsurprisingly, the recurring positive theme in the qualitative responses collected revolved around how participants found the activity fun and how it encouraged them to think critically. The present findings suggest that this escape room can in a brief period encourage students to employ communication and teamwork skills and naturally comes with an element of fun, making the experience memorable and engaging.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is critical to address the multiple and varied needs of students with social/emotional and behavioral (SEB) challenges. Yet little is known about the nature of collaboration between two specialist groups who commonly support them: behavior analysts and mental health specialists. Considering expectations for collaboration, and the potential challenges unique to this partnership, we conducted a series of interviews in the U.S. state of Tennessee to explore these specialists' experiences and perspectives around collaboration. We used a qualitative description approach, which led to identifying themes related to (a) specialists' preparation to collaborate, (b) facilitators and barriers to effective collaboration, and (c) supports needed to collaborate more effectively in their current roles. Specialists from both groups felt their pre-service training inadequately prepared them to collaborate with one another. They identified several factors that impacted their ability to meaningfully collaborate and expressed needs for cross-discipline education, collaborative conversations, and training on "soft skills" to partner more effectively. We highlight distinct and overlapping perspectives within and across themes between behavior analysts and mental health specialists and discuss implications for improving the quality of these important partnerships.

Peer mentoring is a widely employed strategy in higher education to foster student development and integration. However, the effectiveness of peer mentoring in higher education lacks well-established statements. A systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy of peer mentoring during the initial phase of academic studies. This review evaluated effectiveness based on four outcomes: intention to drop out, the sense of belonging, academic and social integration. It also scrutinised gender disparities and distinctions between digital and non-digital, and group-based and individual peer mentoring. The review revealed that peer mentoring is an effective support mechanism, yielding favourable impacts across various outcomes: social and academic integration, career benefits, emotional benefits, soft skills, university-life balance, study dropout intention and sense of belonging to university. Gender disparities were generally inconspicuous in most studies. Digital peer mentoring proved effective, though students reported reduced levels of social support compared to non-digital peer-mentoring. Both individual and group-based peer mentoring programmes were utilised, but specific outcomes distinguishing the two formats were not discerned. In summary, peer mentoring proves to be a valuable resource for first-year students, particularly concerning academic and social integration. To holistically address the diverse needs of first-year students additional approaches may be considered.

In recent years, the South African basic and higher education departments have been besieged by egregious forms of violence. Although this has been a worrisome phenomenon dating back to time immemorial, of late, violence is at a very concerning and alarming level. The profusion of violence serves as an indictment to various stakeholders including the sitting government, which seems to have done very little, if not nothing, to mitigate the issue. Several media houses and numerous media platforms have, on a daily basis, tracked bullying which has advanced to the gruesome murder of learners and teachers alike. Very often, societies wake up to new and traumatising experiences that have since endorsed schools and higher education institutions as war zones where bloodbaths have become commonplace. This article drew its data from extensive reviews of news items, scholarly articles, and social media news. The study sought to highlight how much violence has ravaged schools, colleges, and universities. After tracing different versions of violence experienced in the aforementioned institutions, the study established that institutions had experienced a deluge of violent incidents. Several institutions have lost educators, principals, ancillary staff, and students through violent death. The study further suggested ways through which violence may be mitigated in the institutions. Active stakeholder involvement, re-skilling of teachers in handling 21st-century learners/students and introduction of modules on teachers' soft skills in dealing with recalcitrant learners are some of the recommendations that resulted from the findings of this study.

The agricultural industry lacks qualified workers, suggesting students may not participate in opportunities that effectively develop their employability skills. We used a phenomenological case study approach to investigate Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students' career-readiness and factors influencing career-readiness. We conducted interviews with 19 juniors and seniors. Open coding procedures revealed five emergent themes--"Career Advice-Seeking Behavior," "Employability Skills Development," "Network Establishment," "Relevant Experiences," and "Personal Growth." Findings indicate that students do not take advantage of University resources to help them with career preparation. Findings also revealed a lack of employability skills development, especially relating to students' communication and science communication skills. Students identified high-impact experiences they believed improved their employability skills. We recommend strategies for educators to improve agriculture students' career-readiness and offer research recommendations to examine career-readiness factors that may help prepare students to meet 21st century agricultural workforce demands.

