SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS DEVISED IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING ENGLISH

The aim of the study was to devise soft skills development strategies for Computer Engineering and Information Technologies undergraduate students in the process of learning English. The research consisted of total 347 Computer Engineering and Information Technologies undergraduate students including 45 female students (13.00%) and 302 male students (87.00%) aged from 17 to 21. The research which was non-experimental in nature was conducted at four higher education institutions in Ukraine between October 2020 and November 2020. To reach the main aim of the study the team of researchers developed a web-based questionnaire containing open-ended and closed-ended questions. The use of the web-based questionnaire seemed to be quite logical for collecting the data necessary for devising soft skills development strategies for Computer Engineering and Information Technologies undergraduate students in the process of learning English taking into account the situation connected with the Covid-19 pandemic. The respondents who volunteered to take part in the survey were sent a link to the web-based questionnaire and guaranteed the complete anonymity. The data analysis covered processing of information collected from the anonymous web-based survey, displaying the data obtained in the form of tables and figures, devising soft skills development strategies based on research results and drawing general conclusions. The findings obtained enabled the authors to present six development strategies aimed at enhancing soft skills among Computer Engineering and Information Technology undergraduate students that could be applied in the process of learning English: a) combination of competence-based, action-oriented and blended-learning approaches in the English for Specific Purposes classroom, b) integration of formal, non-formal and informal learning, c) participation in specially focused network professional communities, d) use of open educational resources for learning English, e) use of open professionally-oriented educational resources, f) introduction of learning-style based activities in the English for Specific Purposes classroom for boosting students’ soft skills.

DEVELOPING COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNDERGRADUATES’ LEARNER AUTONOMY: INDIVIDUALISED INSTRUCTION IN ENGLISH CLASSROOM

The rapid development of information science and technology encourages lifelong learning and requires university graduates to be able to learn throughout their lives and have special abilities which help them search for continuous education and training opportunities. For students who associate their professional lives with computer sciences, learner autonomy is of immense importance since it helps them take full responsibility for success in professional life and career and contributes to the sustainable development of the current fast-moving digital society. As autonomous learners Computer Engineering and Information Technology undergraduates are able to define their goals clearly, to identify the most optimal learning strategies for achieving these goals and for acquiring new knowledge and skills necessary for their further professional development. The present study is aimed at finding out Computer Engineering and Information Technology undergraduates’ viewpoints on effectiveness of individualised instruction for developing their learner autonomy in English classroom. With this in mind, the team of researchers applied a questionnaire to a sample of Computer Engineering and Information Technology undergraduates who study at three higher education institutions of Ukraine. Data collection lasted for three months and took place in September-December 2022. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that individualised instruction delivered through online teaching tools and apps in English classroom enables university teachers to develop Computer Engineering and Information Technology Undergraduates’ learner autonomy effectively.