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In their lively and entertaining weekly discussion of issues related to higher education, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore the topics of higher education, lifelong learning, and exercising the brain. Ed and Jennifer practice what they preach, too, by introducing math puzzlers and brain teasers to keep listeners on their toes.

Higher Ed: How Formal Education Can Instruct Us In Good Decision-Making

Making decisions – large and small – is not always easy. We are called upon to make countless decisions in life, but when do we receive effective tools for doing that? In this episode of KUT's podcast Higher Ed, KUT's Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burgerdiscuss how lessons from our formal education can help us make better decisions.

We are not likely to encounter specific courses in school that can assist us in making good decisions – "Good Decision Making 101" or the "History of Good Decision-Making," anybody? – Ed maintain lessons abound throughout the disciplines if we keep our eyes and minds open.

He says learning how to think better, challenge ourselves, and identity and acknowledge our blind spots can aid us in effective decision-making long after school. Ed and Jennifer also discuss how bad decisions can be instructive, if we are willing to learn from the experience.

Hopefully, it is not too tough a decision to listen to the entire episode and catch a new puzzler about an endless chess board.

This episode was recorded Jan. 7, 2018.

For all of the Higher Ed episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Jennifer Stayton is the local host for NPR's "Morning Edition" on KUT. Got a tip? Email her at jstayton@kut.org. Follow her on X @jenstayton.