Faculty encourage students to participate in internships to gain major-specific knowledge and make contacts in their field. Internships are becoming more popular with students over the past 5 years, with an uptick in the number of students who participate in this kind of experiential learning. While students do learn technical training in an internship they also have the ability to experience, practice and hone soft skills. Soft skills are skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving. These skills are the skills employers are seeking above and beyond technical skills. When the goal in internships becomes not only helping students focus on their intended field of study, but also learning the soft skills requested by employers, the internships benefit students in a multitude of ways. The question becomes how does the academic environment structure an internship to ascertain that students are learning the soft skills as well as the technical skills needed to succeed? This paper focuses on internships and their benefits to students in both a technical and soft skill aspect as well as assignments and measuring tools used in internship classes to instill and assess the internship.

This study investigated the impact of work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) lecturers on their industry expertise and teaching skills. WIL was introduced to address the inadequate work experience of TVET lecturers and improve their capacity to deliver quality teaching. The study used face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 18 TVET lecturers to explore their WIL experiences. Non-participant observation was also conducted to validate findings from interviews. Kolb's experiential learning theory, Shulman's Teaching framework and the soft skills theory by Ibrahim et al. underpinned the study. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study showed that WIL enhanced lecturers' ability to integrate theory with practice and provide effective teaching. Lecturers acquired a deep understanding of pedagogical content knowledge, soft skills, and awareness of workplace culture. Future studies focusing on a variety of trades for lecturers are recommended.

Annually, thousands of post-secondary students studying accounting in Canada participate in the Chartered Professional Accountant Recruitment (CPA Recruit) process to secure employment with accounting firms. Despite the competitive process, there has been negligible research studying how students secure these coveted positions. This qualitative research study explored the lived experience of ten students throughout the recruitment process, identifying 119 success strategies. Fink's taxonomy of significant learning, a conceptualized model that focuses on high quality teaching and learning, was used to categorize the strategies. Findings revealed that while having foundational discipline-specific knowledge was important, intra- and interpersonal skills were deemed more important in helping participants effectively apply and integrate their learning, ultimately demonstrating their ability to transfer learning between contexts. Implications and recommendations are discussed for academic programs to enhance curricular and co-curricular components for students to strengthen and transfer soft skills, and for organizations and professional bodies to improve recruitment practices.

The paper presents an evaluation of History and Korean Studies WIL internships at Monash University Library, focusing on past students' views of the program in relation to their future career, and past host-supervisors' perceptions of its benefits. Data collection for the qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with past students and host-supervisors. The results revealed that both past students and host-supervisors expected the internships to facilitate students to gain hands-on experiences and develop 'soft-skills.' There was a gap where past host-supervisors consistently mentioned teamwork in their expectations, yet none of the past students had teamwork as one of their expectations. Both past students and host-supervisors view the program as beneficial for students, therefore, they suggested that the programs continue to be offered. Upon being asked what the benefits of internships were for themselves however, the host-supervisors put forward benefits that were more related to the library.

Students with academic performance and soft skills should be concerned with the learning process because it is a learning achievement. This research aims to find the factors affecting academic performance and soft skills. In this pandemic, learning is done online, so interaction between students and lecturers becomes limited. The quantitative data are collected by distributing the questionnaires. The population of this study is 2nd-semester students of the Faculty of Economics, "Universitas Negeri Semarang" (UNNES), who use online learning from the beginning of the lecture. The population were 900 students, with a sample of 276 students. Data were tabulated and analyzed using SEM-PLS. The results showed that cognitive presence, teaching presence, and social presence positively and significantly (57.9%) affect students' academic performance, and 49.1% affect students' soft skills. The order of factors that most affect academic performance is teaching presence (41.4%), social presence (31.1%), and cognitive presence (11.7%) whereas the order of factors that most affect soft skills is social presence (48.9%), cognitive presence (11.7%), and teaching presence (11.1%). It means that the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theory can explain the magnitude of the factors on academic performance and soft skills in the good category. It is suggested that the related parties to support students to achieve better academic performance and soft skills.

