Key facts

Type	Online and Distance Learning
Location	Online
Dates	Wed 2 Oct to Fri 13 Dec 2013
Subject area(s)	Economics
CATS points	10
Fees	From £220.00
Application status	Applications being accepted
Course code	O13P414SOV
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email onlinecourses@conted.ox.ac.uk.

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Overview

Social entrepreneurs are gaining international attention motivated by the desire for change and to see the world as it can be, not as it is. Students in the course will learn how social entrepreneurs have developed creative solutions to address social problems. The intention of the course is to develop knowledge, appreciate of the role of social entrepreneurs that create social change, deepen students understanding of the world around them, and to inspire you to use your skills and knowledge to be as Gandhi said, ‘the change you wish to see in the world’.

Description

Students in this course will gain knowledge about social entrepreneurs and how they are creating solutions to address societal problems, learn how to develop creative solutions to address social problems, and empower you to see social entrepreneurship as a force for social change. The course is designed for you if you want to gain valuable tools to prepare you to make an impact on the lives of others.

Programme details

The areas you will cover in this course are:

Unit 1: Introduction to social entrepreneurship: The journey ahead
Unit 2: Creating social change: The social value proposition and identifying a social business opportunity
Unit 3: Understanding poverty: The Millennium Development Goals
Unit 4: Human-Centered Design: Partnering with the targeted community to address social problems
Unit 5: Developing a theory of change: Starting with the social impact
Unit 6: Envisioning an innovative society: The role of social innovation
Unit 7: The business model: Creating a social business model
Unit 8: Funding social ventures: Strategies for success
Unit 9: The driving force behind social entrepreneurship: Measurement and scaling social impact
Unit 10: The future: Reflection and shared experiences

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Course aims

This social entrepreneurship course is designed to introduce the concept as well as engage students and the tutor in a joint learning experience of this emerging field. Through the course, students will:

• Be exposed to the concept of social entrepreneurship and social enterprises and how social entrepreneurs are transforming society to deliver social impact in their home communities and abroad.
• Understand the role of measuring impact and how to quantify the social impact for investors, donors, and beneficiaries to help ensure that scarce resources are utilized appropriately.
• Be aware of how they might apply social entrepreneurship skills in their future pursuits to address social problems.

Certification

This course is accredited and you are expected to take the course for credit. To be awarded credit you must complete written contributions satisfactorily. Successful students will receive credit, awarded by the Board of Studies of Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. The award will take the form of 10 units of transferable credit at FHEQ level 4 of the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). A transcript detailing the credit will be issued to successful students.

Assessment methods

In this course assessment is through two written submissions, one of 500 words and one of 1000 words.

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

Recommended reading

To participate in the course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following textbook:

Bornstein, D. and Davis, S., Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2010)

Teaching methods

The teaching methods for this course include:

• Individual or group activity on a topic area of interest to the students on social change.
• Weekly discussion and reflection questions on readings.
• Short activities to support readings.
• Online polls with student feedback.
• Mini cases and videos about a social entrepreneur.
• Weekly exercises to enhance learning from writing your own social value proposition to completing a theory of change.
• Weekly shared student journal/discussion (blog or other user friendly online tool) to share with peers.

Teaching outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to:

• Understand the complexity of social change and the concept of social entrepreneurship.
• Appreciate the role of measurement to quantify social impact and how social entrepreneurs mobilize scarce resources to affect social change.

By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained the following:

• Knowledge and understanding of the meaning of social entrepreneurship, how its principles have been applied to address social problems, and what challenges are faced by those wishing to adopt social entrepreneurship methods.
• Gain knowledge and understanding about social entrepreneurship, challenges faced by social entrepreneurs and learn the role of developing a sustainable business model that addresses a social problem.
• Learn how social entrepreneurs have applied social entrepreneurship principles to address social problems, gain the ability t o empower disadvantaged community members to create social change and develop your own skills to “be the change you wish to see in the world'. Gandhi.

Fee options

Programme Fee

Home/EU Fee: £220.00

Non-EU Fee: £295.00

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