Overview of the Discipline of Computer Science - Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach - page 36

Activity 10: Introduction to Soft Skills, Homework Toward the Lesson on Soft
Skills
1. Table 3.2 presents many soft skills. Characterize each of them and based
on this characterization, define the concept of soft skills.
2. Select 2 soft skills. For each of them, suggest three activities by which you
would teach them to:
• High school students;
• Undergraduate students.
Reflect: Are the activities for the two populations similar? Different? If they
are similar—explain why? If they are different—explain how?
3. Select five soft skills that in your opinion are the most important for com-
puter science students either in the academia or the industry. For each of
them, ask your students to develop an illustrative scenario, taken from the
computer science world.

Table 3.2 A list of soft skills
Flexibility and ability to
compromise

Inter-personal communica-
tion skills

Ability to ask for and receive
assistance

Identification and location of
relevant information

Ability to connect with a
wide variety of people

Openness toward and under-
standing of organizational
changes

Ability to express oneself in
a concise and matter-of-fact
manner

Ability to analyze data,
drawing conclusions, and
acting upon them

Ability to formulate and under-
stand requirements

Openness Patience Teamwork

Learning abilities Decision making Listening skills

Respect for diversity Risk assessment Working with clients

Time planning and scheduling Teaching and instructing

skills

Knowledge management

Teaching and instructing
colleagues

Remedying unpleasant
situations

Budget planning and staying
within budget

Coping with uncertain
situations

Ability to learn from
mistakes

Ability to adapt to changing
situations

Fund raising Receiving feedback Public speaking

Solving and managing
conflicts

Ability to learn from
mistakes

Interpersonal communication
skills

Self-awareness Interviewing skills Ability to initiate

Team management Identification and exploi-

tation of professional
opportunities

Creativity