Assessing the Development of Soft Skills Among HEI Students in the VAKEN Process Preliminary Findings from Three Sprint weeks

Soft skills are essential for success in the modern workplace, encompassing interpersonal, problem-solving, and communication abilities necessary for effective collaboration. In the VAKEN project, we developed a process to train and assess soft skills within a real-life context, guided by coaches and in collaboration with companies. Our objective was to enhance soft skills during a five-day sprint focused on a company problem. This paper aims to investigate students’ perceptions of developing creativity, personal leadership, complex problem solving, and critical thinking through the VAKEN process and its sprints. Specifically, we explore how students perceive the development of soft skills before and after the Sprint Week. Data collection involved self- and peer-reviewed assessments, and daily reflective diaries. The first sprint resulted in enhanced problem-solving skills, while critical thinking improved in the second sprint and creativity in the third. Across all sprints, personal leadership exhibited the least improvement according to student perceptions.