ERIC Number: EJ1435726
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1946-6226
Are Professional Skills Learnable? Beliefs and Expectations among Computing Graduates
ACM Transactions on Computing Education, v24 n2 Article 23 2024
Integrating graduate education with professional skills development is still a challenge. People's beliefs about learning impact their learning processes. Therefore, we need to understand the mindset of graduates to determine best practices for promoting professional skills development. In this study, we explore the perspective of computing graduates within an Engineering educational program. This study aims to answer the following research questions: Which skills do computing graduates perceive they need in the workplace, and how do they position themselves regarding these skills? What learning beliefs do computing graduates hold regarding the skills required in the workplace? The research team conducted semistructured interviews with computing graduates within an Engineering program to analyze their experiences. The interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. As a result, the participants viewed professional and technical skills as independent, with professional skills perceived as more relevant to work success. The participants considered themselves to possess these skills. Our findings identify four learning beliefs within a fixed and growth mindset: (1) An essential personal characteristic that context may influence; (2) a learning outcome determined by early experiences; (3) a learning process associated with informal learning experiences; and (4) a learning process associated with formal learning experiences. We acknowledge the differences in perception between alums and the industry regarding possessing essential professional skills. We also highlight the need to position these skills as learnable during lectures contributing to Computing and Engineering Education.
Descriptors: Computer Science Education, Graduate Students, Computer Literacy, Job Skills, Skill Development, Learning Processes, Informal Education
Association for Computing Machinery. 2 Penn Plaza Suite 701, New York, NY 10121. Tel: 800-342-6626; Tel: 212-626-0500; Fax: 212-944-1318; e-mail: acmhelp@acm.org; Web site: http://toce.acm.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A