Uniquely human skills – like the ones below – are also called soft skills, durable skills, non-cognitive, or power skills. These skills are referred as “human” because, so far, they are unable to be replicated by any technology; yes, not even AI. These skills are our foundation as people through which we learn social-emotional competencies to succeed in everyday life, like self-regulation, resilience, empathy, collaboration, and responsibility. That is, we learn how to navigate any type of situations, make decisions, develop high quality social connections, and become moral and ethical human beings with with strong positive overall well-being.

Despite their relevance and having been identified as the ones to master in the 21^st century and the ones that an increasing number of employees look for in candidates, they are still neglected in higher education. Almost all college students graduate with high coding capabilities and confidence using AI, among other technical and domain specific skills. But most of them struggle to engage in a face-to-face conversation with another person, imagine alternative possibilities for their life, or pay uninterrupted attention to something for more than 15 minutes.

Interestingly, K-12 and high school institutions have been more active in integrating social emotional learning (SEL) skills in the curricula and starting the conversation to help students become life-long learnings. Although not perfect yet, their efforts are significantly ahead from that of higher education, at least in the US. For instance, talks and conferences have been happening for a while, and funding for initiatives is relatively easier to get than to conduct research on this topic at university levels. Just to name a few specific examples, CASEL – Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning – frequently organizes open seminars about the state of SEL in schools. Panels with faculty and staff from multiple institutions discuss strategies for how to integrate these skills in the classroom, to prepare students to navigate uncertainty and undefined challenges, and so on.

In a recent event organized by the Brookings Institution, a fascinating discussion articulated the current state of human skills in the education system and their importance in today’s world. Prof. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, who investigates the neuroscience of transcendent thinking and socio-emotional imagination among students, explained different ways in which educators could teach for human skills. For instance, one way is to help students shift attention away from outcomes – like grades, GPA – and towards the process of learning and building on their own ideas.

Imagination is one important human skill that is also neglected in higher education.

Prof. Immordino-Yang’s research unpacks the connection between imagination and emotions, stressing the need to develop the former to nurture inner growth. Cultivating students’ ability to imagine connections between new material taught in class, their life and interests, and the world, helps them deepen learning about both the specific concepts and the broader picture. To make the most of this approach, we need to help students build a sense of self and connect with their emotions – i.e., develop emotional intelligence. This internal understanding is key for students to build internal narratives and motivation to pursue their own ideas, which leads to skill building and learning.  

Students’ struggles to imagining different futures reflects their struggle to connect with their dreams and emotions, which also impacts their motivation for learning. Integrating imagination courses, workshops, or training as part of the core curricula in higher education is one way to break with this vicious cycle.