Background and Challenge:

The issues that exist in higher education are complex and multi-layered and there is no silver bullet to fix it. Success requires interventions, innovation and experimentation, and most importantly collaboration and sharing of knowledge across institutions.

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Our Solution:

• EdThemes was a custom-built platform, on WordPress, designed to to solve issues in the field of higher education through online conversation, collaboration and innovation

• Our mission was driven by a belief that knowledge shared is knowledge gained. By turning it into a two-way street we knew we could connect new dots, grow our combined knowledge, making it more valuable, and thereby create greater impact in the world

• We focused on solving problems in three areas (i) Strategic Planning (ii) Professional Development (pedagogy) (iii) Policy and Practice Innovation, using tools that we had built into our platform:

  • JAM: a non-linear exchange; a moderated discussion that is part creative brainstorming, part active dialogue and part focus group

  • Challenge: crowdsourcing innovation that can range from simple ideas and suggestions, to proofs of concept, designs, or finished products

  • Notebook: faculty, working independently by writing reflections in notebooks and then in collaboration with others in their discipline to share, discuss and improve their classroom experiences

• The ultimate goal was to build the world’s first global, dynamic and FREE digital knowledge network for the field of education that can be accessed, shared and grown by all

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The Result:

We had successful and multiple engagements the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, LaGuardia Community College, New Haven Literacy Curriculum and Orbis International.

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NOTE: based on our project to re-imagine KPI's business, we decided to launch a joint venture.