Course Descriptions

UVA Edge draws on UVA’s world-class liberal arts programs to develop soft skills necessary even in the digital age, such as critical thinking, communication, and leadership.

Academic Citizenship (Onboarding Course)

Like any community, academia has a culture. We have traditional garb (graduation gowns), lots of insider lingo, and stages of life with initiation ceremonies (exams) that you have to go through to progress. We also have norms and expectations you are supposed to meet as a member of the community. Some of these are explicit and have unavoidable consequences if you deviate from them (“get good grades”) and some less so (“go to office hours”). It is no secret to those on the inside that that there are specific skills and strategies you can use as a student to meet these community standards, but whether you’ve picked up those skills before becoming a university student is a matter of pure luck – they are not commonly taught in schools. The premise of this course is that, as a citizen of this place we call academia, you deserve to: 1) know what’s expected of you, and 2) have the tools and support to meet those expectations if you so choose.

Academic and Professional Writing

How can you use the written word to discover and convince people of your point of view? How can you figure out what you think is true and convey that effectively in a digital world in which formats and word counts seem to be constantly shrinking? This course develops students’ writing towards greater insight, clarity, and effectiveness. Ranging from journals to academic essays to workplace communication tools, topics are geared towards everyday life and aim to give students an introduction to writing that works.

Capstone Experience

This course is the capstone experience of the UVA Edge program. Students design and present a solution to their own case study that engages skills they've developed during the program and addresses ethics in the workplace. They complete projects on foundational themes that drive moral behavior and corporate social responsibility. Students also practice communication skills and reflect on learning and application from previous courses in Edge

Data Literacy

This course develops skills in interpreting and communicating with quantitative data. Using examples and case studies from both current events and work contexts, students will gain experience judging and interpreting data sets for relevance and reliability. They will also begin to work with different methods of analyzing quantitative data, and communicating the results of their analysis efficiently and accurately. 

Digital Essentials

Employers are in the midst of a digital transformation with significant effects on workers, who face new opportunities and challenges. This course varies by employer, but topics range from digital marketing and entertainment to cloud computing to data analytics. The goal is to help employees upskill in high-demand digital areas.

High-Impact Behaviors in the Workplace

Employers increasingly recognize and value human skills in the workplace. This course introduces strategies and tools (like emotional intelligence) for collaboration, leadership, and team-building, and for helping to create equitable workplaces. It also gives students a chance to build insight into their own particular strengths and interests, and how those translate both to work and to the job search. Finally, students will have the chance to develop networking tools and strategies for the digital age. 

Knowledge in the Digital Age

How do we know what we know? How can we know when to trust our knowledge, and when we need to question it? This course introduces students to different ways of knowing and of producing knowledge in the digital age. It also poses important questions about the ethics of knowledge--how can knowledge be produced and made available in a way that minimizes harm and maximizes the common good?