MIT Solve

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Our Solution

Awecademy : Empowering a New Generation of Cosmic Citizens

Our solution's stage of development:

Pre-Seed

Our solution:

Awecademy is an online educational platform that provides learners the opportunity to learn, connect and do. Learners can access awe-inspiring programs, networking opportunities and a chance to contribute to ongoing human progress. The goal is to nurture innovators who can have a positive impact in the world.

Our pitch:

The online platform combines these three components, targeted at high school students:

Learn: Learners will be able to access online programs designed by award-winning educators and informed by the latest research in neuroeducation. These multidisciplinary programs will focus on skills that traditional curricula often fails to provide, such as innovation, critical thinking, creativity and emotional intelligence. The programs are designed to be awe-inspiring and interactive.

Connect: Learners will be able to connect with mentors around the world and engage with leading educators through webinars and online workshops. They will interact with their peers as they participate in online discussions and collaborate on projects.

Do: All online programs will have project-based learning units. Learners will have the opportunity to work on challenges and showcase their work on their user profiles. They can also participate in projects or competitions hosted by our partner organizations.

Awecademy serves to teach young mind innovation skills that will have a profound return on investment for the individual learners and the global economy as a whole. The core skills that all programs will tackle include collaboration, interdisciplinary problem solving, moonshot thinking, adaptability, imagination and much more.

The platform will launch and be visible to the public in October 2017. The platform will also integrate a “Robin Hood model”, by making the platform accessible for free to all learners from low-income backgrounds.

We are backed by noteworthy industry experts. Currently on our advisory board we have amongst many others, Margaret Attack (Former Chief Education Officer, GEMS Education), Maurice de Hond (Founder of the Steve Jobs School), Marc Presnky (Education author, entrepreneur and speaker), Esther Wojcicki (Vice-chair, Creative Commons Board of Directors) and Zoe Weil (President, Institute for Humane Education). Additionally, our board of educators is made up of Global Teacher Prize finalists from around the world.

The problem:

Our education system is need of reform. Traditional curricula is mostly unchanged for centuries and there is often a lack of a scientific basis in pedagogy. Students are exposed to isolated subjects with no emphasis on relevant 21st century skills. Learning is often characterized as monotonous by many. There is a lack of awareness of the impact of accelerating change in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world. New industries are being born and old ones are dying rapidly with the rise of technological automation. All of this calls for a transformation in how we teach future generations.

Why our solution will solve the problem:

Many reports (such as The Future of Work, by McKinsey & Co) point out that our education system has not kept pace with the changing nature of work. They call for a new emphasis on creative, critical and systems thinking. According to a New Horizon’s report, the key trends accelerating technology in education are deeper learning, collaborative learning and project-based learning.

We recently hosted a successful pilot in Dubai, where 33 students used our MVP and provided us with valuable feedback. Every participant stated that Awecademy provided them something of value that was lacking in their traditional educational experience.

Who recommended you to Solve - or - how did you find Solve?

Recommendation from friend: Robin Farmanfarmaian

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The technologies we employ:

Consumer-facing software (mobile applications, cloud services)
Digital systems (machine learning, control systems, big data)
Management & design approaches

Why our solution is unique:

Provide value across all 3 core features - learn, connect and do - simultaneously.
Provide interactive and regularly-updated curriculum that is informed by neuroeducation.
Provide learners the opportunity to solve problems and showcase their talents.
Focus on collaboration with an emphasis on 21st century skills, solving world problems and life-long learning.
Promote and integrate an awe-inspiring vision for humanity and educating learners about long-term goals and skills.
Supported and advocated by a network of award-wining educators and renowned thought leaders.
Lead by an management team with a proven track record of designing effective and inspiring educational curricula.

Why our solution is human-centered:

At Awecademy, we believe that technology alone can't empower future generations. It needs to be driven by an inspiring team and powerful values. Our core values are unparalleled by any other educational organization: radical openness, intelligent optimism, scientific literacy, mindfulness, cosmic citizenship, wonder & awe. Examples of our focus on human-centered design include pilot testing with global learners and educators, feedback from our board of educators and advisory board members and curricula design by award-winning educators. The platform in itself will also allow learners to connect and collaborate with one another, engage with leading educators and find mentors.

How people will access our solution:

The platform will be accessible to the public in October. Users will have to pay a subscription fee ($4.99/month) in order to access the platform. As per a freemium model, there are free features to the platform as well. Bulk packages and partnerships will also be available to schools, education providers and government bodies.

Awecademy will also integrate a “Robin Hood model”, by making the platform accessible in for individuals who can’t afford it, such as those in developing regions or from low-income backgrounds.

Technology-Readiness Level:

6-8 (Demonstration)

Our website

http://awecademy.org/

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