This study aims at exploring the prospects and practices of induction for novice teachers. The phenomenological research design under qualitative research approach was adopted to carry out this study. The sample of this study was 5 teacher educators and 5 educational administrators who were selected through convenience non-random sampling procedure. They were selected on the basis of their willingness, expertise, experiences, and availability for this study. In-depth interview was administered to the respondents as a tool to collect for this study. The findings of this study show that implementation of induction program helps the novice teachers to reduce attrition, burnout and leaving the job of teaching; they learn employability skills and soft skills during the induction program; they can embed information communication technology with English language teaching in the classroom in this program; and quality of education could be enhanced through the induction program. It is concluded that induction program is essential for the prosperity and professional development of newly appointed novice teachers.

Soft skills enable the individual to successfully face the problems and challenges of a complex society in flux and under constant uncertainty. Music, in its different forms of expression, is here introduced as an ideal tool for the development of intrapersonal and action skills such as adaptability, optimism and proactivity. In this paper we analyse a case study regarding a project carried out by and for future teachers. Our data collection methods included questionnaires, observations, student productions and interviews. The results reveal that music can be a mediating element for the development of soft skills. Specifically, it has been observed that music can help the individual to face and effectively resolve changing and novel situations that require self-efficacy, self-confidence and social support. Music can also improve the physical and socio-emotional well-being of individuals as well as helping them successfully face adversity.

There is a need for improved skills development within the UK's Higher Education Institutions (HEI) stemming from the disconnect between the expectations of employers of the skills graduates have and the skills graduates have gained during their degree. It is well-known now that there is a clear skills gap. The present study aims to explore the effect of graduates and students' perception of skills development in HEI in the UK. A total of 420 participants completed an online survey to explore their perception as well as their confidence of skills development by rating each skill on a Likert scale. The paper discusses the results in light of pedagogical strategies developed to teach soft skills in HE. The paper concludes with recommendations for teaching practice.

The diversity of topics in education makes it difficult for artificial intelligence (AI) to address them all in depth. Therefore, guiding to focus efforts on specific issues is essential. The analysis of competency development by fostering collaboration should be one of them because competencies are the way to validate that the educational exercise has been successful and because collaboration has proven to be one of the most effective strategies to improve performance outcomes. This systematic review analyzes the relationship between AI, competency development, and collaborative learning (CL). PRISMA methodology is used with data from the SCOPUS database. A total of 1,233 articles were found, and 30 passed the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis of the selected articles identified three categories that deserve attention: the objects of study, the way of analyzing the results, and the types of AI that could be used. In this way, it has been possible to determine the relationship offered by the studies between skill development and CL and ideas about AI's contributions to this field. Overall, however, the data from this systematic review suggest that, although AI has great potential to improve education, it should be approached with caution. More research is needed to fully understand its impact and how best to apply this technology in the classroom, minimizing its drawbacks, which may be relevant, and making truly effective and productive use of it.

This article focuses on the transferable (soft) skills articulated in a Research Management (RM) Professional Competency Framework (PCF). The Framework was developed, prior to COVID-19, from continentally anchored RM praxis in Africa. While the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) Framework (2016) includes nine key 'technical' competency areas for respective RM organizational levels (administrative, management and leadership), it is the RM transferable skills that have been brought to the forefront in the current complex COVID-19 environment. This article is therefore a timely focus on what RM practitioners offer as 'human-being' professionals and not only knowledgeable experts. The paper therefore contributes to novelty in terms of mindfully integrating the personal into the professional practice architectures, and, as such, reinforcing work-life integration based on what it means not only to "know" and "do" within a profession, but also to "be" a professional.

Students, teachers, and educational researchers divide into typical or exceptional populations. This includes different classes, credentials, and research journals that depend on the student's ability level. This distinction creates two concurrent yet separate bodies of educational research. Students with disabilities are increasingly included in general education classes yet research continues to separate the populations. In areas of research that influence typical and exceptional students such as noncognitive skills, each field has developed varied terms and definitions. As researchers focus on the importance of noncognitive skills, it is important to develop an educational community with a shared lexicon between researchers looking at typical and exceptional populations. The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCCSR) published a report in 2012 entitled "Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners. The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance: A Critical Literature Review" in which they drew together research from fields such as psychology, economics, and education to present noncognitive factors as a malleable means to improve student performance in school. The CCCSR report established a conceptual framework and terminology to further the study of noncognitive skills. According to the framework derived by CCCSR, noncognitive factors include academic mindsets, academic perseverance, academic behaviors, learning strategies, and social skills, which interact to influence academic performance (Allensworth et al., 2012, p. 12). The purpose of this article is to examine the terms used to define noncognitive factors in research with typical and exceptional students in an attempt to bring the diverse vocabulary together through the lens of the CCCSR framework.

