Time for universities to think outside the box: University students’ experiences of social skills development workshops

Abstract

In a globalizing world, social skills are becoming increasingly necessary on an individual and professional level. University students having these skills before graduation will provide them with significant advantages in both their professional and personal lives. Active learning is an approach that allows students to learn knowledge and skills by experiencing them. In this approach, students take an active role in the learning process. This research investigates the impact of social skills development workshops using an active learning approach on a group of 19 participants. Using a qualitative research approach, inductive thematic analysis was employed to examine the participants’ workshop experiences. Based on the research findings, it is evident that the social skills development workshops prepared with an active learning approach have provided many benefits to participants in their personal and professional lives. These workshops have positively influenced participants’ social skills, such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, and empathy, and have helped them gain positive perspectives on developing social skills.