The micro-credential prepares students for working in fields whose primary mission is to advance human welfare. To fulfill this program's requirements, students must take SOCY 4160 Designing Social Innovations and SOCY 4161 Executing Social Innovations.

Eligibility

  • CU Boulder students (including degree-seeking and nondegree/ACCESS)
  • CU Boulder employees

Delivery Mode

Synchronous

Credit Status

For credit

Academic Level

Undergraduate

Requirements

To receive the micro-credential, students must take SOCY 4160 and SOCY 4161.

Criteria

Students' understanding and effective application of design concepts will be evaluated using short essays, reflection exercises and group projects. Through these assignments, learners will be expected to answer like the following questions:

  • What are social innovations?
  • Where do they originate?
  • What is the range of actors involved in innovation?
  • How does one cultivate deep empathy with the people you hope to help?
  • What are the different approaches to designing such innovations and what are their relative merits?
  • How does one develop a prototype?
  • What are the special challenges that social innovation catalysts face in
  • promoting change within and outside organizations?
  • What is the difference between a business and strategic plan?
  • In what ways are such plans developed similarly and differently for social and commercial innovations?
  • What are the different strategies used for scaling up a social innovation?
  • How do hybrid organizations reconcile business and social welfare logics when disseminating an innovation?
  • What are the different ways to assess and measure a social innovation's impact?
  • What are the implications of institutional environments and interorganizational relations for an innovation's long-term survival and success?
  • How does one develop a social enterprise or innovation idea in a team?
  • What skills are needed to implement solutions in new or existing organizations and critically evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of solutions?
  • How does one operationalize and implement social change initiatives as well as develop strategies going forward for the advancement of their causes?

Skills

  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Design thinking
  • Empathy
  • Human-centered design
  • Participatory design
  • Presentation skills
  • Problem solving