New Duke MOOC Sets out to Inspire and Train Global Innovators

Alex_Dehgan_Course_Excerpt

Excerpt from “Innovation and Design for Global Grand Challenges” with course presenter Alex Dehgan on the right.

Published August 2, 2016 under Education News

Food insecurity, a period of mass extinction, and emerging pandemic diseases like Ebola and Zika: these are some of the most daunting issues facing the world today. The earth has been fundamentally changing physically, chemically, biologically and ecologically. The problems of extinction and habitat destruction are increasing exponentially, and our solutions have not kept pace. 

Alex Dehgan, the Chanler Innovator in Residence at Duke, recently launched a massive open online course (MOOC) to empower people around the world to develop creative new solutions to overcome these grand challenges.  

“Innovation and Design for Global Grand Challenges” aims to teach participants how to address the world’s biggest challenges in conservation and development using the latest innovations in technology, business and behavioral science, and create new companies to address them.

 
 

 

In addition to his appointment at Duke, Dehgan is the former chief scientist at USAID and the co-founder of the U.S. Global Development Lab, founder of the startup Conservation X Labs and part of the team that created Afghanistan’s first national park.

Dehgan uses this background to help students question assumptions about solving grand challenges, harness exponential technologies and open innovation and teach principles of design and engineering unique to the developing world. 

From crowdfunding to using technologies like remote sensors and 3D printing, the course will explore real cases of successes and failures from entrepreneurs who have tried to tackle these problems in novel ways. Students will be asked to create their own startup and will be provided with the tools to create it.

“It’s not just a course, it’s an opportunity to change the world,” said Dehgan.

Dehgan is joined by more than 20 global leaders, social entrepreneurs and innovators from organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, X Prize, Indiegogo, USAID, Planet Labs, Design Revolution, World Wildlife Fund, Freeland and National Geographic. 

Duke Global Health Institute director Michael Merson is one of the guest presenters. Merson has also served as director of the World Health Organization’s Diarrheal Diseases Control Program, Acute Respiratory Infections Control Program and the Global Program on AIDS. He has also served in advisory capacity for a number of renowned global health organizations. 

Participants can register anytime. The course is free unless participants are seeking a certificate or honors recognition. 

Learn more:

This article was adapted from the original Online Duke article, “Want to Change the World? There’s a MOOC for That.

It’s not just a course, it’s an opportunity to change the world.

Alex Dehgan, the Chanler Innovator in Residence at Duke

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