Delivering an effective balance of soft and technical skills within project-based engineering courses

Abstract

As technology advances exponentially, the requirements of engineering graduates are everchanging as they are developed to meet the needs of the 21st Century industry. To ensure graduates meet evolving industry requirements, university educators need to teach in a way that stays relevant to industry, while maintaining the quality of graduates. Project-based learning offers an effective solution as the projects can evolve based on industry needs, while maintaining consistent learning objectives that ensure equity of outcomes. This paper focusses on the effective delivery of project-based courses for engineering students. Paper structure is discussed, with a pathway given for varied soft-skills implementation. Examples are given from two undergraduate courses, showing the progression of soft/technical skills implementation. Mitigation strategies for teaching project-based courses within a COVID-19 lockdown setting are given, with ongoing challenges discussed.