Integrating industry-defined non-technical skills into the curriculum

Abstract

With the ever-evolving and advancing industrial sectors and job markets, engineers now face demands that require technical expertise and solid non-technical skills to succeed and stay on par with the competition. While academic curricula have traditionally emphasized technical prowess, the global marketplace is placing increasing importance on communication and other non-technical skills among engineers. However, academia has historically underemphasized the development of these skills, leading to a misalignment between industry expectations and academic preparation. This gap has left many engineers needing more proficiency in essential non-technical skills. Recognizing the need, universities are now integrating non-technical skills into engineering curricula, with accreditation bodies such as ABET emphasizing their importance. This study addresses the deficiency by developing and implementing prerecorded online modules for developing communication skills among students within construction engineering (ConE) courses at two class levels, 200 and 300, aiming to enhance students' non-technical skill sets. Through confidence-based surveys, the effectiveness of these modules was evaluated using a statistical tool—ordered logistic regression models—shedding light on the impact of instructional interventions, differences in skill acquisition among students of different class standings, and the reasons for these differences. This approach aids in understanding the optimal timing for skill implementation and development. The results show that the intervention significantly helped students improve their confidence in targeted communication skills in some aspects, which were presented to them as questions, and to some extent in others. While overall positive change was observed, this facilitated the acquisition of communication and other non-technical skills. Moreover, analyzing the demographic factors of the students in the study highlighted how internships, age, class standing, gender, and other factors influence confidence. These findings underscore the necessity of considering such factors when developing and delivering content on non-technical skills to ensure students benefit to the greatest extent possible. Overall, the study's efforts to introduce concepts related to non-technical skills, particularly communication skills, not only increased student awareness of their importance but also helped assess their current proficiency levels and fostered an understanding of the potential for further development.