Assignment 1
Analyst Report
- Due October 18
- Worth 25%
- 2,000 words or 8 minutes maximum
Author and publish an original competitive analysis of an existing real-world learning technologies product, service, venture or market of special interest to you.
It can be any relevant (to you) component or cross-section of the global learning technologies marketplace.
Think of your work as an ‘opportunity audit’: a critical review of your chosen topic designed to support an investment decision (not a buying decision) by a prospective investor (not a customer).
This is not an academic paper. Design a presentation format consistent with prospective investors making a sound decision based on your recommendation. Enhance your analysis with real-world data and original consultations if such are feasible.
Employ a medium or media of your choice. If your OER is hosted in an external platform or application please ensure it can live there reliably for at least a few years, and that it is self-contained there.
To publish your Assignment #1:
- create an informative, inviting launchpad post
- post it into this blog using the Category “Analyst Reports (A1)”
- notify your instructor via email that you are ‘live’ and include any links and self-reflection.
RUBRIC:
- Rationale for Analysis (8/25): A compelling rationale for the choice of subject matter that clearly conveys its resonant value within the learning technologies marketplace and to the author’s professional stance as analyst.
- Critical EVA (8/25): An engagingly credible analysis that uses criteria and/or methods that are relevant, comprehensive, and incisive to the substance and conclusions.
- Resource Value (4/25): Creative and effective design together with excellent presentation for engaging and serving the target audience (primarily professional educators everywhere).
- Reflections (5/25): The proponent clearly outlines the relevance of their analysis and the EVA role in relation to their emerging thinking about their own upcoming opportunity pitch (Assignment #3).
Assignment 2
Opportunity Forecast
Group Project
To complete Assignment #2:
- Produce an Open Educational Resource (OER) that serves to explore and understand the dynamic nature and opportunities of one of these emerging markets
- Create launchpad post to share with cohort.
- Deliver and moderate an engaging, interactive week-long experience for the whole class featuring your OER that gathers feedback from peers to improve the OER.
- Compile a peer participation report listing all peers who completed all activities and a separate list of specific peers who contributed an exceptional level of thought leadership.
- Refine and finalize your OER incorporating peer feedback within one week of completion of cohort experience.
- Publish a final OER enhanced by cohort response to the Emerging Markets category that better “pitches” this category for future cohorts.
- Send your peer participation report to your instructor via email to signify your completion
RUBRIC:
- OER Design (6/25): Compelling, coherent, grounded research and analysis with highly effective pathways for active learning, understanding, and further development. Teamwork is clearly evident.
- Experience Design (7/25): Professionally organized material and activities designed for an engaging and effective learning experience. Teamwork is clearly evident with individual efforts defined and noted.
- Engagement Hosting (6/25): Graciously and expertly hosted materials and activities for effective cohort exploration and examination of the topic and OER. Teamwork is clearly evident.
- Published OER (6/25): Professional-quality OER enhanced via cohort interactions, published and ready to serve the target audience. Teamwork is clearly evident.
Assignment 3
Venture Pitch
- Due Nov 29
- Worth 25%
- 1 minute maximum “elevator pitch”
- 2,000 words or 8 minutes maximum “venture pitch”
Assignment #3 Option A:
- create a compelling pitch that champions the future of an original real-world venture.
- Your venture can be a dramatically new direction for an existing enterprise
- or it can be an imagined initiative or possibly a start-up or true-life enterprise that you’d like to launch.
- Create pitches using any medium or tools that most persuasively conveys the essence of your venture
- a short, media-rich “elevator pitch”
- a longer “venture pitch”
- Your objective is to be credible, well researched, and very convincing to your instructor and peers.
- Post to the Venture Pitch category
- Send a copy to your instructor via email to signify your completion
- Submit your reflection to your instructor via email
Option B:
- Prepare your pitch(es) for actual posting in a crowdfunding site such as Kickstarter. In this case you may submit the final draft of what you’d like to post, or a link to the actual posting.
Please remember that we’re looking for a pitch that focuses on persuading investors to invest in your venture, not a pitch that convinces customers to buy your product or service.
RUBRIC:
- Elevator Pitch (5/25): Highly engaging elevator pitch would capture attention of potential investors or decision makers. The student’s passion and ability to carry out the venture are easily evident.
- Venture Pitch (10/25): High-impact, comprehensive and compelling proposition that would engage investment interest and cogently demonstrates the student’s ability to lead the venture.
- Critical EVA (5/25): The pitches use arguments that are relevant, comprehensive, and incisive to the substance and the proposition.
- Reflection (5/25): The proponent clearly and accurately outlines the strengths and weaknesses of their pitch and their entrepreneurship inclinations.