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  2. EDU BT458

Learning Design for the Impact Ecosystem
EDU BT458

Course Information

Description

Learning always unfolds in context, and effective learning design must account for the direct and indirect forces in those contexts. Caregivers, for instance, influence young children’s access to and motivation for different kinds of learning experiences. Teachers establish a classroom culture that itself exists in school and community sets of norms. The way managers provide feedback and allocate time matter for employee growth. On it goes. This course introduces a set of reusable tools for identifying, mapping, and addressing the relevant forces in the learning impact ecosystem, guiding design decisions to activate the members of the ecosystem in service of the desired impact. We invite you to bring existing or planned learning interventions to the course. You will learn and apply the various tools to your situations as you consider scaling your impact within and across ecosystems. Sharing across the diverse settings of participants will facilitate depth of understanding and transfer. The goal is for participants to walk away with tangible tools and steps for deepening the impact of their work.

School Graduate School of Education
Credits 2
Cross Reg

Not Available for Cross Registration

Department Education
Course Component Regular Course
Instruction Mode Online
Subject Education
Grading Basis HGSE Student Option (Letter Graded, Sat/Unsat)
Course Requirements Limited to OEL students in the IEPM Track
Learning Goals Students will learn a set of tools and habits to: - Determine the appropriate direction of scaling impact: up, down, and out; - Map challenges to define critical obstacles to impact; - Identify stakeholders and their values in the impact ecosystem; - Design to activate those values in service of impact goals; - Craft a theory of change and theories of action that bridge vision and action; - Analyze the competitive and collaborative landscape; - Articulate the "secret sauce" of an innovation/venture; - Adapt solutions for variabiliity within and across impact ecosystem contexts; - Create a concrete impact plan supported by research and stakeholder insights.
Career Focus

The tools and habits introduced and practiced in Learning Design for the Impact Ecosystem supports anyone innovating for viable impact, including learning designers, social impact entrepreneurs and funders, and those directly supporting or measuring impact. The processes are adaptable across domains and contexts. The course focuses on those already engaged in a social impact venture to help them deepen and extend their work.