Soft skills or digital skills: Is This the Question? Genesis of a workshop

Abstract

Demand for skills building is increasing more than ever and it has only been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Digitalisation and globalisation are the driving factors, thus requiring not only digital skills but also soft skills. New and ever-changing contexts require new and flexible training approaches. Performative teaching and learning has proven to be instrumental in helping to develop emotional and social skills, but it is best suited for face-to-face pedagogical contexts, or is it? This article will describe the elements of a workshop that aimed to train soft skills. It was inspired by an online training module in which the teachers applied a performative approach to train digital skills. The module was an integral part of an innovative, interdisciplinary, and interactive workshop, Active Learning Lab (ALL-EM), organised at Ca’ Foscari University. An abridged and adapted version of this workshop was presented at the 8th Scenario Forum Sore back, square eyes? Going performative in digital teaching and learning spaces (18/19 June 2021, online).