Students’ development of employability skills through an online international hackathon

Abstract

Abstract

This article explores the skills generated from an online 2-week sustainability hackathon. Participants of the hackathon were students enrolled in one of the universities under the UK-Singapore universities alliance for entrepreneurship and innovation. The hackathon included 80 students from 14 universities in Singapore and the UK. Data was collected from 18 out of 80 participants who took part in the hackathon via a post-hackathon questionnaire. The 22 semi-structured questions included questions on participants’ previous work experience, reasons for taking part in the hackathon and what skills and experience they gained from taking part. Qualitative data was analysed using a comparison of descriptive statistics and qualitative data was examined using a thematic analysis approach. The results showed an awareness in enhancement of both personal and professional skills, ranging from teamworking, communication, ideation and critical thinking. Participants also appreciated the interdisciplinary working and connecting with students from different countries and institutions.

Keywords:

hackathon, sustainability, employability, student enterprise, international collaboration