NovoEd Courses

A Crash Course on Creativity

3.5

n this course, Tina Seelig reveals a set of tools and conditions that we each control - our Innovation Engine - that allows us to increase our own creativity and that of our teams and organizations. She shows that just as the scientific method demystifies the process of discovery, there is a formal process for unlocking the pathway to invention.

How Writers Write Fiction

4

How Writers Write Fiction 2015 will be taught in English as follows: each week, instructors Merrill and Flournoy will post a new video class. In this video class, they will introduce two or three short video lectures given by successful authors of fiction. Featured authors will include Venise Berry, Edward Carey, Horacio Castellanos Moya, Bernice Chauly, Susan Taylor Chehak, Boris Fishman, Angela Flournoy, Paul Harding, Boaz Gaon, Andrew Sean Greer, Naomi Jackson, Leslie Jamison, Mamle Kabu, Jonathan Lethem, Margot Livesy, Stephen Lovely, Peter Orner, and Douglas Trevor, among others. Each week, the video class will be followed by a set of fiction-writing assignments based on the topics these authors presented in their lectures. These assignments will invite you to write fiction, post your work to the MOOC website, and engage in community feedback with your fellow writers. Supplementary readings will also be posted for your exploration.Each week, a team of teaching moderators, all MFA graduates with substantial writing and teaching experience, will lead live discussions of the video topics and the challenges of the writing assignments around the clock in the MOOC discussion forum. Community moderators will actively support the participation of writers who are new to online learning, new to writing fiction, and/or writing as nonnative speakers of English. These community moderators will facilitate the formation of writing groups and support the vitality and inclusivity of your international writing community. Each week's video class will be followed by a "fiction fundamentals" video, in which a teaching moderator or guest author will offer an in-depth analysis of the week's writing themes; a discussion of the fiction fundamentals video will follow in the MOOC discussion forum.

3D Opportunity: Additive Manufacturing for Business Leaders

0

Aimed at a general business audience, this course provides an overview of a wide range of additive manufacturing technologies and offers a framework to help learners understand the business implications of these technologies. The course is relevant for professionals working in product design, manufacturing, supply chain, strategy, and other disciplines. Through the course, participants will build a knowledge base on additive manufacturing to help them engage in discussions with colleagues, customers, and suppliers about how the technology applies to their business.Participants will explore many topics in this course including:What is additive manufacturing? Learn the processes and technologies that fall under the AM umbrella and gain an understanding of where they fit within the universe of manufacturing technologies.How will AM impact my business? Explore a framework based on economic principles that helps explain how AM will influence product and supply chain evolution.What is happening in key sectors impacted by AM? Understand the current and potential uses of AM in sectors including medical technology, automotive, and aerospace & defense, and learn how you can analyze your own industry and company to define a path forward with AMWhat factors influence the business case for AM? Explore the key dynamics and general factors you should consider when building a business case for AM.The course consists of approximately 2.5 hours of video content divided into approximately six-minute mini lectures. Quizzes allow you to check and consolidate your knowledge. And assignments reviewed by peers can take you deeper and give you practical information to take back to your job.

Designing A New Learning Environment

4.6

What constitutes learning in the 21st century? Should reading, watching, memorizing facts, and then taking exams be the only way to learn? Or could technology (used effectively) make learning more interactive, collaborative, and constructive? Could learning be more engaging and fun? We construct, access, visualize, and share information and knowledge in very different ways than we did decades ago. The amount and types of information created, shared, and critiqued every day is growing exponentially, and many skills required in today’s working environment are not taught in formal school systems. In this more complex and highly-connected world, we need new training and competency development—we need to design a new learning environment. The ultimate goal of this project-based course is to promote systematic design thinking that will cause a paradigm shift in the learning environments of today and tomorrow. Participants are not required to have computer programming skills, but must have 1) a commitment to working in a virtual team and 2) the motivation to help people learn better. All of us have been involved in the learning process at some point in our lives; in this course we invite educators, school leaders, researchers, students, parents, entrepreneurs, computer programmers, illustrators, interface designers, and all those who are interested in working together, to create a new learning environment. After the completion of this course, students will be able to: - Identify advantages, disadvantages, limitations, and potentials of at least 10 interactive learning models and solutions. - Describe how online communication, collaboration, and visualization technology play a role in the behavioral, cognitive, constructivist, and social dimensions of learning. - Describe the major components and processes involved in development of interactive education systems. - Communicate rationales of learning technology design approaches through team-oriented collaborations. - Evaluate the value of ideas, principles, and techniques used in educational media or systems. As a Final Team Project, students will design a new learning model catering to 21st century environments and learners. Each self-formed team will design and develop an application or system that combines team interaction activities and learning support features in ways that are effective and appropriate for today's computing and communication devices. Students must consider potential idiosyncrasies with various learning devices (e.g., tablet, phone, PC), infrastructure requirements (e.g., cellular network, wi-fi, Bluetooth), and any special hypothetical circumstances if relevant. In addition, each team must create and defend a business model (non-profit, for-profit, or hybrid) for the launch and scale up their solution. Additional consideration will be given to teams that come up with system feature ideas presenting meaningful learning interaction and performance analytics.

