Social Entrepreneurship in Educational Technology
Launch your educational technology idea from ideation and creating a business plan to securing funding.
Duration
Approx 7 weeks3 hrs per week
Social Entrepreneurship in Educational Technology
Join the fast-growing educational technology industry as a social entrepreneur
In recent years, the EdTech sector has grown exponentially. Investment climbed by 91% from 2018 to 2019 and in 2020, EdTech companies saw venture capital investment grow by 22% in Q1 alone. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, the sector was set to be worth over £3bn by next year, which makes the EdTech industry an exciting and prosperous arena to delve into.
As the industry continues to grow, there is great need for mission-driven social innovators with the desire to reduce inequity and the skills to lead the development of human-centered technologies that are sensitive to the specific needs and values of learners and their communities. Social entrepreneurs can alter the EdTech landscape by ensuring that educational technologies are designed systematically and intentionally to honor the dignity of learners, rather than simply for the purposes of generating profits.
On this ExpertTrack, you’ll learn how to tap into the potential of the educational technology industry and launch your own mission-driven EdTech idea.
Learn alongside EdTech industry experts
Guided by experts, you’ll understand what it takes to be successful as a social entrepreneur in the growing startup landscape. You’ll delve into value sensitive design and design thinking with Dr. Diamond, a leading expert in digital media and learning. You’ll also gain an understanding of entrepreneurship from Dr. Radhakrishnan, a successful social entrepreneur and co-founder of a cloud-based learning platform.
Finally, Dr. Zhang, Director of the Office of Innovative Learning Design and Assessment at JHU School of Education, will help you use a set of assessment criteria to evaluate your peer’s final assignments - business plan, with social entrepreneurship in mind.
Gather valuable insights for creating a prototype or minimally viable product for your EdTech concept
The first course of this ExpertTrack will get you from idea to prototype.
You’ll discover tools and resources to help you create a human-centered prototype or minimal viable product (MVP) and gather important feedback from your target customers.
Learn the importance of ideation and market research methods
On the second course of this ExpertTrack, you’ll delve into the concept of ideation, and explore different techniques to help turn your ideas into strategies.
You’ll also examine market research methods to identify gaps in the market and how you can use this to your advantage.
Create a business plan and pitch presentation
The final part of this course series will teach you how to create an effective business plan that will act as your roadmap to success.
This includes a pitch presentation and examining different financial opportunities to help you secure funding from potential investors.
By the end of this ExpertTrack, you’ll understand where your venture fits in the educational technology market and have the practical tools and resources to help you successfully launch your EdTech idea.
Key skills you will learn
- Design thinking
- Entrepreneurship
- Ed-Tech
- Educational Technology
- Business plan
- Business pitch
- Grants/Funding
- Market reserach
- Pitch presentation
- Prototyping
- Value sensitive design
Learning outcomes
By the end of the ExpertTrack, you’ll be able to...
- Apply design thinking principles to develop innovative solutions to educational challenges.
- Examine strategies to identify and validate the existence of a problem and market opportunities for new ed-tech products.
- Develop a business plan for the idea, including a pitch presentation to potential investors.
- Create a prototype or minimally viable product (MVP) to gather feedback from the target customer base using tools and resources.
- Recognize the ethos of social entrepreneurship to create sustainable and impactful technology solutions in education.
- Identify opportunities for funding and launching educational technology ventures.
Experience required
This introductory-level ExpertTrack is for anyone interested in creating impactful innovations that will be successful in the fast-growing EdTech startup landscape.
Getting started
You don’t need any prior knowledge to enrol in this ExpertTrack. This will be of particular interest to teachers or software developers but it will suit anyone with an EdTech idea.
ExpertTrack course overview
Course 1
Social Entrepreneurship in Educational Technology: Ideation and Market Research
Learn the important precursors of launching your EdTech idea, including ideation strategies and market research methods.
3 weeks
3 hours per week
Week 1
EdTech as a Space for Social Entrepreneurship
- The Next Big Thing in Education: Do You Have an Idea for an Innovation?