Soft skills development, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, is critical for computer students as they enter the profession. Students may be able to practice these skills in a virtual setting through an online task-based course. In this study, we investigated how successfully an online task-based course encouraged the development of soft skills among computing students. The course was designed to give students real-world challenges that required them to work in groups and communicate effectively with their classmates and instructors. The inquiry was based on a qualitative examination of the students' final reports. It gave data from two semesters (Fall 2020 and Spring 2021) of students who studied a course named Technical Communication. In total, 216 students' final reports were ready for investigation. A sample of 97 reports, representing 45%, was selected based on certain criteria to ensure a high-quality investigation. According to the findings of our study, the online task-based course helped boost the development of certain soft skills among students. Students noted an improvement in their ability to communicate effectively, cooperate successfully with team members, and identify professional responsibilities, as well as a rise in their self-confidence. Overall, this study emphasizes the necessity of introducing online task-based courses into computing students' curricula, giving them a valuable opportunity to develop critical soft skills. The present design of the Technical Communication Course is believed to be efficient regardless of the education delivery method (traditional/online).

Purpose: Innovation is imperative to address a wide array of challenges in higher education. The term "microclass" is coined by the researcher to describe the division of a large class into smaller classes, which are handled by student facilitators who have undergone microteaching and performed similar teacher tasks to facilitate students, assessment, discussion, and feedback. Methodology: This was an explorative study and employed the triangulation method (self-designed questionnaire, observation by teacher peers, and semi-structured interview) as well as thematic and descriptive analysis to evaluate the roles of the teacher and student facilitators, level of engagement, and effectiveness of this innovation in the teaching-learning process for the subject, biology. Findings: Data revealed that the role of the teacher and student facilitators concurred to work responsibly in a synergistic manner as implementers of microclass. The teacher, conducted microteaching, observed, supervised, consulted, and provided feedback to the student facilitators. The student facilitators acted as discussant, motivator, collaborator, coordinator, and executor of initiatives such as scaffolding and pair method throughout the duration and stages of the microclass, resulting in an organized classroom. Furthermore, the microclass was innovatively effective and improved student engagement in the teaching-learning process, which in turn developed soft skills among the students-leadership, commitment and discipline. Significance: It assists science teachers in constructively engaging their students in learning science including boosting students' soft skills, essential for 21st-century skills education and thus warrants further investigation.

In an increasingly diverse and interconnected world, the need for the development and mastery of soft skills has perhaps never been greater. Schools can play a key role in soft skills education, but implementation in the classroom has faced a range of challenges that have impeded instruction. One solution is embedding soft skills within an extant academic curriculum, with the advantages that the academic infrastructure is already in place, and few additional materials or time are needed. This field study found that embedding soft skills had excellent outcomes, even with limited resources, materials, and training, a notable first step in the long road toward urgently needed, facilitated, and measurable soft skills instruction in the secondary school learning environment. [Note: The page range (379-396) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 379-397.]

While Internet of Things (IoT) devices have increased in popularity and usage, their users have become more susceptible to cyber-attacks, thus emphasizing the need to manage the resulting security risks. However, existing works reveal research gaps in IoT security risk management frameworks where the IoT architecture -- building blocks of the system -- are not adequately considered for analysis. Also, security risk management includes complex tasks requiring appropriate training and teaching methods to be applied effectively. To address these points, we first proposed a security risk management framework that captures the IoT architecture perspective as an input to further security risk management activities. We then proposed a hackathon learning model as a practical approach to teach hackathon participants to apply the IoT security risk management framework. To evaluate the benefits of the framework and the hackathon learning model, we conducted an action research study that integrated the hackathon learning model into a cybersecurity course, where students learn how to apply the framework. Our findings show that the IoT-SRM framework was beneficial in guiding students towards IoT security risk management and producing repeatable outcomes. Additionally, the study demonstrated the applicability of the hackathon model and its interventions in supporting the learning of IoT security risk management and applying the proposed framework to real-world scenarios. [Note: The page range (555-588) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 555-587.]