Using Communication-Focused Activities in Designated English Language Development Lessons

0

English language development (a.k.a. English as a Second Language; English as a New Language, "Designated ELD," Focused Language Study) takes a variety of forms in present-day schools. In many schools, teachers teach ELD for a set amount of time (e.g., 30 minutes) a day. Other ELD/ESL teachers have multiple classes each day. In many cases, teachers emphasize grammar and vocabulary. However, the grammar and vocabulary route isn't the most effective for lasting and engaging language learning.. Language was created to get things done, to communicate—and this is how students best learn it. This is where this MOOC starts. It focuses on how to design and teach activities that are saturated with communication, and, where needed, strategically develop grammar and vocabulary to support communication.Each session presents the focal area to work on for the following month (e.g., listening and watching, reading and viewing, writing/multimedia output, speaking, writing, and conversation), along with model activities and lessons that emphasize the focus, analyses of the models and non-models, lessons to be strengthened by participants, and a sample "expert" modifications of lessons. Whenever possible, we include samples of activities from two levels: beginning and intermediate.Session 1 – Course Overview & Communication-Focused Listening & Watching (October 1 - October 21)Session 2 – Communication-Focused Reading & Viewing (October 21 - November 11)Session 3 – Communication-Focused Speaking (November 12 - December 9)Session 4 – Communication-Focused Writing (December 10 - December 28)Session 5 – Communication-Focused Conversations (December 29 - January 20)

Design Thinking Action Lab

3.8

All humans are born as creative beings, but as we grow up, school and work offer few opportunities to cultivate and apply our creativity. At Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design - known as the d.school - students of all disciplines learn the design thinking process as a methodology for creative and human-centered problem solving that empowers them to collaborate across disciplines and tackle the world’s biggest challenges.In this experiential course - free and open to all - you will learn the design thinking process by tackling a real world innovation challenge. As preparation for each stage of the challenge, you will explore the main design thinking concepts through short videos, each paired with brief activities to practice relevant methods and approaches. There will be one weekly assignment reporting on your progress, as well as weekly Google hangouts with the instructor. On the last week of the course, you will apply the process to your own context and challenges, while hearing from experts who use design thinking to innovate in differents fields, such as healthcare and education.By the end of the course, you will have learned through experience the mindsets and basic tools for each stage of the design thinking process:Empathize: understanding the needs of those you are designing for.Define: framing problems as opportunities for creative solutions.Ideate: generating a range of possible solutions.Prototype: communicating the core elements of solutions to others.Test: learning what works and doesn’t work to improve solutions.While you will work on the course challenge as an individual, you will interact with other like-minded participants from around the world to share your experiences and exchange feedback along the way. Developing self-reflection habits and the ability for effective peer-to-peer interactions are also important learning outcomes of the course. Please join our learning community! This online course was developed as part of Epicenter’s efforts to infuse entrepreneurship and innovation into undergraduate engineering education. Engineering students will be able to apply these design thinking tools and skills to enhance their technical education. Faculty will have the opportunity to join a dedicated discussion group on how to incorporate new online learning resources into their teaching practices. Learn more about Epicenter at http://epicenter.stanford.edu. Sign up for the Epicenter newsletter for updates on programs and opportunities for engineering students and faculty at http://eepurl.com/fHgLw.

