Enhancing soft skills in engineering education via course redesign and scenario-based assessment: a case study at Glasgow College UESTC

Purpose This study addresses the persistent gap between engineering education and industry requirements by examining how scenario-based learning (SBL) can systematically develop and assess soft skills within an engineering management course. The research evaluates a comprehensive redesign of the Engineering Project Management and Finance course at Glasgow College UESTC aimed at enhancing decision-making, leadership, communication and problem-solving competencies. Design/methodology/approach A scenario-based summative assessment was implemented in which 632 undergraduate engineering students completed ten open-ended, industry-oriented project management scenarios. A total of 609 valid submissions were analyzed. Responses were evaluated using detailed rubric targeting both technical knowledge and multiple soft skill dimensions. To ensure fairness and reliability, blind double marking was conducted by 31 trained teaching assistants. Quantitative analysis of normalized performance data was performed to examine competency development and marking consistency a. Findings Results indicate that scenario-based assessment provides a scalable and reliable mechanism for evaluating soft skill development in engineering education. Students demonstrated strong performance in analytical thinking, decision-making, and presentation skills, while comparatively lower performance was observed in problem-solving under uncertainty, risk management, and collaborative teamwork. The blind double-marking process enhanced objectivity and consistency across evaluators. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a single institutional case study, which may limit generalizability. Future research could employ comparative or longitudinal designs to examine long-term skill transfer and benchmark results across institutions and disciplines. Practical implications The findings provide a structured, scalable assessment framework that higher education institutions can adopt to embed authentic, industry-aligned soft skill evaluation within engineering management curricula. The approach also offers potential applications for graduate recruitment and professional development assessment in industry settings. Social implications By strengthening employability-oriented competencies in engineering graduates, the approach contributes to narrowing the academia–industry gap and supports the development of more adaptable and professionally prepared engineers. Originality/value This study operationalizes soft skill development within a large-scale, rubric-based scenario assessment framework, providing empirical evidence from over 600 students. It contributes to a robust and replicable model for integrating and objectively measuring soft skills in engineering management education.