What are the 21st Century Skills?

With rapid advances in technology and the economy in the late 20^th century and early 21^st century, educators, business leaders and government agencies have identified skills, abilities and learning dispositions that would help students attain success in 21^st century society. There are twelve 21^st Century Skills and they are grouped into three categories:

1. Learning Skills

The focus is on mental processes required in order to adapt to the current work environment.

1. Critical thinking
2. Creativity
3. Collaboration
4. Communication

2. Literacy Skills

Teaches students how to discern facts, publishing outlets, and the technology behind them. These also help them distinguish trustworthy sources and factual information from the misinformation in the Internet.

5. Information literacy
6. Media literacy
7. Technology literacy

3. Life Skills

These skills focus on intangible elements of a student’s everyday life. These intangibles emphasize both personal and professional qualities.

8. Flexibility
9. Leadership
10. Initiative
11. Productivity
12. Social skills

References: https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-are-21st-century-skills https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/21st-century-skills/

21st Century Skills in MUIC Curriculum

(Interview with Dr. Ruchi Agarwal, Assistant Dean for Educational Affairs) Why is it advantageous for university students to learn 21^st Century Skills? Given that we live in a globalized world that requires an individual to not only have basic skills as was the case in the past, the new requirements of the job market are more towards applied skills. These essential skills include critical thinking, teamwork, creativity among others. For our students to survive in this changing world, there is a need for them to acquire these skills early on in their stay in university.  How are 21^st Century Skills taught to MUIC students? MUIC has made continuous efforts to instill the 21^st Century Skills among students from their freshman year itself. Initially the general education (GE) curriculum required students to take courses in different majors, however, understanding the changing demand of the globalizing world, MUIC initiated a revision of the entire GE curriculum with the combined efforts from members of all programs to design a new GE curriculum based on the 21^st Century Skills. The result is a new revised general education curriculum which has the five baskets system based on the 21^st Century Skills. These baskets include: Leadership, Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship, Digital Literacy, & Life Appreciation. Each of these baskets include a number of courses that students can choose which teach students the specific skills based on the 21^st Century Skills categorization.  For a list of these general education courses, please see below:

