Challenges in the Integration of Soft Skills in Teaching Technical Courses: Lecturers’ Perspectives
In order to transform Malaysia into a fully developed nation, institutions of higher education need to play a vital role in generating the necessary human capital with a first-class mentality. The Ministry of Higher Education has taken some steps to ensure that soft skills be addressed in the cu...
Main Authors: | , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
UiTM Publisher
2009-12-01
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Series: | Asian Journal of University Education |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.rmc.uitm.edu.my/images/stories/AJUE/vol5-no2/4.pdf |
Summary: | In order to transform Malaysia into a fully developed nation,
institutions of higher education need to play a vital role in
generating the necessary human capital with a first-class mentality.
The Ministry of Higher Education has taken some steps to ensure
that soft skills be addressed in the curriculum because they are
among the essential skills needed by graduates in order to be
employable in this global era. The issue of unemployment among
graduates is associated with the notion that graduates have not
adequately acquired employability skills and soft skills during their
studies at university. In Malaysia, many employers have often
complained that most Malaysian graduates lack the necessary soft
skills vital for work. This has aroused concern among many parties
which has led to the development of the Framework on Incorporating
Soft Skills in Teaching and Learning in Malaysian Higher Education
Institutions. It is one of the efforts undertaken to enhance the
employability of university graduates through the inculcation of
soft skills in higher education. Malaysian universities have to
produce students of certain attributes to make them relevant in the
job market. Consequently, it is the job of the educators to assist the
students to acquire the skills. For technically based occupations like engineering, soft skills are also very important for the application
of technical knowledge at work. Engineering is one of the fields
that is important for the development of the country. Thus, this study
focuses on engineering students. This paper discusses the challenges
faced by the lecturers at a private university in trying to integrate
soft skills in their teaching of technical courses. Data derived from
open ended questions and an interview was then analyzed according
to three main themes which are students’ attitude in the classroom,
limited time to cover syllabus and large number of students in the
classroom. Pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed. |
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ISSN: | 1823-7797 1823-7797 |