Transversal Competences in Engineering Degrees: Integrating Content and Foreign Language Teaching

• Published in: Education sciences 2020-11, Vol.10 (11), p.296
• Main Authors: Oksana, Polyakova, Galstyan-Sargsyan, Ruzana, López-Jiménez, P. Amparo, Pérez-Sánchez, Modesto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Business English; Cohesion; College Students; Colleges & universities; Cross Cultural Studies; Educational Cooperation; Employers; Employment Potential; Engineering Education; engineering students; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Foreign language instruction; Higher education; Industry 4.0; Instructional Design; International Cooperation; Labor market; Language Proficiency; Language Usage; Learning; Learning Processes; Needs Assessment; Professionals; Quantitative analysis; Research Methodology; Role of Education; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Skill Development; Soft skills; Student Attitudes; Student Mobility; Student Surveys; Task Analysis; Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods; Training; transversal competences; Universities; University students; Work Environment
• ISSN: 2227-7102; 2227-7102
• DOI: 10.3390/educsci10110296

There has been a constant advance of the labour markets and permanent reorientation towards digital Industry 4.0. Yet, the environments for learning remain unchallenged when it comes to the provision of new professionals across the globe. Therefore, this has created a gap in transversal competences, which has compelled students of higher learning institutions to pursue them. The majority of higher learning institutions have emphasised transversal skills among learners and developed curriculums to accomplish these demands. The primary focus of the study was to attain integration and fusion of transversal skills into the development of specialised curriculum training for foreign language proficiency. The study applied mixed methodology techniques, which combined qualitative and quantitative methods in the study. To guarantee cohesion of the study, four research and monitoring techniques such as course dossiers, needs analysis, task-based activities and adapted competences scales were used. The outcome of the research shows findings provided by the piloting stage of the teaching experience and emphasises the need for student-based skill training.