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Employers value soft skills and often report a "skills gap," resulting in calls on higher education to teach these skills more widely. However, few studies have examined faculty perspectives on soft skills. The researchers conducted a nationwide survey of faculty in the fields of business, education, engineering, library science, nursing, and social work to explore whether and how they are teaching soft skills. Most faculty believe soft skills are important and are integrating them into their courses, although there are variations by discipline. Methods for teaching soft skills are varied, but "passive" approaches like readings and lectures are most prominent. The results have implications for curriculum development and will be of interest to faculty across these disciplines as well as employers in the associated industries.

Social workers need to possess professional skills and personal qualities, often referred to as "soft skills," along with disciplinary knowledge, to be successful and to deliver high-quality client services. This study reports on the importance US social work faculty place on soft skills, the extent to which these faculty incorporate soft skills training into their courses, the methods they use to teach soft skills, and whether they provide feedback on student learning. Data were collected through an online survey distributed in spring 2020 to baccalaureate and master's faculty at US schools of social work. Results indicate social work educators view soft skills education as important and feel largely responsible for teaching these skills and providing feedback. The teaching methods most readily employed are passive in nature and there is limited emphasis toward teaching many of the soft skills competencies specifically noted in the 2015 accreditation standards promulgated by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Soft skills are highly sought by employers and linked to academic and personal success. Employers lament a perceived "skills gap" in new graduates, but few studies have examined faculty perspectives on soft skills. A survey of business faculty across the United States explored how they are teaching students in these areas. The findings show that most faculty believe soft skills are important and are integrating them into their courses. Methods for teaching soft skills are varied, but "passive" approaches like readings and lectures are generally most prominent.

Soft skills, or intra- and interpersonal skills such as writing, customer service, and flexibility, are highly sought by library and information science employers. A perceived gap in soft skills has led to suggestions that LIS programs are not adequately addressing these skills in their curricula, and to calls for them to do more. However, no study has examined the extent to which LIS faculty currently are providing direct instruction of soft skills in their courses. The researchers employed a nationwide survey to explore whether and how LIS faculty are teaching soft skills. The findings suggest that faculty are incorporating a range of soft skills into their courses but are relying heavily on passive over active learning. The results could have implications for course and curriculum design.

This case study examined student preference for delivery mode of online courses in two graduate degree programs in Library and Information Science. Within-group and between-groups comparisons indicated a distinct preference across the institutions. Findings from focus groups conducted with two cohorts of students enrolled in a federally funded project indicated students preferring asynchronous delivery enrolled in such courses to accommodate busy lifestyles. In the synchronously deployed course, flexibility in accommodation of various learning styles was evidenced by such influential factors as teaching style, instructional design, and topicality. Findings inform online education for modality and instructional style.

Describes focus-group activities designed to generate information for use in decision making about core and elective courses in a library and information science (LIS) curriculum. Discusses how focus-group activity fits with LIS program review. Also includes questions asked and responses; and feeding opinions into a decision apparatus. (AEF)

Redesigning a course for online delivery, to accommodate students' varying preferences and to enable a 24/7 learning community to flourish, can be very challenging, time-consuming, and labor-intensive activities for faculty to undertake. This article describes how a large graduate class was redesigned from interactive television to online delivery and managed successfully by incorporating simple software solutions readily available on any professor's desktop.