Cognitive Skills Development at Higher Educational Level in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

To compete in the workplace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, cognitive skills development is critical. The traditional education system is not geared to prepare students for the demands of the future workplace and the disruptions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and beyond. The objective of this chapter is to explore the development of cognitive skills in higher education with a specific focus on creativity. The chapter explains that higher education institutions need to place greater emphasis on developing cognitive skills and different types of intelligences to meet the demands of the future workplace. Fostering creativity is particularly important in this regard. The chapter presents two ways of assessing creativity and three techniques to develop this key skill in students. The author used qualitatively summarized evidence on the topic using informal and subjective methods to collect and interpret studies and secondary data.