• Johns Hopkins University Logo

Social Entrepreneurship in Educational Technology: Concept Development and Prototyping

Learn how to successfully enter the EdTech industry and develop your ideas alongside entrepreneurial experts.

Two robotic arms and hands holding a pink origami swan
  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Launch your educational technology idea

The EdTech industry is a fast-growing field as technology is revolutionising the way we learn.

On this course, you’ll delve into the EdTech startup landscape, and learn how to develop and successfully launch your own EdTech idea.

Understand how to create a prototype or minimally viable product

Using a project-based approach, you’ll gain practical experience in prototyping and minimally viable products (MVP).

You’ll explore the tools needed to help you create a prototype and MVP to gather vital feedback from your target customer base.

Face challenges with design thinking principles

You’ll learn how to apply design thinking principles to resolve educational problems you might face.

You’ll also examine the ethos of social entrepreneurship and how you can create sustainable and impactful technology fixes in education.

Learn alongside EdTech experts in the field

You’ll gain an understanding of how the industry works from specialists in digital media, entrepreneurship, and research and analytics.

Drawing from real-life experiences, this course will equip you with the practical tools to ensure your innovative ideas create an impact.

You’ll also learn important analytical skills to understand how your venture will address needs and effectively fill gaps in the market.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Prototyping and Development

    • Creating a Product Prototype

      You will begin by reviewing course expectations and the intended learning path for the course.

    • Case Spotlight

      In this section, you will explore the experiences of entrepreneurs in the edtech community and learn from their entrepreneurial journey.

    • Prototyping for EdTech Startups

      In this section, you will examine the purpose and significance of a prototype for a startup. You will also explore the differences between prototype, MVP, and SLC.

    • Evaluating Product Prototypes

      In this section, you will evaluate product prototypes.

  • Week 2

    Using Value Sensitive Design to Prototype

    • Value Sensitive Design and Ethical Considerations

      This week, you will examine value sensitive design in developing prototypes and ethical considerations in product development.

    • Case Spotlight

      In this section, you will explore the experiences of entrepreneurs in the edtech community and learn from their entrepreneurial journey.

    • Creating Your Product Prototype

      In this section, you will develop a prototype to showcase your business idea and how it addresses the market needs and gaps.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explore tools and resources to create a prototype or minimally viable product (MVP) to gather feedback from the target customer base.
  • Reflect on the ethos of social entrepreneurship to create sustainable and impactful technology solutions in education.

Who is the course for?

This introductory-level course is suitable for anyone with an interest in gaining the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to succeed in an EdTech startup venture.

Who will you learn with?

Jim is a professor and researcher in the field of digital media and learning, and program lead for the Digital Age Learning and Educational Technology program at the Johns Hopkins School of Education.

Veena is the co-founder of Pretzl, a learning platform that creates visually rich connections between people and ideas to make online discussions, discussions. She earned her EdD from Johns Hopkins.

Jeremy is the Director of OILDA at JHU School of Education and a researcher in integrating theoretically grounded and pedagogically useful learning analytics in the instructional design process.

Who developed the course?

Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University, America’s first research university, is committed to the pursuit of lifelong learning, independent research, and sharing the benefits of discovery with the world.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...