Workplace scenarios to integrate communication skills and content: a case study

Authors:
Mark E. Hoffman;Paul V. Anderson;Magnus Gustafsson
Affiliations:
Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT, USA;Elon University, Elon University, NC, USA;Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
Venue:
Proceedings of the 45th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education
Year:
2014

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Abstract

A recent study of new software developers at Microsoft reveals the significance and integration of communication skills in their daily tasks. While the literature offers a variety of approaches to promote the integration of communication skills into the Computer Science curriculum, a discrepancy remains between what students get and what they need. In this paper, we propose using workplace scenarios that integrate communication skills with technical content situated in and mediating workplace activity. Workplace scenarios are based on an analysis of the workplace as an activity system. Guidelines for implementing workplace scenarios are provided. A case study analyzes the integration of communication skills with technical content using workplace scenarios in a software development course.