General Education Courses		38 Credits
English Communication		12 / 16 Credits
Note I: Based on their achievement on the essay portion of the MUIC entrance exam, students will be placed into       3 following tracks: ‘ERS Track’, ‘GC Track’ and ‘Advanced GC Track’. •‘ERS Track’ – Students who are placed into ‘ERS Track’ will be required to take ICME 100 (a non-credit course) and complete 16 credits in English Communication: ICGC 101, ICGC 102, ICGC 103 in order, and finally, any 200+ level English courses. •‘GC Track’ – Students who are placed into ‘GC Track’ will be required to complete 16 credits in English Communication: ICGC 101, ICGC 102, ICGC 103 in order, and finally, any 200+ level English courses. •‘Advanced GC Track’ – Students who are placed into ‘Advanced GC Track’ will be required to complete 12 credits in English Communication: ICGC 111, ICGC 112 in order, and finally, any 200+ level English courses. Note II: Students in ‘ERS Track’ and ‘GC Track’ must take ICGC 101, ICGC 102 and ICGC 103 without interruption beginning in their first trimester of enrollment.
GC Track
ICGC101	Academic Writing and Research I	4(4-0-8)
ICGC102	Academic Writing and Research II	4(4-0-8)
ICGC103	Public Speaking	4(4-0-8)
Advanced GC Track
ICGC111	Academic Writing and Research I (Advanced)	4(4-0-8)
ICGC112	Academic Writing and Research II (Advanced)	4(4-0-8)
200+ Level Courses
ICGC201	Global Realities	4(4-0-8)
ICGC202	Literary Analysis	4(4-0-8)
ICGC203	Creative Writing	4(4-0-8)
ICGC204	Advanced Oral Communication	4(4-0-8)
ICGC206	Literature Into Film	4(4-0-8)
ICGC208	Language and Culture	4(4-0-8)
ICGC210	First and Second Language Acquisition	4(4-0-8)
ICGC211	Topics in Comparative Literature A: Poetry	4(4-0-8)
ICGC212	Topics in Comparative Literature B: The Short Story and the Novel	4(4-0-8)
ICGC213	Topics in Comparative Literature C: Drama	4(4-0-8)
ICGC214	Literary Non-fiction	4(4-0-8)
ICGC215	Writing for Research	4(4-0-8)
Life Appreciation		4 Credits
ICGH113	Moving Pictures: A History of Film	4(4-0-8)
ICGH117	Drawing as Creative Expression	4(2-4-6)
ICGH118	Photography Visualizing in the Digital Age	4(2-4-6)
ICGH119	Listen! Soundscapes, Well-Being and Musical Soul Searching	4(4-0-8)
ICGN105	Ecology, Ecosystems and Socio-Economics in Southeast Asia	4(3-2-7)
ICGN108	Essentials of Culinary Science for Food Business	4(3-2-7)
ICGN109	Food for Health	4(4-0-8)
ICGN110	Maker Workshop	4(3-2-7)
ICGN112	Stargazer	4(3-2-7)
ICGN113	Plants, People and Poisons	4(4-0-8)
ICGN115	Human Evolution, Diversity and Health	4(4-0-8)
ICGN120	Chemistry of Cosmetics and Dietary Supplements	4(4-0-8)
ICGN124	Climate Change and Human Society	4(3-2-7)
ICGN125	Games and Learning	2(2-0-4)
ICGN135	Personal Health and Well being	2(2-0-4)
ICGP101	American Flag Football	1(0-2-1)
ICGP102	Badminton	1(0-2-1)
ICGP103	Basketball	1(0-2-1)
ICGP104	Body Fitness	1(0-2-1)
ICGP105	Cycling	1(0-2-1)
ICGP106	Discover Dance	1(0-2-1)
ICGP107	Golf	1(0-2-1)
ICGP108	Mind and Body	1(0-2-1)
ICGP109	Selected Topics in Sports	1(0-2-1)
ICGP110	Self Defense (Striking)	1(0-2-1)
ICGP111	Self Defense (Grappling)	1(0-2-1)
ICGP112	Soccer	1(0-2-1)
ICGP113	Social Dance	1(0-2-1)
ICGP114	Swimming	1(0-2-1)
ICGP115	Tennis	1(0-2-1)
ICGP116	Volleyball	1(0-2-1)
ICGS102	Business Sustainability and the Global Climate Change	4(4-0-8)
ICGS111	Exploring Religions	4(4-0-8)
ICGS115	Sociology in the Modern World	4(4-0-8)
ICGS125	American History, Popular Media and Modern Life	4(4-0-8)
ICGS126	Introduction to Psychology	4(4-0-8)
ICGS127	Positive Psychology	4(4-0-8)
ICGS128	Global Gastronomy and Cuisines	4(4-0-8)
ICGS129	Tea Studies	2(2-0-4)
ICGS141	Coffee studies	2(2-0-4)
ICGS142	Contemporary Spirituality and Marketing	1(1-0-2)
ICLL100	Self Development	2(2-0-4)
Global Citizenship		4 Credits
ICGH116	World Cinemas	4(4-0-8)
ICGH120	Thai and ASEAN Cinema	4(4-0-8)
ICGH121	The End of the World? Development and Environment	4(4-0-8)
ICGH122	Introduction to Asian Philosophy	4(4-0-8)
ICGH123	Faiths, Ecological Justice, and the Tropical Rainforests	2(2-0-4)
ICGH127	Rome: An Empire’s Rise and Fall	4(4-0-8)
ICGL101	Elementary German I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL102	Elementary German II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL103	Elementary German III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL111	Elementary Japanese I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL112	Elementary Japanese II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL113	Elementary Japanese III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL121	Elementary French I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL122	Elementary French II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL123	Elementary French III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL131	Elementary Chinese I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL132	Elementary Chinese II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL133	Elementary Chinese III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL141	Elementary Spanish I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL142	Elementary Spanish II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL143	Elementary Spanish III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL160	Introduction to Thai Language and Culture	4(4-0-8)