Using Communication-Focused Activities in Designated English as a New Language Lessons (New York)

5

The New York Common Core contains many elements requiring active use of language, as students are expected to engage in explanation and reasoning as they go about their learning. This poses a challenge for all students, but especially for ELLs who come to our schools with diverse backgrounds — they are a heterogeneous group. Addressing this challenge for ELLs requires systemic change from the classroom, to the school, to the district. This short course looks closely at the major components of the Blueprint for ELL Success and Part 154-2 in the context of research and New York State schools and districts. It focuses on how to design and teach lessons saturated with communication, and, where needed, develop grammar and vocabulary to support communication. 

Problem-Based Learning: Principles and Design

0

Are you a teacher, a course designer or a manager in education? Are you fed up with big lecture halls and passive students? Do you think students should be challenged instead of bored? Immerse yourself in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and learn how to put your students at the centre of learning!In this course you will learn about PBL by doing PBL. After studying the basics, you can choose one of three tracks based on your interests:The role of the tutor in PBLDesigning PBL problems and coursesAssessment and organizational aspects of PBLAt Maastricht University we have used PBL for more than forty years, in domains ranging from Medicine to Economics and Sciences. We are continuously innovating PBL and applying it in new ways. You will have the opportunity to meet and engage with our experienced professors, teachers and PBL researchers!In eight weeks you will study four relevant problems with examples from different domains. In small online teams you will discuss -synchronously or asynchronously- what you have learned and how you could apply it in your own setting. Participating will take 4-8 hours a week, and those who complete the course will receive a Certificate of Participation.

Power of the Pen: Identities and Social Issues in Fiction and Nonfiction

5

This creative writing MOOC will focus on writing about identities, communities, and social issues in fiction and nonfiction. There is no cost to enroll; registration is completely free for all participants. No writing experience is required. This MOOC welcomes writers of all communities and identities. 

Liderazgo Real: liderar desde la experiencia

0

All of us we are engaged in organizations. Indeed, we participate in a family, a team, a sports club, group of parents in school our children. Therefore, daily experience as players or as witness the exercise of influence, some of which have very specific objectives.Indeed, if we consider leadership as an influence process that someone makes on others in pursuit of a wish shared goal, we are witnessing the exercise of leadership, which sometimes it meets expectations and is effective, that is, when the results are true and others ineffective when that expectation is not met.This course aims to deliver a distinctly experiential approach some fundamentals and conceptual tools that allow the participant to learn and improve their exercise of leadership, because we are convinced that at some point should do it and when prepared will increase your chances of success.We are convinced that everyone is encouraged to exercise leadership because although it is a complex process that depends on who holds it, upon whom it is exercised and the context of the relationship, it is not subject to a particular personality profile and at least one particular position in an organization.We invite you to merge the course, with this, your first decision as leader. 

Learning as Evidence: Improving ELLs’ Argumentation Skills through Formative Assessment Practices

0

Formative assessment is an instructional practice to gauge where your students are in their learning by gathering evidence of their learning, assessing the evidence, and planning the next steps in instruction. The Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics, the Next Generation Science Standards, and new English Language Proficiency Standards all include a focus on argumentation, requiring that students construct claims supported by evidence and/or reasoning. In this course, we will explore how formative assessment practices can be targeted in improve student argumentation skills, an essential, cross-disciplinary practice.Participants in this course will use a range of practical tools for gathering and analyzing language samples that show how students currently construct claims supported by evidence and/or reasoning, as well as identifying next steps in students' development. These tools support formative assessment and instructional planning. Focal topics include: articulating claims; linking evidence and/or reasoning to claims; and evaluating evidence and/or reasoning. We will also explore similarities and differences in argumentation across content areas and grade levels. This course will enable teachers to collaborate with other educators and build professional relationships that result in an online community focused on improving students' abilities to engage in argumentation across content areas. This course is offered jointly by Stanford University and Oregon State University.