- Case Spotlight
- Social Entrepreneurship: An Approach to Socially Responsible Innovation
Week 2
Design Thinking for Social Innovation
- The Design Thinking Approach
- Case Spotlight
- Applying the Design Thinking Approach
Week 3
Market Research: Validating Your Idea
- Using Marketing Research For New Product Development
- Case Spotlight
- Conducting Market Research
Course 2
Social Entrepreneurship in Educational Technology: Concept Development and Prototyping
Learn how to successfully enter the EdTech industry and develop your ideas alongside entrepreneurial experts.
2 weeks
3 hours per week
Week 1
Prototyping and Development
- Creating a Product Prototype
- Case Spotlight
- Prototyping for EdTech Startups
- Evaluating Product Prototypes
Week 2
Using Value Sensitive Design to Prototype
- Value Sensitive Design and Ethical Considerations
- Case Spotlight
- Creating Your Product Prototype
Course 3
Social Entrepreneurship in Educational Technology: Developing a Business Plan
Explore funding opportunities for startups and how to pitch your educational technology ideas to potential investors.
1 peer-graded assignment
2 weeks
3 hours per week
Week 1
Telling Your Startup Story
- Taking Your Product to the Market
- Case Spotlight
- Creating a Technology Startup Business Plan
- Creating a Technology Startup Pitch Deck
Week 2
Making It Happen: What Next?
- Investment Opportunities
- Case Spotlight
- Startup Resources
- Final Assignment
Prove you're job ready
Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.
- Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
- Complete each course and pass assessments.
- Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
- Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
- Make your career dreams a reality.
Download a PDF
How ExpertTracks work
Join an ExpertTrack to master new skills in your chosen specialist area. Work through a series of topic-focused courses at your own pace, and pass the final assessment to earn a digital certificate award which proves your expertise.
Decide if the ExpertTrack is right for you with free access to the full suite of courses and assessments for a week.
Pay a monthly subscription fee of $39 for as long as it takes you to complete the ExpertTrack. You can learn at your own pace and cancel at any time.
Receive a certificate for every completed course and pass the final assessment to earn a digital certificate.
Use your specialist training to progress further in your career or build expertise in areas you’re passionate about.
World-class learning with 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
What are our learners saying?
Add a new skill or forge a new path
"I recommend Futurelearn to anyone looking to learn and upskill...If you are in the job market, you might want to add a new skill or forge a new path."
They bring the classroom right to you
"FutureLearn courses are always interesting and informative. They bring the classroom right to you and send you on a journey to explore new ideas and offer interesting topics."
Start learning today - free 7-day trial
After your free trial you can:
- Pay $39 per month to keep learning online
- Have complete control over your subscription; you can cancel any time
- Work at your own pace and set your own deadlines at every stage
- Only pay while you’re learning; the subscription will cancel automatically when you finish
- Complete online assessments to test your knowledge and prove your skills
- Earn digital course certificates and a final award that you can share online, with potential employers, and your professional network
- Keep access to the content of courses you complete even after your subscription ends
FAQ
ExpertTracks are a series of online courses designed to help you master new skills in specialist areas. You pay a monthly subscription fee which includes access to all courses within the ExpertTrack, as well as assessments and the final digital certificate.
Each ExpertTrack comes with a 7-day free trial period. You may cancel your subscription at any time and your subscription will automatically cancel when you finish the courses and assessments in your chosen ExpertTrack.
Yes. All of our ExpertTracks come with a 7-day free trial. You may claim one free trial period per ExpertTrack.
You have seven days before you will be charged your first monthly subscription fee. When you join an ExpertTrack you automatically receive a 7-day free trial period. You can cancel at any time during the trial period and no payment will be taken from your account.
Please see our full refund policy here.
No, all of our ExpertTracks consist of fully online courses. This means you can take an ExpertTrack from anywhere in the world.
No. ExpertTracks are designed for you to master new skills in a specialist area. You will earn a digital certificate that proves your learning, but it does not carry accreditation.
If you’re looking for certified or accredited courses, many of our microcredentials offer university credit or professional certification.
Have more questions about ExpertTracks? Read the ExpertTracks FAQs, or contact us.