Putting a Downpayment on Essential Skills for the Virtual Age
In my three-part series on Unlocking the Future of Education, I explored how education is evolving and why it must be learner-centric. As I was writing this series, we were also thrilled to announce the completion of the 2U and edX combination. Now, we can truly get to work to continue advocating for learners and reimagining the future of education.
The new 2U and edX brings a combined nearly 25 years of experience in working with our university and corporate partners to deliver the right size, right time learning in the skill and knowledge areas that people need. A 2020 World Economic Forum report found that there has been a four-fold increase in the number of individuals seeking opportunities for learning online, so our role and potential impact is even more important.?
One of the initiatives I’m most excited about that we announced at the deal close is a pledge of $1M in funding to support the development of new courses in essential human skill areas - a truly unique opportunity for our partners to get upfront investment to create this key content.?
Human Skills Needed More Than Ever in a Virtual World
Why ‘human skills’? At edX we think of soft skills as human skills. This skill area, which encompasses critical thinking, creativity, innovation, leadership, resilience, emotional intelligence, communications and more, is key to thriving in a virtual-first world, also called the “Virtual Age .”
edX and our partners have always been at the forefront of delivering these skills. For example, Catalyst and UC Berkeley run successful courses on edX on inclusive leadership and emotional intelligence , respectively. However, we want to go even further and put time and resources into developing the most innovative, future-thinking courses specifically designed for the needs of today’s (and tomorrow’s) learners.?
As most of us can attest, it took some learning, and many of us are still figuring out how to succeed in a hybrid world. The more time we spend in the virtual world spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which Deloitte calls a fifth industrial revolution, the more clearly we see the need for well-developed human skills.?
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The Data Behind the Need for Human Skills
Everybody has engaged in or been a part of our new, virtual world since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2020 survey of 25,000 American workers, 34 percent had the option to work from home. Pre-pandemic, the number was roughly half that.?
Not only are we observing everyday the need for human skills, but the data backs it up. A WEF report found that the top skill groups that employers see rising in prominence from 2020-2025 include skills like critical thinking and analysis, problem solving, resilience, and flexibility. These are prime examples of human skills, and represent several of the skill areas that edX’s $1M pledge will aim to create content in.?
Our own data reflects the demand for this type of learning content: in 2021, human skill courses accounted for five of the top 15 courses by enrollments for edX for Business customers. A few of these courses include People Management from IIMB, Becoming a Successful Leader from Catalyst, and Agile Innovation and Problem Solving Skills from UMD.
These growing skill areas are also validated through a combination of edX.org search data and calculated from Emsi’s skill taxonomy database . These external and internal data sources help us identify subject areas that are not only in demand in the marketplace, but are in demand by learners on our platform.?
All in on the Future of Education
We are witnessing a worldwide reset in how we live and work and interact with one another, and education is no different. We must build and design courses with our new world in mind so that we can meet the needs of learners all over the world. This is what it means to be an advocate for meaningful educational transformation.?
Every learner, course, partner, and business teaches us something new about how we can stay ahead of the curve when it comes to providing education that impacts and empowers everyone. I look forward to amplifying this knowledge and impact with the new 2U and edX team.
Great validation of what all of us know and inheretnly believe. Would love to stay updated on the Edx work on human skills/ people skills Anant Agarwal
Delivering Innovation Through Applied Artificial Intelligence Solutions and Ecosystems // Veteran
2 年Great stuff! A down payment is a money that you put away to cover the costs of living for a long period of your life.? Down payments aren't things one can sell immediately, but they are things we can use when we need them. Learning these skills doesn't just happen; there is a long ramp from preparation for school to readiness for life in the virtual world.? Yet we know that making a down payment on this ramp takes time: a few years or decades for many people, at least. Glad to come across this post.
Real Estate Consultant | Technology Innovator | Harvard/MIT
2 年Absolutely! Good stuff!
Orofacial Pain Specialist | Expert in Trigeminal Neuralgia | Educator @ UCLA | Patient Advocate | Clinician | Strategic Advisor
2 年Very very true. I reposted if that is ok with you. Good read!
Semi-retired | GIS and Drones adjunct faculty
2 年I’ve never liked the implications of the term “soft skills”. Can we please coin a term that elevates theseskills and yet still describes their importance? Maybe “power skills” is it?