Syllabus

Title
5256 E&I Zone: Soft Skills (Course 3)
Instructors
Melina Mazzucato, M.Sc.(WU),M.Sc.(NOVA), Dr. Peter Stebe
Contact details
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
02/25/26 to 02/26/26
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Tuesday 04/28/26 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM Ort nach Ankündigung
Wednesday 04/29/26 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM Ort nach Ankündigung
Contents

This course introduces core soft skills that support effective collaboration, communication, and personal development in entrepreneurial and innovative contexts. The emphasis lies on understanding individual strengths, personality traits, and working styles as a foundation for successful teamwork and constructive interaction with others.

The main goal of the course is to help students build self-awareness and learn how personal strengths, emotional responses, and communication preferences influence collaboration, learning, and performance in dynamic and uncertain environments. Using a personality test and a strengths assessment, students will reflect on how they contribute to teams and how differences between individuals can become a resource rather than a challenge.

Throughout the course, students will explore how people think, communicate, and react differently under pressure, and how these differences affect teamwork, feedback, and decision-making. Through interactive exercises and real-life scenarios, students will develop practical tools to communicate more clearly, handle feedback more constructively, and collaborate effectively across diverse perspectives and disciplines.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have learned about:

  • Strength Awareness: Identify and reflect on personal strengths, personality traits, and individual working styles, and understand how they influence learning and collaboration in project-based settings.
  • Communication in Teams: Communicate clearly, respectfully, and appropriately in academic and team contexts, taking different perspectives and communication styles into account.
  • Collaboration & Feedback: Work constructively in diverse teams, give and receive feedback, and handle differing opinions in a solution-oriented way.
  • Emotional Awareness & Coping: Recognize emotional responses to stress, feedback, and conflict, and apply basic strategies to cope with challenges in studies and group work.
Attendance requirements

Students must attend at least 80% of the scheduled course time to successfully complete the course. Should you miss the beginning of our first day, you need to contact the lecturers beforehand to secure your spot in the class.

Both course days will take place in the Entrepreneurship Center (TC.0.59)

Teaching/learning method(s)

We strive to use a variety of learning methods:

  • Expert lecturers
  • Group exercises
  • In-class discussions
Assessment

50% in-class participation

30% pre-course assignment (will be sent out Mid-March)

20% reflective essay

Prerequisites for participation and waiting lists

Students enrolled in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Specialization Program.
Please note that course registration is binding.
Once you register for a course, it counts as a firm commitment to attend. Therefore, only join the waiting list for courses you can actually attend. After the add/drop period, transfers to other courses are not possible under any circumstances, as this would be unfair to other students who may have been unable to secure a place due to your registration.

Readings

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Last edited: 2026-02-02



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