Overview of the Discipline of Computer Science - Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach - page 37

Activity 11: Definitions for Soft Skills, Teamwork at the Beginning of the First Les-
son on Soft Skills
The following definitions were given by undergraduate students who learned
a course on soft skills, in which the concepts of soft skills were left undefined
until the 11th session of the course. Yet, as illustrated below, the students had
already gained some sense of the meaning of the concept, and when asked to
define the concept in their last homework assignment, they did so, highlight-
ing its multifaceted nature, as illustrated by the following examples:
• A soft skill is a personality trait, an interpersonal attribute or skill that,
together with hard skills, enhances work and is manifested during interac-
tions with people.
• Soft skills are the collection of a person's traits, communication and lan-
guage capabilities, friendships, etc. that characterize the person's relations
with other people.
• A soft skill is a personality trait that enhances the individual's reciprocal
relations and work performance. As opposed to hard skills, which are a
person's set of skills and the ability to perform a certain kind of activity,
soft skills refer to the person's ability to communicate effectively with col-
leagues and clients. Soft skills also apply extensively both in and outside
the workplace.
• Soft skills characterize the person's character, traits, emotions, creativity,
etc. They are perceived as being inherited, but it turns out that they can be
learned over time and with practice.
• A soft skill is a personal trait that can improve the individual's personal
reactions and increase efficiency and work performance, and enhance any
other situation that involves teamwork.
Discuss:
• What do these definitions reflect?
• Which definition would you prefer?
• Present your definition for the concept of soft skills.
• Explain the importance attributed to soft skills in computer science and
software engineering professional work.
Activity 12: Rank Your Soft Skills, Homework, After the Lesson on Soft Skills
• Stage A: Individual work
Choose five soft skills that in your opinion you are good at and five soft
skills that in your opinion you should improve at.
1. For each soft skill that you are good at, describe a case that illustrates this.
2. For each soft skill that you should improve at, suggest how you can
improve and how you will document the improvement process.
• Stage B: Forum discussion
Each student describes at a form his/her product of Stage A and give feed-
back to other five classmates.