Reflecting critically on this process, I recognise both the successes and limitations of the intervention and how these inform my next steps.
After watching students’ final in-class project presentations, following three months of work, I observed an increase in their self-reliance to complete projects. Last year, although the overall quality was higher and more sophisticated, there was less commitment to finishing the in-class project, and a smaller percentage of students completed their work. This year, approximately 95% of students were able to finish their projects by the deadline. These findings address my initial research questions by demonstrating that soft skills development requires sustained, structured interventions across multiple terms.
Even though my scaffolded flipped classroom approach did not suit students’ entry level, other interventions—such as the introductory workshop, the list of soft skills essential for VFX artists, two presentations requiring students to cite their use of soft skills, and Padlet journalling (which enabled me to provide feedback)—proved crucial for the outcome.
It is clear that students will not pursue soft skills development unless they receive persistent support and guidance from tutors, as they tend to default to focusing on hard skills. I believe this intervention helped students from diverse backgrounds equally acknowledge the importance of soft skills development and, more importantly, learn how to recognise and improve these skills systematically in their work.
In the long term, this approach offers equity—especially for women—by supporting their success in a STEM field, increasing confidence, and fostering resourcefulness to persevere despite the prevalent prejudices in the VFX and related industries. In fact, I believe that soft skills development can indeed prepare a new generation – not only women – to face a highly competitive and unstable job market. In turn, this can provide the industry with a flow of graduates equipped with the relevant soft skills they are seeking, while giving artists greater control over their career growth and personal accomplishments.
This ARP has been a long journey, beginning in the last term as part of the Intervention Assignment in the Inclusive Practices Unit. It reflects the effort of my 20 years of industry experience surviving and succeeding in a predominantly male industry, both in Brazil and in the UK. I have always believed that self-reliance and resourcefulness are key to survival as a woman, and I see soft skills as practical, logical, and objective tools to achieve that.