Giving 2.0: The MOOC, is a Stanford University-sponsored FREE online course intended to teach givers of all ages, backgrounds, incomes and experiences to give more effectively. It launches today, so there is still time to sign up! The instructor is Stanford Professor and Philanthropist Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen. The course teaches students to assess nonprofits, create a high-impact giving plan, volunteer more effectively, and use online networks and tools for good. The course also has an action learning component. Participants will do a real-time grantmaking process during which up to $100,000 of Learning By Giving Foundation capital will be allocated to student-selected nonprofits.
The online course is six-weeks. It offers one module per week with a theme. Each week is packed with content and activities as well as video modules exploring that theme. The videos include presentations from Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen as well as interviews, discussions and lectures given by guest speakers, including nonprofit practitioners philanthropy thinkers as well as technology and business leaders. (I was lucky enough to do a video!) Students will have the opportunity join Talkabouts – small virtual meeting groups created to discuss class-related topics. The goal is for students to create an Individual Giving Action Plan to guide their future giving in a meaningful way. Students will also complete a formal nonprofit assessment. Students will consider and vote on eligible nonprofits and collaboratively determine which ones receive Learning By Giving Foundation grants. Students will also be provided with ongoing, post-MOOC philanthropy education content that will support continued development and execution of their philanthropic goals.
Here’s the weekly themes:
- Week One: An introduction to your new philanthropy
- Week Two: Creating a philanthropic strategy
- Week Three: Analyzing a nonprofit
- Week Four: Your giving potential
- Week Five: Your action plan
- Week Six: Philanthropy – the never-ending gift to both others and yourself
I signed up for the course for several reasons. First as an adjunct professor, I’m always interested in seeing how others teach their classes, particularly how the content is chunked and the activities. There is no better way to improve your own teaching than being a student! Gives you empathy for designing your own syllabus and course. The course has been delivered offline at Stanford to students and is teaching students about giving. I’m interested in observing this new world of younger philanthropists. The course will take you 3-5 hours of work per if you plan to do the activities, less time if you just listen to the videos.
So far, what I like a lot of about the first week is reflective exercises that help you apply the content to your own situation – in this case – how to decide what you want to give to – and reflecting on effective giving and not so effective from your own personal experience. The lectures are brief, fun conversations in the forums, and worksheets are great.
See you at the Giving 2.0 Mooc!
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