Using a stakeholder developed case study to develop soft skills

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the extent to which a case study developed by a financial institution and completed within a collaborative learning environment can be used to develop soft skills. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire research instrument comprising open and closed response questions was used to collect the data. Findings The case study developed by the external stakeholder was found to be useful in developing soft skills. The primary skills identified by respondents were decision-making, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication and research ability. However, the respondents believed that the collaborative learning element had the greatest impact on the development of skills, particularly ethical behaviour, professionalism and personal attributes. Research limitations/implications The results are not generalisable beyond the scope of the particular higher education institution in which the study was conducted and the country in which the study was situated. Additionally, this paper measured soft skills development through perceptions of participating students. An objective measurement of students’ immediate soft skills improvement is not considered. Nonetheless, the findings provide guidance to educators on how a case study developed by a financial institution and completed within a collaborative learning environment can be used to develop soft skills. Originality/value The paper makes three contributions. The first is to detail how a real-world case study with a substantial technical component can be used to develop soft skills. Second, the paper contributes to the real-world case study and collaborative learning elements literature and ascertains the effectiveness of both methods in developing various soft skills. Finally, the paper contributes to the limited literature on how external stakeholders can become involved in the development of accounting curriculum content.

Teaching the concept of decision-usefulness, and accounting as a technical, social and moral practice: the case of COVID-19 “case number” reporting

“…lectures or tutorials), the development of higher-order transferable skills “requires a constructivist, situated or experiential approach using a variety of different teaching and learning methods” (Helliar, 2013, p. 513). Such methods may include the use of case studies which can have a number of benefits for student learning (see, for example, Beattie et al , 2012; Boyce et al , 2001; Culpin and Scott, 2011; Samkin and Keevy, 2019; Keevy, 2016; Wines et al , 1994). For example, the case study approach has the potential to “engage and motivate students, to encourage self-learning” (Healy and McCutcheon, 2010, p. 556), and to develop “critical, conceptual thinking and the spirit of enquiry” (De Villiers, 2020).…”

Balancing skills in the digital transformation era: The future of jobs and the role of higher education

“…It may be tempting to create a list of soft skills to enhance employability, but what matters is how these skills will be embedded in a continuous and transformative process during which individuals learn to recontextualize them to suit different activities and environments (Fettes et al, 2020). Recent studies have investigated how a collaborative learning environment can be used to develop soft skills and to what extent external stakeholders can become involved in the development of curriculum content (Samkin and Keevy, 2019). Pedagogical strategies to develop soft skills in universities, which are usually used to foster the commitment of students to activities, can benefit from their integration with the job market (Mareque et al, 2019)—that is, the education system must ensure the adequate teaching of soft skills for the employability of students (Dogara et al, 2019) in the changing future of jobs (Peters, 2020).…”

The Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning in an Online Learning Environment Through a Comparison of Group and Individual Marks

“…Other skills that can be improved are critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Kumi-Yeboah, Yuan and Dogbey, 2017; Opdecam and Everaert, 2012;Samkin and Keevy, 2019). What is further beneficial to the students exposed to cooperative learning is that the skills gained from cooperative learning are found to be highly transferable to work environments, where working within a team is an integral part of the business world (Kumi-Yeboah, Yuan and Dogbey, 2017 ;Oosthuizen, et al, 2020).…”

“…A case study approach to learning or case-based learning is known in a range of disciplines as a strategy to provide an active and cooperative learning space (Nkhoma, et al, 2017). When the case given is either a reallife example or based on one, then a connection with the real world is established and will require students to engage in decision-making and problem-solving (Dyball, et al, 2007;Samkin and Keevy, 2019). Case-based learning will require a shift in the way that students normally receive and process disciplinary knowledge.…”