Menshenina S.G. Interdisciplinarity as a Means for Students’ Soft Skills Development

Introduction. The development of the business sphere, scientific and technological progress set the pace of engineering education modernization and stimulate the search for the optimal and close to real working conditions ways of improving and enhancing professional competences and soft skills of university graduates. Interdisciplinarity has become a professional fields trend comprising enormous potential to foster the research, implement its results into practice and facilitate students’ soft skills development.
Materials and Methods. The study is based on the analysis and comparison of domestic and foreign experience on the problem of the research; pedagogical observation of the educational process; study and generalization of pedagogical experience; experimental work.
Results. The interdisciplinary project “Hardware and software complex of augmented reality as a means of learning a foreign language” was carried out with students of different specialties on the bases of Samara State Technical University. The rationale for this project choice is related to the relevance of the information technologies use in educational process and the need to learn a foreign language for professional purposes. These conditions make us think of creating the innovative methodological support of educational process. Considering the development of students’ soft skills, special attention was paid to group dynamics, role functions, leadership, as well as environmental and context factors. Interdisciplinary interaction terms were identified: stable working relationships which help develop communication literacy skills; finding the effective conflict solution that stimulates thinking skills; role and time distribution for actualizing management and self-management skills; a common goal achieving which is conditioned by the combination of the main soft skills groups of effective thinking skills, communication skills, management and self-management skills.
Discussion and Conclusion. Practical work within the interdisciplinary project proved the necessity of students’ soft skills development for achieving success in professional sphere. The most efficient way to better this process is to realize the interdisciplinary interaction due to its potential, represented by its resources, ideas and approaches from different fields, and opportunities for mastering the skills in question.

1. Abashkina O.I. Soft skills: the key to a career. Available at: http://www.pro-personal.ru/article/7811-soft-skills-klyuch-k-karere (accessed: 02.11.2020). (In Russ.)

2. Barinova O.V. The concept and essence of competence. Available at: http://novainfo.ru/article/1935 (accessed: 20.02.2021). (In Russ.)

3. Bacunov S.N., Derecha I.I., Kungurova I.M., Slizkova E.V. Modern determinants of soft skills development. Nauchno-metodicheskij elektronnyj zhurnal «Koncept», 2018, no. 4, pp. 12-21. Available at: http://e-koncept.ru/2018/181018.htm (accessed: 04.02.2021). (In Russ.)

4. Bogdan E.S. Problems of the formation of competencies of graduates of engineering areas of training. Vestnik Evrazijskoj nauki, 2020, no. 5. Available at: https://esj.today/PDF/72ECVN520.pdf (accessed: 04.02.2021). (In Russ.)

5. Vagapova N.A., Dolomanyuk L.V., Vagapov G.V. Soft Skills as an essential component of the content of engineering education. Vestnik KGEU, 2016, no. 4(32). Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/soft-skills-kak-neobhodimyy-komponent-soderzhaniya-inzhenernogo-obrazovaniya (accessed: 20.01.2021). (In Russ.)

6. Verbickij A.A. Formation of a new educational paradigm in Russian education. Obrazovanie i nauka, 2012, no. 6, pp. 5-18. (In Russ.)

7. Davydova V. Listening, speaking and negotiating: what are soft skills and how to develop them. Available at: http://theoryandpractice.ru/posts/11719-soft-skills (accessed: 20.02.2021). (In Russ.)

8. BCG report "Russia 2025: from human resources to talents". 2017. Available at: https://image-src.bcg.com/Images/Russia-2025-report-RUS_tcm9-188275.pdf (accessed: 03.03.2021). (In Russ.)

9. D'yachenko V.K. Didactics: a textbook for the system of advanced training of educators: in two volumes. Moscow, Narodnoe obrazovanie Publ., 2006. (In Russ.)

10. ZHad'ko N.V., CHurkina M.A. Training hard skills and soft skills - what's the difference? Available at: https://ubo.ru/articles/?cat=124&pub=1162 (accessed: 05.03.2021). (In Russ.)

