Supporting Students' Learning and Development of Transversal Skills Through a Training Portfolio Approach

Abstract

Despite the recognized importance of transversal skills beyond technical knowledge, unless process goals are being made explicit for learning, students engaged in project-based learning tend to give priority to final deliverables over the transversal skill development (such as project management, team collaboration and management, documenting their work, and awareness and regulation of emotions). This study employed a mixed-methods case study design involving approximately 60 engineering students from different backgrounds enrolled in a two-semester Social Sciences master’s course that used structured training portfolio assessment within the team project.

In addition to the engineering project work and the deliverable, the training portfolio model required students to complete three phases: initial competency planning supported by the Interprofessional Project Management Questionnaire (IPMQ), ongoing process analysis and reflection tasks, and final assessment through reflective summaries. Quantitative analysis demonstrated statistically significant and relevant improvements in all four IPMQ dimensions, with the strongest effects observed in interprofessional communication and project planning, followed by risk analysis and ethical sensitivity. Qualitative analysis of portfolio content revealed alignment between intended curriculum outcomes and student learning experiences, with documentation, project management, and team management emerging as the most frequently addressed competences.

The convergence of quantitative and qualitative findings provides evidence that the training portfolio approach successfully directs student attention toward process-oriented learning objectives. The use of the training portfolio is thus a viable pedagogical strategy offers a viable solution for systematically developing transversal skills in group projects, while maintaining focus on technical project deliverables in engineering education contexts.