There is a newer version of the record available.

Published April 28, 2024 | Version 4
Journal article Open

Perceptions of 21st-century digital skills and agency among design sprint participants in Laurea UAS, Finland

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon Laurea University of Applied Sciences

Description

This explorative study investigated students’ (N=16) perceptions before and after the study unit Digital Analytics and Consumer Insights. The studies were conducted as an intensive hybrid five-day design sprint, a variant of project- and problem-based learning. An online questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was used for data collection. The findings indicate that the intervention improved perceptions of most studied digital “hard skills” (8/11 claims). Out of twelve 21st-century “soft skills” claims, perceptions were high initially and improved significantly for critical thinking and systematic problem-solving claims during the design sprint. The agency scores showed a slight improvement but no significant difference. Face-to-face groups would be willing to recommend the sprint method more for peers than online groups.  

In the era of global turbulence and artificial intelligence, in addition to hard skills, soft skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving and project management are in demand by employers. According to LinkedIn data in 2/2024, adaptability is the most demanded skill. In addition to traditional subjects, the pedagogical methods in higher education should better support the development of 21st-century skills.

Files

Files (803.9 kB)

Name Size Download all
md5:7eceff65555ccf1ccddfb38d81c3d484
803.9 kB Download

Additional details

Dates

Submitted
2024-03-26
For peer-review
Updated
2024-04-14
Minor revisions completed
Valid
2024-04-28
Final version

References

  • Ahonen, O., Mononen, A., Valpas, P., Jalakas, R., Mahla, M., Havukumpu, J., Litina, S., Brauna, E., Ekman, P., Valtakari, K., & Westerlund, M. (2019, October 28). Muddie Week—Multiprofessional Digital Development: Service Design Innovation Model for Higher Education in the Context of Digital Health and Wellbeing. Laurea Journal Online. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2019102835335
  • Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
  • Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: an agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology. 52, 1–26. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.1
  • Bandura, A. (2006). Toward a Psychology of Human Agency. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(2), 164-180. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00011.x
  • Barnett, R. 2009. "Knowing and Becoming in the Higher Education Curriculum." Studies in Higher Education 34 (4): 429–440.
  • Brown, P., Souto-Otero, M. (2020). The end of the credential society? An analysis of the relationship between education and the labour market using big data. Journal of Education Policy 35 (1), pp. 95-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2018.1549752
  • Code, J. (2020). Agency for Learning: Intention, Motivation, Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulation. Frontiers in Education, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00019
  • European State of the Art Report. (December, 2021). Validation of Transversal Skills across Europe. https://www.transvalproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/D2.1_State-of-the-Art-Report_EN_public.pdf
  • Eteläpelto, A., Vähäsantanen, K., Hökkä, P., & Paloniemi, S. (2014). Miten käsitteellistää ammatillista toimijuutta työssä?. Aikuiskasvatus, 34(3), 202-214. https://doi.org/10.33336/aik.94100
  • Greenhouse, S. 2023. US experts warn AI likely to kill off jobs – and widen wealth inequality. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/08/ai-chatgpt-jobs-economy-inequality (accessed 20.12.2023)
  • Knapp, J., Zeratsky, J., & Kowitz, B. (2016). Sprint: How to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days. Simon and Schuster.
  • Laurea University of Applied Sciences. (2023). Study Guide: Digital Analytics and Consumer Insights. https://ops.laurea.fi/212701/fi/68154/209690/2692/0/27172. (19.12.2023). (Accessed on 25.3.2024).
  • LinkedIn. (2024). Bessalel, S. LinkedIn 2024 Most In-Demand Skills: Learn the Skills Companies Need Most. LinkedIn Learning Blog. https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/top-skills-and-courses/most-in-demand-skills. (Accessed on 25.3.2024).
  • McKinsey Global Institute. (August 20, 2020) Report: Risk, resilience, and rebalancing in global value chains. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/risk-resilience-and-rebalancing-in-global-value-chains
  • Mononen, A. (1.12.2023). Explorative study on verbalizing students' skills with NLP/AI-tool in Digital Living Lab at Laurea UAS, Finland. NLP4DH 2023 proceedings of the conference. Association for Computational Linguistics. ISBN 979-8-89176-012-7.
  • Ottey, S. (July 24, 2023). 20 Trending Job Titles of 2023: A Sneak Peek into the Future Workforce. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20-trending-job-titles-2023-sneak-peek-future-sophia/ (accessed on 19.12.2023).
  • Reichheld, F. F. (2003). The one number you need to grow. Harvard business review, 81(12), 46-55.
  • Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. Wiley.
  • Tuomi, I. (2022). Artificial Intelligence, 21 st Century Competences, and Socio- Emotional Learning in Education: More than High-Risk? https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13681.15209
  • Van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A systematic literature review. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 577–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.010
  • Walker, A., & Leary, H. (2009). A problem based learning meta analysis: Differences across problem types, implementation types, disciplines, and assessment levels. Interdisciplinary journal of problem-based learning, 3(1), 6.
  • Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating project-based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26, 369–398.
  • Helle, L., Tynjälä, P., & Olkinuora, E. (2006). Project-based learning in post-secondary education – theory, practice and rubber sling shots. Higher Education, 51, 287–314.
  • Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving Schools, 19(3), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480216659733.
  • Mann, L., Chang, R., Chandrasekaran, S., Coddington, A., Daniel, S., Cook, E., Crossin, E., Cosson, B., Turner, J., Mazzurco, A., Dohaney, J., O'Hanlon, T., Pickering, J., Walker, S., Maclean, F., & Smith, T. D. (2020). From problem-based learning to practice-based education: A framework for shaping future engineers. European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(1), 27–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2019.1708867.
  • Mitchell, J. E., Nyamapfene, A., Roach, K., & Tilley, E. (2019). Faculty wide curriculum reform: The integrated engineering programme. European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(1), 48–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2019.1593324
  • Radović, S., Hummel, H. G. K., & Vermeulen, M. (2022). Design-based research with mARC ID model: Designing experiential learning environments. Learning Environments Research, 25(3), 803–822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-021-09394-7
  • Rotgans, J. I. & Schmidt, H. G. (2011). Situational interest and academic achievement in the active-learning classroom. Learning and Instruction, 21, 58-67.
  • Servant-Miklos, V. F. C., & Kolmos, A. (2022). Student conceptions of problem and project based learning in engineering education: A phenomenographic investigation. Journal of Engineering Education, 111(4), 792–812. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20478
  • Statista Research Department. (2023). Number of freelancers in the U.S. 2017- 2028. https://www.statista.com/statistics/921593/gig-economy-number-of-freelancers-us/. Statista. (accessed on 31.1.2024).