Effective Decision Making: the Added Value of Including Humanities in STEM Studies

The rapid ascension of STEM programs in education came accordingly with the needs of the labour market. Although technology made its way into our everyday lives, it is difficult to find a balance between the empowerment it brought by making our everyday tasks easier and our dependency on it that came with it. In search of that balance, there is a vast need in the contemporary digital revolution for computer engineers to be able to make responsible political, ethical and social decisions while contributing to the global economy and the future of the world. Besides technical skills they learn as a part of their curriculum, STEM students and experts in the field need decision making skills for their personal and professional development. The importance of implementing courses from the field of humanities in education has been recognized by educators and employers. The aim of this research is to determine whether the students themselves are aware of the added value such courses could bring to them which will be presented in this paper on the example of Algebra University College students. The research was conducted through a voluntary Google Forms survey comprised of 10 questions that have shown that students are not fully aware of the added value of including humanities in STEM studies, however, they do believe that learning about effective decision making during their studies would be of benefit to their professional development.