Problem-Based Learning as a Soft Skill to Promote Entrepreneurship Among Female Architecture Students in Bahrain During the New Technological Era
摘要
Nowadays entrepreneurship encouragement is the most important topic in every strategic policy of many nations in the world to sustain their economic growth and social welfare, and where the Kingdome of Bahrain is of no exception. In this regard, the Bahrain vision 2030 has identified quality of education as one of the priority areas of development to promote entrepreneurial skills. To this end, architecture education in the Kingdom of Bahrain needs to be restructured to prepare students for the evolving entrepreneurial movement in Bahrain and the GCC region, and to cope with both opportunities and challenges of the new technological era. Indeed, soft skills like emotional intelligence, creative problem-solving, diagnostic skills and design ability are key elements that will make the difference in the new technological era. This pilot quantitative study highlights the need of a new way of educating architecture undergraduates in Bahrain to first, increase their competence beyond the technical and theoretical skills after their graduation. Second, to sensitive academicians and professionals on the crucial role of implementing soft skills such as Problem-based Learning (PBL) in Architecture education in Bahrain universities. The study concentrates on the entrepreneurial capabilities of female architecture students and how PBL can be used to raise their confidence in mainly male-dominated field. The central message of the present research is that, including soft skills like Problem-Based learning in the current architectural curricula is crucial to improves entrepreneurial skills among female architecture students, and reinforcing their professional profile during 4th Industrial Revolution.