Resumen de Assessment of Twenty-first-century Skills in the Spanish Language Classroom: Problem Solving in a Spanish for Engineering Course

Lori Czerwionka, Andrés Obando Taborda, Jhon Quiroga Varon, Gabriel Ríos Rojas, Kirsten A. Davis

• Current approaches to language teaching highlight the importance of Language for Professions and Specific Purposes (LPSP) courses. These courses not only prepare learners for professional tasks but also foster twenty-first-century skills like problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration. Despite the growing body of LPSP research, there is a notable lack of empirical studies on learner and program assessment. This article addresses this gap by examining a Spanish for the Professions course titled Global Sustainable Engineering, which emphasizes problem solving through global engineering case studies. The article provides a detailed course description and presents two scenario-based problem-solving assessments. It shares data showing students’ problem-solving development and includes student self-analysis and reflections, highlighting the course’s effectiveness. The findings confirm that LPSP courses can significantly contribute to twenty-first-century skills development. The discussion extends to the broader application of scenario-based, problem-solving assessments in language education, demonstrating their potential to enhance language classes beyond the specific context of LPSP courses.