Given the importance of work-integrated learning (WIL) for developing graduate attributes, universities must seek to reduce negative experiences associated with WIL. WIL outcomes may be enhanced by embedding the experience internally within the academic setting. This study explored the experiences of Exercise and Sport Science (E&SS) students who were concurrently engaged in embedded (on campus) and external (off campus) WIL opportunities. Specifically, we investigated if students reported a perceived difference in attaining graduate attributes when participating in one of three WIL models: (i) embedded; (ii) external or (iii) bimodal. A sequential mixed methods approach was employed, which included an initial online survey and subsequent focus groups. Students reported that WIL was generally a positive, albeit variable experience, dependent on the professional supervisor. The overwhelming consensus was that E&SS students benefited from a bimodal WIL model in the development of graduate attributes, rather than individually embedded or external WIL models.

The present paper aims to explore the construct and effects of soft and transversal skills to developing efficiently competent students. The methodological construct of the present study is a mixed one. The study design is probabilistic and the method used in it is of the transversal typology. The final answers were collected in a sample cohort of 500 valid responses in three years of undergraduate studies at the Mediterranean University of Albania with a gender distribution of 335 girls (67%) and 165 boys (33%). The results revealed that the sub-tests with the major significant indices were positive attitude and spirit of initiative (r=0.567; p<0.05), teamwork and collaboration (r=0.601; p<0.05), and communication channels (r=0.81; p<0.05). Pearson inter-correlations indices for the 1st and 2nd factor of the soft-skills sub-skills found that the most significant index is related to the sense of motivation axis (optimism and control of the future, legitimate anger, self-esteem, and self-efficacy) (Sig2. p=0.01<0.05, r=0.7054) over the communication resources (persuasion, adversity management, and creativity) (Sig2. p=0.01<0.05, r=0.504). ANOVA test indices showed a strong difference in females (F=1.874; MS=3.2003; df=1.5) and an inverse but the stable difference between the male gender and optimism for the future (F=1.3085; MS=-1.111; df=1.5). In conclusion, indices of the current work revealed the impact that a healthy and optimistic motivation cause on the willingness of learning new skills and competencies and developing an efficient student for the working world. The authors recommend drawing attention to conducting more training programs within the academic curricula for fostering and providing students with basic and advanced skills and competencies to be fully adjusted to the European Union philosophy of life and employability world.

The provision of support has always been central to the role of the undergraduate dissertation (UD) supervisor, but little research has been done on its contextual determinants in web-facilitated contexts. Beyond the general recognition of the importance of institutional support for the development of supervisors' technological and pedagogical knowledge and the importance of technology and pedagogy in maximizing the impact of supervisors' support for students, the effect of technology tools and students' prior skills on the type and level of supervisors' support is not well understood. Drawing partially on the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, the present work uses Partial-Least Square Structural Equation Modelling to examine the effect of supervisors' Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), their perception of students' soft skills, and the technology tools they use (face-to-face, social media or a learning management system) on the level of educational and motivational support they provide. The results indicate that institutional support to UD supervisors positively affects their TPK, which in turn positively affects their educational and motivational support to students. However, supervisors' educational and motivational support is inversely related to their perception of students' soft skills and is also affected by the technological tools used. In short, supervision styles are not static since different contextual factors affect the management of the process of supervision. The implications for UD supervision are discussed, and some recommendations are proposed in the article.

This study contributes to a better understanding of instructors' perceptions of equity issues within online teaching and learning. The researchers conducted interviews with 21 instructors at one university across disciplines regarding their experience with, and recommendations for, attending to issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) in online teaching. Findings revealed that instructors characterized online teaching and IDEA issues as distinct skillsets and that they were not necessarily prepared to apply IDEA issues in online teaching. Participants also focused their attention much more on access and inclusion--with access as a baseline expectation and inclusion operationalized as relationship building--rather than on equity and diversity, areas in which faculty efforts often translated (or not) from their face-to-face teaching experience. We conclude the paper with implications for faculty, educational developers, administrators, and institutions.

