Socio-technical skills and beyond: The role of socratic dialogue method and professional identity formation

The integration of humanities courses into many professional programs has become essential to assist in shaping professional identity and preparing students to confront both technical and social concerns. This interactive session aims to explore the value of introducing normative ethics and dialogic inquiry in a course on “Ethics, Technology, and Global Society” developed by the Liberal Studies program at the Lebanese American University (LAU). The presenters will share their implementation of two major course activities: Socratic Dialogue and Professional Identity Formation (PIF).

Session outline:

• Icebreaker
• Define the role of Socratic Dialogue and Professional Identity Formation (PIF) in promoting certain soft skills and share student testimonies
• Guide participants in conducting Socratic Dialogue sessions (in small groups)
• Guide participants in developing a PIF form (in small groups)
• Reflection and feedback on best practices