Integrating Soft Skills and Writing Support into Challenge-Based Learning: Enhancing Cooperation, (Written) Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity among Students at a University of Technology

Overall Relevance to the CBL Domain This workshop addresses a significant gap in current Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) practices by focusing on the oft-missed integration of soft skills such as cooperation, (written) communication, critical thinking, and creativity into CBL curriculum. While CBL emphasizes real-world problem-solving and technical skills, development of soft skills is crucial for students to meet future professional challenges effectively. This session will explore various ways in which soft skills and writing support can be embedded into engineering and technology CBL education. *************************************************************************** Workshop Design Target Audience: CBL educators, curriculum designers, and writing & communication skills trainers. Description: This workshop will guide participants through best practices for integrating soft skills and writing support into CBL courses, particularly within technical disciplines such as engineering. The workshop is structured to include two case studies, interactive discussions, and technology-supported activities that help participants reflect on their own practices and explore practical strategies for enhancing their own CBL courses with soft skill integration. The intended learning outcomes for participants include: 1.Understanding the importance of soft skills in CBL. 2.Exploring strategies for integrating communication skills and writing support into CBL curricula. 3.Identifying best practices for designing challenges that promote both technical and soft skill development. *************************************************************************** Objective 1: Understanding the importance of soft skills in CBL A showcase of two CBL case studies A Biomedical Engineering professor and an Electrical Engineering professor will describe their CBL courses and present why and how they integrated soft skills development into their curricula. The presenters will describe: •Their course contexts (content, student demographics, year of study) •The purpose and structure of their CBL-based assignments •The soft skill challenges and opportunities that students face in their CBL courses (e.g., cooperation among large student teams, internal and external communication in the face of language and cultural differences, critical thinking and creativity to address both technical and non-technical challenges in the course and also in the real world). Activity 1: Soft skill identification Participants will be divided into groups of 2-3 and tasked with describing their own current or planned CBL curriculums and then brainstorming the types of soft skills that students would need to develop that are critical to both the challenges in the course and in their future fields of employment. Using an online mind-mapping tool, groups will share the results of their discussions, giving brief overviews of their CBL curriculums and the soft skills they identified as essential for students' professional development. Outcome: Participants will gain practical insights into the role of soft skills in solving real-world challenges and sharpen their thinking on how soft skills can be more effectively incorporated into their own current or planned CBL courses. *************************************************************************** Objective 2: Integrating communication skills and writing support in CBL Two writing skills trainers will describe their paradigm for written communication skills instruction and showcase strategies they and the professors used to embed writing support into the two featured CBL courses. The presenters will discuss: •The role of writing in enhancing student communication and learning in CBL projects. •The common challenges students face with writing in technical courses and fields (e.g., awareness and understanding of the readers, developing clear and flowing arguments, collaborating on written work). •Techniques for providing writing feedback that aligns with the iterative nature of CBL (e.g., peer reviews, structured feedback loops). Activity 2: Writing challenges poll and discussion Participants will use an interactive online polling tool to respond to prompts about writing challenges in their CBL courses, including: • "What writing tasks do students produce in your CBL courses?" • "Where do you see or expect weaknesses in their written communication?" • "Which part of the writing process do you expect students to struggle with most (e.g., organizing ideas, technical language, collaboration)?" • "What strategies could you integrate to address these writing challenges?" Participants will then engage in a group discussion about students' writing experiences and strategies for supporting their skill development. Outcome: Participants will better understand the writing challenges in CBL courses and explore strategies to enhance students' communication skills and future careers. *************************************************************************** Objective 3: Best practices for designing CBL challenges Presenters will share their process for designing CBL challenges that balance technical skills with soft skills development, focusing on: • Aligning challenge design with course objectives that target both technical and non-technical skills. • Integrating teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and creativity with technical depth. • Assessing both technical and soft skill progress. Activity 3: Challenge design brainstorm Participants will use an interactive notepad to brainstorm how to integrate technical and soft skills into their CBL courses, considering: • "What real-world problems suit both technical and soft skill development?" • "What technical and soft skills are critical for student development?" • "What assessment methods capture technical and soft skills?" After brainstorming, participants will discuss their ideas and conclude with key takeaways. Outcome: Participants will gain practical strategies for designing CBL challenges that integrate soft and technical skills with clear assessment criteria. *************************************************************************** Educational Impact: The workshop findings will be disseminated through follow-up materials, including a summary of best practices and participant feedback. Reflections on the impact of soft skills integration into CBL will be highlighted, with a focus on how this approach improves student learning outcomes and prepares them for professional challenges.