11. Zinovkina M.M. Creative engineering education. Theory and pedagogical innovative technologies: monograph. Moscow, MGIU Publishing House, 2003. 350 p. (In Russ.)

12. Ivonina A.I., CHulanova O.L., Davletshina YU.M. Modern directions of theoretical and methodological developments in the field of management: the role of soft-skills and hard skills in the professional and career development of employees. Internet-zhurnal «Naukovedenie», 2017, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-18. Available at: http://naukovedenie.ru/PDF/90EVN117.pdf (accessed: 12.03.2021). (In Russ.)

13. Kabanova L.V., Bragina Z.V., Nikerina E.V. Problems of the formation of a national system of qualifications in Russia and solutions. Vestnik Evrazijskoj nauki, 2018, no. 4. Available at: https://esj.today/PDF/23ECVN418.pdf (accessed: 12.03.2021). (In Russ.)

14. Kozhevnikov A.V. Implementation of interdisciplinary projects in the development of practice-oriented engineering educational programs in the framework of international CDIO standards. Sovremennye nauchnye issledovaniya i innovacii, 2014, no. 6, part 3. Available at: http://web.snauka.ru/issues/2014/06/34442 (accessed: 02.03.2021). (In Russ.)

15. Labzina P.G., Men'shenina S.G. Hermeneutic approach as a methodological basis for the development of flexible skills of a student of a technical university. Vestnik Samarskogo gosudarstvennogo tekhnicheskogo universiteta. Ser.: Psihologo-pedagogicheskie nauki, 2019, no. 2(42), pp. 105-118. (In Russ.)

16. Milevski I. Personal development of a successful person. Principles of soft skills - flexible human skills. Available at: https://ecouniver.com/economik-rasdel/men/6641-lichnostnoe-razvitie-uspeshnogo-cheloveka.html (accessed: 02.03.2021). (In Russ.)

17. Raickaya L.K., Tihonova E.V. Soft skills in the view of teachers and students of Russian universities in the context of world experience. Vestnik Rossijskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Seriya: Psihologiya i pedagogika, 2018, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 350-363m doi: 10.22363/2313-1683-2018-15-3-350-363. (In Russ.)

18. Senashenko V., Tkach G. Bologna process and quality of education. Alma mater (Vestnik vyssheĭ shkoly), 2003, no. 8, pp. 8-14. (In Russ.)

19. Hasanova G.B. Requirements of employers to graduates of engineering universities. Vestnik Kazanskogo tekhnologicheskogo universiteta, 2012, no. 20. Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/trebovaniya-rabotodateley-k-vypusknikam-inzhenernyh-vuzov (accessed: 01.102.2021). (In Russ.)

20. SHilova S.A. Formation of flexible skills by means of microgroup forms of work in teaching a foreign language at a university. Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta Novaya seriya. Seriya: Akmeologiya obrazovaniya. Psihologiya razvitiya, 2017, no. 4. Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/formirovanie-gibkih-navykov-sredstvami-mikrogruppovyh-form-raboty-pri-obuchenii-inostrannomu-yazyku-v-vuze (accessed: 02.02.2021). (In Russ.)

21. SHipilov V. List of Soft Skills and ways of their development. Available at: https://www.cfin.ru/management/people/dev_val/soft-skills.shtml (accessed: 02.02.2021). (In Russ.)

22. YArkova T.A., CHerkasova I.I. Formation of flexible skills among students in the context of the implementation of the professional standard of a teacher. Vestnik Tyumenskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Gumanitarnye issledovaniya. Humanitates, 2016, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 222-234. (In Russ.)

23. Lippman L.H., Ryberg R., Carney R., Kristin A. Workforce connections: key “soft skills” that foster youth workforce success: toward a consensus across fields. Child Trends Publication, 2015. 56 р.

24. Skills for Social Progress: The Power of Social and Emotional Skills. OECD Publishing, 2015. 140 p. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264226159-en.

25. Simo I. Exploitation of Open Educational Resources in Engineering Education – Purpose of Research. Bulletin of Transilvania University of Brasov, 2017, vol. 10(59), no.1, series I: Engineering Sciences.