The industrial work practice program is essential in vocational education to prepare students to work according to their fields. Analysis of the level of capability of students who carry out work practices in large and small industries and the differences between aspects that require assistance to be considered. This research also measures the difference in the level of capability of students who carry out work practices in large and small industries. This research uses a quantitative approach and uses a survey method. Two hundred thirty vocational education students were involved in this study out of 596 students. Sampling using a simple probabilistic random sampling technique and collecting data using a Likert scale questionnaire (1-4). Data analysis in this study used one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent sample t-test. The research results on the capability level of students who carry out work practices in large industries obtain a higher score than small industries. The capability aspect significantly differs in value for each type of industry used for program implementation. This research implies that the implementation of industrial work practice programs in vocational education needs to be improved and developed so that industrial work practice programs have better quality results.

In the field of professional development (PD) in TESOL, personal practical knowledge of TESOL teachers has brought about the shift from a decontextualized presentation of theories and practices of English language teacher education to a sociocultural perspective (Crandall & Christison, 2016). Such a perspective can be adopted through actually getting involved in professional organizations such as the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) or a local organization like Thailand TESOL, joining conferences onsite to develop TESOLers' soft skills and networking, or simply forming a community of practice for materials development among the teachers in the same department. On the TESOL International Association website, a guide to PD is provided. Nine possible ways for PD and tips for making PD successful and sustainable can be adopted for novice, mid-career, or even semiretired TESOL educators (TESOL International Association, 2024).

Many factors in teaching chemistry influence students' soft skills and learning motivation. An attractive model is important in determining students' success in chemistry learning. This research aims to determine the level of soft skill abilities and students' learning motivation in implementing chemoentrepreneurship through project-based learning. The research methodology is quasi-experimental. In this study, 60 students were randomly selected from 162 MIPA class students who were grouped into 30 students in the experimental class and 30 in the control class. To determine the level of students' soft skill abilities and learning motivation, a survey was conducted on their learning activities. The N-gain value of learning motivation in the experimental class and control class was obtained at 0.68 and 0.40 (medium), while the N-gain value of soft skills was obtained at 0.63 (medium) and 0.28 (low). The percentage of learning motivation and soft skills in the experimental class with an average post-test of 84.68% and 80.54% (high), while in the control class with an average post-test of 73.53% and 68.33% (medium). The student soft skill and learning motivation hypothesis test findings show a substantial difference between the experimental and control classes.

This study aims at identifying forms of participation and collaboration through RADEC learning and the influencing factors. The subject of this study comprised 32 students (18 males and 14 females) attending an elementary school in Bandung city. Case study with a qualitative approach was employed as the method of the study by utilizing instruments such as observation sheets, student work sheet, and field notes. Obtained data were analyzed using Miles & Huberman's (1992) technique with data validation using reference material techniques and methodological triangulation. The results reveal that (1) doing assignments, asking questions, delivering opinions and arguments, giving responses and making conclusion are forms of participation students engage in the classroom, (2) students collaborated through group work, active participation and contribution in the group assignment, listening and discussing a variety of topics, showing appreciation, matching assignments and work, cooperate to gain ideas and realize them through a respectful and proper decision making, and (3) several factors influence the students' participation and collaboration, namely confidence, hard work, and teachers' stimulation. These results signify that RADEC learning is able to stimulate students' participation and collaboration.

Education reform is prioritised in most countries. In 2014, the Australian federal government established the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group with a mandate to improve initial teacher education (ITE) to better prepare new teachers for the classroom. One recommendation involved higher education providers selecting ITE candidates who possessed the required academic skills and nonacademic characteristics to become successful teachers. This study investigates the prevalence and impact of non-academic characteristics among first-year graduates, using insights from principals in Western Australian public schools. According to the available literature, the link between non-academic characteristics in the ITE selection process and student outcomes and teacher employment is not clearly established. Principals confirmed first year graduates possessing the required non-academic characteristics impacted on student learning and were more employable.