Online Learning

10 Institutions Developing EdX Courses in Essential Human Skills for the Virtual Age

• By Rhea Kelly
• 05/03/22

Following through on a pledge made at the close of its acquisition by 2U, edX is awarding $1 million in grants to 10 institutions to develop free online courses in "Essential Human Skills for the Virtual Age": competencies such as leadership, communication and emotional intelligence that are critical in today's increasingly digital workplace. The company received nearly 100 proposals from partners all over the world, which were reviewed by an interdisciplinary internal board to evaluate their learning design, student outcomes, market relevance and other factors.

The selected institutions and working course titles are:

• Arm Education, "Business Models for Technology Innovators";
• Davidson College, "The Authentic Human in the Global Workplace";
• HarvardX, "Applied Psychology: Increasing Emotional Awareness and Personal Resilience";
• Indiana University, "Digital Teamwork and Business Skills";
• Jesus College, Cambridge, "Managing Digital Productivity and Wellbeing: The Workplace and Beyond";
• Université catholique de Louvain, "Psychology of Conflict Management";
• Universitat Politècnica de València, "Liderazgo y comunicación en equipos híbridos y remotos" (Leadership and Communication on Hybrid and Remote Teams);
• University of Maryland, "Designing and Delivering the Citizen Developer Training Program";
• University of Queensland, "The Future World of Work - An Immersive Digital Experience"; and
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, "Listening Skills for Today's Workplace."

All of the courses will include a free audit track, and are expected to be available as early as summer 2022.

"The immense support for this initiative demonstrates the edX community's commitment to create highly relevant and accessible educational experiences for learners worldwide," said Anant Agarwal, edX founder and 2U chief open education officer, in a statement. "I'm delighted that this library of content will soon be available to help prepare people from all backgrounds to thrive in today's digital workplace."

For more information, visit the edX site.