Digital teamwork. Conflict management. Emotional resilience. As remote job opportunities more than doubled during the first year of the pandemic—and as remote work is projected to continue to grow into the future—professionals need strong human skills like these and many others to ensure their success in virtual and hybrid workspaces.
That’s why edX pledged a total of $1 million in grants to help our partners develop courses that teach these essential human skills, which are not only critical in our increasingly virtual world, but also prioritized during the hiring process by today’s employers. Today, after completing a competitive review of nearly 100 proposals, edX announced the 10 extraordinary grantees, reflecting the global scope of our commitment to support innovative, free, and open courses that increase access to opportunity for all.
Be on the lookout for these 10 online courses on the edX platform, available as early as this summer:*
In “Business Models for Technology Innovators” from Arm Education, learners can gain an understanding of the interconnected relationship between technology, product innovation, business models, and societal benefit in this case study-centered course produced in collaboration with Duke Corporate Education.
How do we rise above the noise to become impactful, memorable individuals in this age of global digital disruption? “The Authentic Human in the Global Workplace” from Davidson College equips learners to confidently harness their personality in virtual and in-person workplace settings.
For learners seeking ways to manage stress and anxiety at home or in the workplace, then “Applied Psychology: Increasing Emotional Awareness and Personal Resilience” from HarvardX will be a helpful resource. Evidence-based strategies can be applied to stressful or intense situations to help learners build a more resilient self.
Virtual teamwork requires a unique set of skills. “Digital Teamwork and Business Skills” from Indiana University gives learners a variety of tools to improve virtual teamwork, prevent miscommunication, and work through difficult conversations in the virtual world.
We’re spending more and more time on screens, connected, online. “Managing Digital Productivity and Wellbeing: The Workplace and Beyond” from Jesus College, part of the UK’s University of Cambridge, draws on insights from business, psychology, philosophy, and the tech industry to help learners develop digital habits and routines that drive productivity and wellbeing.
Conflict management is an essential skill not just in our personal lives and professional environments, but also all across the virtual world. In “Psychology of Conflict Management” from Belgium’s UCLouvain, learners can explore psychological aspects of conflict and conflict management, for both internal and external stakeholders.
“Liderazgo y comunicación en equipos híbridos y remotos (Leadership and Communication on Hybrid and Remote Teams)” from Spain’s Universidad Politècnica de València is a Spanish-language course that can help learners develop three crucial transversal skills in remote environments: working as a team, positively influencing the behavior of people on their team, and communicating effectively.
Citizen developers will be a significant force for innovation and digital transformation. In “Designing and Delivering the Citizen Developer Training Program” from the University of Maryland, College Park, learners can build a training program that gives citizen developers the skills to create valuable no-code/low-code digital applications.
With “The Future World of Work—An Immersive Digital Experience” from Australia’s University of Queensland, learners can equip themselves with essential skills and capabilities that will enable them to adapt and thrive in the future world of work. The course will set learners up to embrace digital environments and shift seamlessly between virtual and physical work settings.
Different levels of listening are more strategic than others depending on the circumstances. In “Listening Skills for Today’s Workplace” from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, learners will examine different listening techniques and increase their ability to notice their mental filters, stay open, and engage in dialogue.
Interested in learning more about why each of these organizations’ proposals was selected by edX? Watch this short video about what will make these online courses unique in their teaching of essential human skills for the virtual age, direct from our partners:
*Final course titles subject to change