edX Awards $1 Million to Ten Partners Developing Free Courses on Essential Human Skills for the Virtual Age

Emotional resilience, conflict management, and digital teamwork among new course topics designed to help learners navigate today's hybrid workplace

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- edX, a leading global online learning platform from 2U TWOU, today announced the 10 partner proposals selected to receive grants totaling $1 million to develop courses in Essential Human Skills for the Virtual Age. These courses and programs will be centered on essential human skills such as leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence that are prioritized during hiring and critical in an increasingly virtual world.

The million-dollar pledge and request for proposals (RFP) was announced at the completion of 2U's acquisition of edX and reflects the organization's continued commitment to support free and open courses that increase access to high-quality education. All winning courses will include a free audit track to ensure the broadest possible global access. The RFP was just one of a number of new initiatives that leverage the combined strengths of 2U and edX to enable partners to quickly advance educational opportunities to meet learners' needs at scale.

"We were overwhelmed by partner participation in this RFP, receiving nearly 100 proposals from partners across five continents," said Anant Agarwal, edX Founder and 2U Chief Open Education Officer. "The immense support for this initiative demonstrates the edX community's commitment to create highly relevant and accessible educational experiences for learners worldwide. 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."

All proposals underwent a rigorous review by an interdisciplinary internal board that evaluated each proposal against a variety of factors including adherence to the RFP brief, high-quality learning design, clearly articulated learning outcomes, and market relevance.

The selected proposals are as follows*:

• 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
• UCLouvain: Psychology of Conflict Management
• Universidad Politècnica de València: Liderazgo y comunicación en equipos híbridos y remotos (Leadership and Communication on Hybrid and Remote Teams)
• University of Maryland, College Park: Designing and Delivering the Citizen Developer Training Program
• University of Queensland: The Future World of Work - An Immersive Digital Experience
• University of Wisconsin - Madison: Listening Skills for Today's Workplace

Researchers from Ladders found that high-paying remote job opportunities more than doubled during the first year of the pandemic and predict that 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022. With remote work continuing to grow, strong human skills will be needed to ensure success in virtual and hybrid workspaces.

Courses are expected to be available as early as summer 2022. Learn more at discover.edx.org/essential-human-skills.

*Final course titles are subject to change.

edX is the education movement for restless learners and a leading global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. TWOU. Together with the majority of the world's top-ranked universities and industry-leading companies, we bring our community of over 42 million learners world-class education to support them at every stage of their lives and careers, from free courses to full degrees. And we're not stopping there — we're relentlessly pursuing our vision of a world where every learner can access education to unlock their potential, without the barriers of cost or location. Learn more at edX.org.

Media Contact: Kate Welk, media@2u.com

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SOURCE 2U, Inc.