Employers report that college graduates lack skills necessary to be successful in today’s workforce. Referred to as employer-desired competencies (EDCs) in this dissertation, and soft, transferable, or 21st-century skills throughout the literature, these skills commonly include communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Lack of proficiency in these skills are reported as a primary cause behind the skills gap - the divide between what students have learned or acquired during their college education and the skills employers desire of new hires. This gap has been noted for its negative effects on employers’ ability to find suitable applicants and graduates’ ability to achieve employment. As a result, educational institutions have been tasked with implementing more career focused opportunities into the curriculum to better prepare students for 21st-century careers. Of particular interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education are introductory courses that are generally large enrollment and have gained notoriety due to their influence on retention of STEM majors. Within such courses, project-based learning is a student-centered approach that has been reported to create a learning environment that encourages growth of EDCs, which can kickstart career preparation.The studies presented herein sought to investigate the phenomenon of EDC development in introductory project-based general chemistry laboratory courses from both a student and instructor perspective using a mixed-methods approach. Primarily focusing on qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, interviews were conducted with n = 53 undergraduate students enrolled in the project-based general chemistry laboratory courses and n = 12 graduate student teaching assistants (GTAs) who instructed these courses.Using a transcendental phenomenological approach in the qualitative analysis, we first explored undergraduate student perceptions of what competencies were needed for their planned careers (student-perceived competencies, also referred to as SPCs), how SPCs overlapped with EDCs, development of prevalent competencies, and how course components of the general chemistry laboratory courses supported development. Surveys, administered to undergraduate students as alternatives to participating in interviews, were used to supplement interview findings. Further, GTAs were asked what career-relevant competencies they believed were gained as instructors for these courses and how their teaching experiences contributed to this development.Using thematic analysis, six prevalent SPCs were identified by undergraduate students as valuable career competencies – communication, teamwork, problem-solving & critical thinking, prioritization & time management, work ethic, and technical skills. Comparison of these skills to widely recognized EDCs shows that students can identify valuable workplace competencies. Further investigation showed that course components supported development of the first four SPCs. Three main themes were found relating course components to skill development: 1) collaboration with teams, 2) open inquiry learning, and 3) project management.As this study progressed, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, forcing the project-based general chemistry laboratory courses to operate remotely. This shift to remote learning opened a new area of inquiry not previously planned for – how online learning influenced undergraduate student perceptions of EDC development. Emergent in interview responses was how online learning negatively affected student ability to develop technical skills (e.g., laboratory skills and techniques). Further, being able to adapt to the online environment seemed to affect whether a student believed development of the other EDCs – communication, teamwork, work ethic, problem-solving & critical thinking, and prioritization & time management – were supported, hindered, or unaffected online.Emergent in GTA interviews was that interpersonal skills were the most prevalent skills GTAs believed were developed as instructors for these courses – specifically communication (e.g., verbal) and leadership (e.g., mentoring) skills. Themes surrounding how instructing the general chemistry laboratory courses supported development of these skills included: 1) learning to converse with diverse sets of students, and 2) having to guide students through projects.These findings support project-based learning in the general chemistry laboratory as a pedagogical approach to encourage development of EDCs from the student and instructor perspective. Further, these studies emphasize how technical skills were an important aspect that was missed by students in a remote learning environment. Use of student career goals and perception of what can be gained from a course can be used to drive additional learning goals and curriculum design. By leveraging skills that can contribute to career preparation, introductory courses can continue to be framed as beneficial experiences in students’ undergraduate education.
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