Self-Regulating Soft Skills in Group Project-Based Design Education

Abstract

Design education finds itself at a crossroad, having to deal with an emerging industry 4.0 and global issues such as, sustainability. The engineering design curriculum needs to arm students with 21st century soft skills to be able to cope with an ever-evolving world. One of the most important soft skills is self-regulation, so that students can adapt to changing situations; know what skills they are lacking; and function efficiently in a multidisciplinary team. This application includes an introduction to self-regulation in design education. Additionally, it includes the setup and findings of a first pilot study the Ph.D. researcher conducted. The study used an online platform to assess students' involvement in a team and the group dynamics within the team. Afterwards the results were communicated and students were asked to reflect and propose solutions for group related challenges. Lastly, this application includes an overview of the reasons why the Ph.D. researcher would like to participate in the doctoral colloquium.