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Remote Business Coaching Made Sense Even Before COVID-19 – Now it’s a Necessity
The coronavirus is forcing us all to do things differently. But as Donna Rosa argues, in some cases that may be a good thing. For instance, microenterprises in low-income countries have long needed basic business management skills, yet the development sector has often failed to deliver this training effectively. Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes many interactions online, she argues that it’s time to increase the focus on distance coaching for these small businesses.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Education
- Tags
- business education, COVID-19, edtech
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Lights, Camera – Health Education: How Animated Videos are Advancing Maternal Health in India and Beyond
In India, there is just one government doctor for every 10,189 people – a situation that often results in poor access to pregnancy-related health care. Without reliable medical advice, many women fall prey to myths and misconceptions about pregnancy and newborn care. MedHealth TV is addressing this issue with animated educational videos in local languages. Its founder, Padma Rammoorthy, discusses the approach and its impact.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care
- Tags
- public health
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Universities Must Teach Their Budding Scientists Entrepreneurship
As Africa continues to develop, there will be growing demand for experts who can address its social and economic needs. According to professors Karl Kunert and Christopher Cullis, the region's budding scientists can help meet that demand by acquiring business-oriented skills - but these skills aren’t usually part of their training. They explore the benefits of teaching students to turn scientific innovations into business opportunities, and the key role universities can play.
- Categories
- Education
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Learning to Think Like a Social Entrepreneur: How Nordic Rebels’ ‘Cooking Slam’ Enhances Entrepreneurship Education
Entrepreneurship is characterized by uncertainty – especially when it's tackling some of society’s biggest challenges. So how can social entrepreneurs learn to navigate this unpredictability as they work to create successful ventures? Nordic Rebels prepares entrepreneurs for these challenges through a unique education program that features a cooking contest. Adithya Varadarajan and Katharina Schilli discuss this innovative approach.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise
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Pitch Perfect: Five Tips for Designing Effective Business Pitch Competitions for International Entrepreneurs
The television show “Shark Tank,” in which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of potential investors, has brought the pitch concept into popular culture. But in many emerging economies, not everybody is familiar with pitching. The William Davidson Institute's Amy Gillett and Kristin Babbie Kelterborn provide some lessons to help global entrepreneurship development leaders organize effective pitch competitions. Among their tips: Consider a more encouraging "dolphin tank" approach instead of a cut-throat shark tank, and work to leverage local entrepreneurial customs.
- Categories
- Education
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The Impact of Equal Education: Solutions to the Gender Disparity in Sub-Saharan African Schools
About 132 million girls are out of school around the world, and the problem is fundamentally tied to gender. With issues ranging from child marriage to misperceptions about menstruation, girls face unique obstacles to education in many countries. Mark Buttweiler explores how Bridge International Academies is tackling the gender disparity, via a multifaceted, research-based approach that supports equality both in the classroom and the surrounding community.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Preparing Students to Launch: What Needs to Happen on the Ground to Get Social Enterprises Off the Ground?
Social entrepreneurship is a relatively new field that’s attracting a new type of business leader, and educational approaches to it need to be nimble and inventive. Amy Gillett, Vice President of the Education sector at the William Davidson Institute, chronicles a different type of immersive education – one that brought together more than 400 students in the U.S. and Middle East/North Africa through a “virtual exchange.” The students designed more than 70 businesses - many of which will not be virtual - to tackle real-world challenges.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise, Technology
- Tags
- business education, edtech
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The Promise (and the Absence) of EdTech: Why Countries Aren’t Adopting It More Widely – And What Can Be Done
Despite decades of promises and false starts, consistent, large-scale EdTech programs to address under-skilled or absent teachers remain frustratingly elusive in many emerging economies. Why are local Ministries of Education – and donors from rich countries – reluctant to embrace nationwide programs to address teacher gaps through technology? Dalberg analysts are asking the question, and the answers may lie in a lack of actionable evidence.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment, Technology