Soft competencies developed in students as the result of the implementation of the 4td curricular strategy at the Universidad Autónoma del Noreste. Topic line: Employability practices

Abstract

The present investigation shows students' perception of the soft-skills they have developed throughout their school journey by applying the four teaching techniques (4td) included in their curriculum as the core to promote in students and future graduates learning for life and employability. It is a strategy embedded as a part of the academic quality project, established in the Institutional Development Plan UANE (2013) and implemented since 2004. 4td is a curricular strategy whose purpose is to promote students' generic skills to support them in their daily life as human beings. 4td refers to the application of active teaching methods such as Collaborative Learning (CL), Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Project-Oriented Learning (POL), and Case Method (CM) that relate objectives in the curriculum to problematic situations of professional practice or life itself. The teachers' essential work is to plan the subject with cases, scenarios, projects, or collaborative activities to transform information into useful personal and professional knowledge. Research with a qualitative approach. A population of 988 students who completed their subjects with 4td in two different semesters was studied. The technique used for collecting the information was focus groups through an open-ended question instrument. The information was analyzed through content analysis using the MAXQDA tool. Results highlight 1642 comments, of which 200 (12%) report having developed higher-order cognitive skills; 971 (59%) leadership skills and 471 (29%) refer to attitudes and values. Mainly they strengthened interpersonal skills related to communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and leadership, values such as respect and responsibility. Derived as a conclusion, the 4td curricular strategy is sustainable over time. It represents one of the academic quality elements in the institution for promoting learning for life and the employability of our students.