ICGL161	Elementary Thai I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL162	Elementary Thai II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL163	Elementary Thai III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL170	Diversities in Multilingual Societies	2(2-0-4)
ICGL201	Pre-Intermediate German I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL202	Pre-Intermediate German II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL203	Pre-Intermediate German III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL211	Pre-Intermediate Japanese I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL212	Pre-Intermediate Japanese II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL213	Pre-Intermediate Japanese III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL221	Pre-intermediate French I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL222	Pre-intermediate French II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL223	Pre-intermediate French III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL231	Pre-Intermediate Chinese I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL232	Pre-Intermediate Chinese II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL233	Pre-Intermediate Chinese III	4(4-0-8)
ICGL241	Pre-Intermediate Spanish I	4(4-0-8)
ICGL242	Pre-Intermediate Spanish II	4(4-0-8)
ICGL243	Pre-Intermediate Spanish III	4(4-0-8)
ICGN126	Plant Society	2(2-0-4)
ICGS106	Fashion and Society	4(4-0-8)
ICGS112	Geography of Human Activities	4(4-0-8)
ICGS123	Tourism Concepts and Practices	4(4-0-8)
ICGS130	Political Science	4(4-0-8)
ICGS131	Introduction to International Studies	4(4-0-8)
ICGS132	Career Preparation in a Globalized World	4(4-0-8)
ICGS133	Foundation of Mediterranean Cultures	4(4-0-8)
ICGS143	Introduction to Air Transport and Tourism	4(4-0-8)
Critical Thinking		4 Credits
ICGH101	Biotechnology: from Science to Business	4(4-0-8)
ICGH102	Famous Arguments and Thought Experiments in Philosophy	4(4-0-8)
ICGH103	Logic, Analysis and Critical Thinking: Good and Bad Arguments	4(4-0-8)
ICGH105	Technology, Philosophy and Human Kind: Where Are We Now?!	4(4-0-8)
ICGH106	The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization	4(4-0-8)
ICGH107	Contemporary Art and Visual Culture	4(4-0-8)
ICGH109	Creative Thinking Through Art and Design	4(2-4-6)
ICGH110	Drawing as Visual Analysis	4(2-4-6)
ICGH115	Cinematic Language and Applications	4(4-0-8)
ICGH124	Life Drawing and Anatomy	4(2-4-6)
ICGH125	How Can We Know What Is Good? Moral Reasoning and Behavior	4(4-0-8)
ICGH126	Behavioral Ethics: Why Good People Do Bad Things	2(2-0-4)
ICGN107	The Chemistry of Everyday Life	4(4-0-8)
ICGN111	Physics for CEO	4(4-0-8)
ICGN123	The Earth’s Dynamic Structure	4(3-2-7)
ICGN127	Practical Mathematics	2(2-0-4)
ICGS103	Economics in Modern Business	4(4-0-8)
ICGS105	Personal Financial Management	4(4-0-8)
ICGS113	Perspectives on the Thai Past	4(4-0-8)
ICGS134	Is Democracy Good?	4(4-0-8)
ICGS135	Entrepreneurial Accounting	4(4-0-8)
ICGS144	Price Discrimination: Why Do We Pay More Than Others?	1(1-0-2)
Leadership		4 Credits
ICGN114	The Scientific Approach and Society	4(4-0-8)
ICGN128	Climate Emergency, Biodiversity Crisis, and Humanity at Risk	2(1-2-3)
ICGS104	Essentials of Entrepreneurship	4(4-0-8)
ICGS118	Skills in Dealing with People Across Cultures	4(4-0-8)
ICGS121	Abnormal Colleagues: how do I make this work?	4(4-0-8)
ICGS136	Social and Health Issues in Thailand	4(3-2-7)
ICGS137	Witchcraft and Gender Representation	4(4-0-8)
ICGS138	Business Event Essentials	4(4-0-8)
ICGS139	Leadership and Change for a Global Society	4(4-0-8)
ICGS145	Service-Learning – Management of Community Service Project	4(2-4-6)
ICGS146	Salaya Community Service Learning Project	4(2-4-6)
ICGS147	Women in Leadership	4(4-0-8)
ICGS148	Service Learning - Digital Campaign for Gender Issues	4(2-4-6)
ICGS149	Service Learning - Making Change	4(2-4-6)
ICGS150	Service Learning - Campaigning for a Cause	4(2-4-6)
ICGS151	Service Learning - The Art of Leadership in Practice	4(2-4-6)
ICGS152	Fantasy Literature’s Environmental Message	4(4-0-8)
ICLL101	Professional Development	2(2-0-4)
Digital Literacy		4 Credits
ICGH111	Media Literacy: Skills for 21st Century Learning	4(4-0-8)
ICGN116	Understanding and Visualizing Data	4(3-2-7)
ICGN118	Everyday Connectivity	4(4-0-8)
ICGN119	Computer Essentials	4(4-0-8)
ICGN129	Programming for Problem Solving	4(4-0-8)
ICGN130	Cryptography: The Science of Making and Breaking Codes	2(2-0-4)
ICGN131	Digital Search Literacy	2(2-0-4)
ICGN132	Digital Security and Privacy	2(2-0-4)
ICGN133	E-Business: Technology and Digital Strategies	4(4-0-8)
ICGN134	Introduction to Artificial Intelligence	2(2-0-4)
ICGS140	Fake News, Censorship and the Politics of Truth	4(4-0-8)
ICLL102	Skills for a Digital World	2(2-0-4)