MERRIMAC, MASS. — Durable skills, such as critical thinking and communication, are the most requested skills among employers, yet 89% of executives say they have difficulty finding job candidates with those skills. Muzzy Lane, a global leader in educational role-playing simulations, today announced the release of SkillBuild Critical Thinking, an online short course for learners to master critical thinking skills and earn microcredentials that will help them advance their careers.
“While most employers consider durable skills like critical thinking more important than hard skills, students may not explicitly learn these skills in school or college,” said Dave McCool, Muzzy Lane’s president and CEO. “SkillBuild engages learners of all ages in authentic experiential learning that helps them better retain and apply skills. Our new course enables employers to connect with candidates who know how to put critical thinking into action.”
SkillBuild Critical Thinking is the first offering in the SkillBuild series of online short courses that tap into the power of role-playing simulations and enable higher education institutions, employers, and learners to develop, assess, and credential in-demand skills. SkillBuild provides opportunities for self-paced practice and remediation. A virtual coach guides learners through the courses, suggesting supplemental activities when needed and adaptively delivering appropriate content.
“The reality is that the changes artificial intelligence brings to the workplace will often entail upskilling, not reskilling or complete replacement,” says Chris Dede, senior research fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. “Microcredentials appeal to employers and learners because of their specificity and because they are based on performance.”
The SkillBuild Critical Thinking course consists of four modules in which learners earn microcredentials: Gathering and Assessing Information, Questioning Assumptions, Identifying Patterns, and Drawing Conclusions. Learners can complete these modules individually and stack the microcredentials on their own schedule, or complete all four with a capstone assessment to earn the full Critical Thinking credential.
By earning a SkillBuild Critical Thinking credential, learners demonstrate the ability to:
- Make informed decisions;
- Identify the root causes of core problems and resolve them;
- Question assumptions;
- Understand why we as humans make mistakes;
- Analyze and evaluate data with precision;
- Be open to others’ opinions;
- Create a culture of collaboration; and
- Work to eliminate bias.
“Role-playing simulations are an engaging and effective way to learn durable skills, which my students need in the field of sport management, where they work closely with partners,” said Dr. Emily Houghton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Performance, College of Allied Health & Nursing at Minnesota State University, Mankato. “We needed a way to support skill development asynchronously and virtually to ensure all students have the opportunity regardless of location or schedule, and the SkillBuild Critical Thinking course meets that need.”
SkillBuild was developed through Muzzy Lane’s extensive experience working with Education Design Lab and its skills framework, as well as with universities and other educational organizations, including Western Governors University, Arizona State University, Excelsior College, Herzing University, and McGraw-Hill. Muzzy Lane will soon offer courses covering additional durable skills. These will be available on its website and in online course marketplaces.
The courses run on any browser or operating system and are compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA. Muzzy Lane offers Learning Tools Interoperability integration to allow schools and employers to easily embed SkillBuild in their learning management systems.
Purchase SkillBuild Critical Thinking or learn more at MuzzyLane.com/SkillBuild.
About Muzzy Lane
With more than 20 years of success in the education industry, Muzzy Lane provides content and tools to support education institutions, organizations, and learners in the transition to skills-based learning, training, and assessment. The company’s SkillBuild line of durable skills courses allows learners to practice and master their skills, providing industry-validated microcredentials at the successful completion of each course. The Muzzy Lane Author suite of tools enables partners to develop their own skills-based simulations and courses that can be integrated into existing courseware or delivered as standalone learning experiences. They can even create and award customized microcredentials to their learners. The company has delivered more than 20 million simulations to millions of learners and continues to work with schools, organizations, and students to optimize the teaching and learning of durable skills. Visit MuzzyLane.com to learn more.
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