Fostering argumentation with online learning systems in higher education

Abstract

that is becoming more predominant in industry. Moreover, professionals should be able to find, assess, interpret, and represent new information quickly. Similarly, they need to be able to communicate and collaborate with others in multidisciplinary groups, but, most importantly, they need to think and learn for themselves. The latter means that professionals and students require new and different skills, the so-called "21 st Century Skills" (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2015). Among these skills, four are related to learning and innovation, and they have been repeatedly recognized as the ones that set students who are better prepared to cope with the complex 21 st century work environment apart from those who are not. The four skills in question are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Figure 1 shows the Partnership for 21 st Century Learning (P21) Framework that illustrates the skills, knowledge, expertise, and support systems that students need to succeed in work, life, and citizenship.