Evaluación de Decisiones Estratégicas

0

Este curso muestra como evaluar proyectos utilizando las metodologías financieras tradicionales de flujos de caja descontados, incorporando en las valorizaciones las consideraciones estratégicas, y haciendo uso de toda la información disponible. Este curso gratuito de cinco semanas está orientado a todos los que hablan español que desean mejorar sus competencias en la toma de decisiones estratégicas en el panorama empresarial, y establecer simultáneamente redes con hispano parlantes alrededor de todo el mundo. Los estudiantes desarrollarán un proyecto trabajando en equipo a distancia y habrá retroalimentación entre los diferentes grupos. Enseña como construir un flujo de caja y como calcular su valor actualizado neto (VAN) y otros indicadores de su rentabilidad. Cubre temas conceptuales como los costos y beneficios pertinentes. También aspectos prácticos como el tratamiento de la depreciación, la estimación del capital de trabajo, y la determinación del horizonte de evaluación y del valor residual. Y cubre asuntos más técnicos como el cálculo de la tasa con la que se deben descontar los flujos o costo del capital. Se explica como incorporar en la evaluación los aspectos estratégicos del proyecto. Enseña como valorizar su ventaja competitiva, y como incorporar las fuerzas que atentan contra la sustentación de las rentabilidades en el tiempo: la imitación, la sustitución y otras. Y explica como valorizar la flexibilidad inherente al proyecto, de ampliarse si se reciben buenas noticias, y de reducirse en caso contrario. El curso muestra también como hacer uso de la información disponible en la industria, en los estados financieros y en los precios de mercado. Respecto a estos precios se explica, por ejemplo, el método de valorización por múltiplos. Este permite definir un rango para el valor del proyecto, directamente a partir de información del mercado financiero, de precios de acciones de empresas comparables, cuando estas empresas existen. El curso resalta las mejores prácticas en la construcción de los flujos de cajas, en la incorporación de la estrategia y en la recolección de la información. Por ejemplo, a la hora de definir un proyecto se recomienda no combinar decisiones separables y no separar proyectos complementarios o competitivos. El curso hace amplio uso de casos para introducir las materias en forma realista y estimulante.

Strategic Thinking for Growing Your Enterprise

0

Economics professors Paul Oyer, Mike Mazzeo, and Scott Schaefer have spent the past six years visiting small to medium-sized ventures around the world, gathering stories of success and failure.This course uses those stories to provide lessons that can help business leaders identify new opportunities and avoid pitfalls as their company reaches for the next level. We will do a deep dive into key strategy concepts, based on economic fundamentals, that will help you think about growing your business. You will learn about these concepts through the examples of real-life businesses and then practice applying the concepts to your business (or a business you know well).

Cognitive technologies: The real opportunities for business

4

Artificial intelligence (AI) may sound like science fiction, but it is real, and becoming increasingly important to companies in every sector. The field of artificial intelligence has produced a wide variety of "cognitive technologies" that simulate human reasoning and perceptual skills, giving businesses entirely new capabilities and enabling organizations to break prevailing tradeoffs between speed, cost, and quality.Aimed at a general business audience, this course demystifies artificial intelligence, provides an overview of a wide range of cognitive technologies, and offers a framework to help you understand their business implications. Some experts have called artificial intelligence "more important than anything since the industrial revolution."[i] That makes this course essential for professionals working in business, operations, strategy, IT, and other disciplines. Throughout the course, participants will build a knowledge base on cognitive technologies to equip them to engage in discussions with colleagues, customers, and suppliers and help them shape cognitive technology strategy in their organization.You will explore many topics in this course including:What is artificial intelligence, and how did the field attain the importance it has today?What are cognitive technologies? Dig below the surface and gain a basic understanding of the technologies that simulate language understanding, seeing, and reasoning.How will cognitive technologies impact my business? Explore the types of applications that cognitive technologies may be suited for, and discover a framework that can help you conceptualize whether and where you might deploy them in your organizationWhat is the impact of cognitive technologies on work? Cut through the hype and understand what leaders and workers need to know now to prepare for the changes these technologies will bring to work, workers, and organizationsWhat does the future hold for cognitive technologies? Learn about the technological, legal and ethical factors that may influence the evolution and further adoption of cognitive technologies.

The Zen of Saving

0

Whether you've had experience managing your money or you are just getting started, this course will help you gain control of your finances. Spend only 1-2 hours each week to take steps to improve your financial literacy and increase your savings.This course is about the concept of cash flow, the foundation of personal financial planning. This is the best place to start to get control over your finances. This course is a minimum requirement for future topics exploring personal financial planning--sign up and stay tuned for more to come!