Improving Students’ Soft Skills through a NSF-Supported S-STEM Scholarship Program

In this paper we explore the soft skills and interpersonal confidence that students gained through a one-credit course. The course was delivered to students receiving the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SSTEM) that focused on teamwork. Students were grouped in teams of 5 students from sciences, mathematics, engineering technology and computer information systems disciplines. In addition to soft skills, students were exposed to job search skills which helped them develop teamwork skills by researching a company and presenting the results to the class. Besides class meetings, students regularly met in groups outside of class to discuss their findings and to create their PowerPoint presentations. Student’s understanding of teamwork was periodically assessed for effectiveness. To make sure sufficient progress was accomplished, the instructor met with student groups and provided guidance and information to expedite the process. Engineering and science curricula often focus on the technical abilities of students, neglecting the “soft skills” that could determine success or failure for graduates when they enter the workforce. As an example, project management skills are often neglected in an engineering or science curriculum, requiring additional training for those engineers who end up in management positions. Skills such as the ability to lead and work effectively as a member of a team are frequently identified as critical to the success of an engineer, but typically are lacking in new engineering graduates. 1 This article presents some information on impact of the NSF S-STEM on development of students’ professional skills.