in the cloud

The modern workplace and lifestyle demand that students balance cognitive, personal and interpersonal abilities, but current education policy discussions have not defined those abilities well, according to a special report released this afternoon by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science in Washington.

The committee found these skills generally fall into three categories:

• Cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and analytic reasoning;
• Interpersonal skills, such as teamwork and complex communication; and
• Intrapersonal skills, such as resiliency and conscientiousness (the latter of which has also been strongly associated with good career earnings and healthy lifestyles).