Education Design Lab’s full Durable Skills Framework — nine micro-credential courses and 27 sub-competency modules — is coming to the Open edX platform as freely available, open educational resources (OER) in fall 2026.
By Tara Laughlin, EdD, Senior Director of Skills Visibility, Education Design Lab
Ask an employer, a learner, or an institution whether durable skills matter, and you’ll get a pretty consistent answer: Yes, obviously. There’s growing consensus that these skills, such as critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, and communication, are critical for success, particularly in the age of AI. In spite of this widespread recognition, access to experiences which develop and validate these skills remains deeply inequitable.
Well-resourced institutions and programs often offer well-defined frameworks, performance-based assessments, and recognized credentials that translate into real labor market visibility. Under-resourced programs often can’t. Not for lack of will or because their learners need it less, but because they lack the budget, staff capacity, and infrastructure.
As a result, the people who would benefit most from visible, validated durable skills are the least likely to access them.
A three-year bet on open access
In February 2026, Education Design Lab (the Lab) and Axim Collaborative launched a three-year partnership with a clear goal: take the Lab’s Durable Skills Framework and make it free and open to anyone who wants it. By migrating the courses, assessments, credentials, and the competency framework to the Open edX project, an open educational resource platform stewarded by Axim Collaborative, institutions can incorporate the curriculum into degree programs, non-degree credentials, and employer upskilling efforts.
OER + Competency-Based Education
One thing we knew for sure at the outset: these courses and credentials will remain fully competency-based. This means learners advance based on demonstrated mastery of skills – not based on clock hours, completion awards, or multiple choice quizzes. These practices are not conducive to the development of durable skills which are ready to be put to work. Skills like empathy and critical thinking are demonstrated, not memorized, and the OER resources are designed for this purpose.
Each credential is made up of four sub-competencies, each following the same arc: learn, practice, contribute, assess, and reflect. Learners have to show mastery across this stackable set of skills to earn the credential. Prior to starting the course, if learners believe they already have the skill, they can jump right to the assessment to show what they know, reducing the need for redundant learning. If they discover any gaps, they can route back to the content and work toward a second assessment opportunity. When they successfully demonstrate the skills, they earn a digital badge reflecting validation they can use toward their next learning or career opportunity.
Two assessment models
To align with different use cases, the Lab has two assessment tracks so partner organizations can choose what fits best:
- Human-Facilitated (“Proving Grounds”): Included in the OER at no cost, these performance-based tasks place learners in a realistic workplace scenario, where they must complete a task and create a work sample. These are evaluated by instructors against clear rubrics.
- Automated: Offered at a low cost, these online simulations, delivered via the Muzzy Lane platform, place learners in authentic workplace scenarios and require them to solve a unique problem. Scoring is automated in the platform, and learners receive their results immediately.
Regardless of which assessment option a partner chooses, learners engage in a workplace-based experience, evaluated against a common set of criteria.
Use cases
Over the years, the Lab has offered these courses and assessments to partners in community colleges, four-year universities, K-12 districts, and workforce and veteran-serving organizations, reaching over 30,000 learners. Durable skills are universally applicable and needed, so the resources are built to meet learners in a lot of different contexts.
Through the Lab’s pilot testing, we’ve seen the durable skills threaded into course syllabi across nursing, engineering, and accounting. We’ve also seen them run as standalone non-credit courses and woven into an employer’s upskilling benefit. SkillUp Coalition ran the courses to power career navigation. Lauren Dietz, SkillUp Coalition’s Vice President of Strategy and Operations, said the experience “…helped users explore career possibilities, discover opportunities to build new skills, and gain confidence.” ActivateWork built durable skills into workforce training curricula alongside technical instruction. Through a career-readiness partnership with Rowland Unified School District and Education Results Partnership, 83% of high school students said the durable skills courses helped them better understand their own strengths.
What’s coming next
Right now, the Lab is opening conversations with organizations that would like to discuss making the resources available to their learners or workers. We have early pilot testing underway, and the credentials will become more broadly available on the Open edX platform in fall 2026. The Open edX project will continue adding skills-first features that both enhance the Lab’s durable skills offerings while also enabling competency-based learning at scale.
The Lab, the Open edX project, and Axim are proud to expand access to these skills, as we ultimately believe they are for everyone. If you’d like to explore how your organization can participate, please reach out to Tara Laughlin at tlaughlin@eddesignlab.org.
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