Newswise — CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — 7 January 2015 — The University of Virginia Darden School of Business and Coursolve rung in the New Year with groundbreaking learning modules for use in digital internships.
Coursolve offers a digital internships platform that connects students enrolled in post-secondary level courses, including massive open online courses (MOOCs), with organizations of all sizes such as multinational companies, nonprofits and small businesses in need of business consulting. These digital internships provide real-world learning experiences to learners and enable organizations to tap into creative insights and talent in all corners of the world. Students typically have several years of work experience and range from ambitious undergrads to mid-career professionals who are looking to gain new professional skills through this unique opportunity.
Michael Lenox, the Samuel L. Slover Research Professor of Business Administration, provided students the opportunity to serve in these internships through his MOOC, “Foundations of Business Strategy.” Lenox also serves as academic director of Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and associate dean for innovation programs.
Cutting-Edge Learning Modules
Content on Coursolve’s platform is organized into focused learning modules that allow learners to strengthen specific, workplace-relevant skill areas. Application of the modules adapted from Lenox’s Coursera course, “Foundations of Business Strategy,” teaches students to write a strategic analysis. Each week of the original six-week Coursera MOOC is broken down into a separate module that combines videos, readings and practice case studies that teach relevant strategic analysis skills. Students review business needs posted by organizations and submit applications to work on that specific task.
For example, if an organization needs help with creating a competitive analysis, a learner can access Lenox's “Determining Competitive Positioning” module on Coursolve, watch the lectures, answer case study questions and receive peer feedback. The learner then solidifies this knowledge through practical application to the real-world needs of the organization that he or she chooses.
Students Solve Organizations’ Business Issues
When Lenox first offered “Foundations of Business Strategy” — an online course teaching learners how to analyze an organization’s strategy and make recommendations to improve its value creation — in March 2013, it quickly became one of the top-enrolled MOOCs, cracking Bloomberg’s Top 10 list in this category.
For a final project, students were asked to complete a strategic analysis of an organization of their choosing through Coursolve’s online platform. While not required, more than 400 students elected to complete analyses in partnership with 100 different organizations, including startups, resource-strapped nonprofits and social enterprises. In one such collaboration, insights from a group of students led an entrepreneur to shift his biotech startup from a service-based to a product-based business model.
“Organizations and entrepreneurs need creative and agile solutions to navigate this tough business landscape,” said Lenox. “They don’t always have the resources to hire external support to address their needs. Coursolve also offers potential recruiting value for those organizations that are often looking for talent and insights but have difficulty finding it easily. We’ve seen firsthand that students are hungry for the chance to apply their knowledge to real-world problems. By collaborating with organizations, students can hone their skills development while potentially providing businesses and nonprofits with valuable insights. It’s a win-win scenario.”
Organizations wishing to post a need or digital internship can complete the short “new organization” survey here: https://www.coursolve.org/new-org-survey.
Individuals or professionals looking to build their skills can sign up at http://www.coursolve.org.
About the Darden School of BusinessThe University of Virginia Darden School of Business delivers the world’s best business education experience to prepare entrepreneurial, global and responsible leaders through its MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. Darden’s top-ranked faculty is renowned for teaching excellence and advances practical business knowledge through research. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
About the Darden Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and InnovationThe Batten Institute at the Darden School of Business improves the world through entrepreneurship and innovation. The institute’s academic research center advances knowledge that addresses real-world challenges and shapes Darden's curriculum, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership offers one of the world's top entrepreneurship programs. The Batten Institute was established with gifts now totaling more than $100 million from U.Va. alumnus Frank Batten Sr., a media pioneer, visionary and founder of The Weather Channel.
About CoursolveCoursolve connects learners and organizations from around the world through digital internships. To date, Coursolve has engaged tens of thousands of learners and hundreds of organizations worldwide. In addition to the modules it currently hosts, Coursolve plans to introduce additional learning modules that address major skills shortages in the business and talent marketplace.
Press ContactMatt CharlesDirector of Media RelationsDarden School of BusinessUniversity of Virginia[email protected]+1-434-924-7502
Press ContactHayley BellCoursolve[email protected]
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