Solving Public Problems With Technology

Andrew Krzmarzick

10 years ago

I haven’t blogged in some time, but I wanted to make you aware of a course being offered by GovLab Academy – details below.

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GovLab Academy’s new course can help you solve problems that matter.

Are you passionate about civic tech? Are you…

Working in government with an innovative project you want to bring to life?
An independent social innovator who wants to expand your toolkit for real-world change?
Someone with an important idea for tackling a social problem but who needs to develop the key skills to take your vision from idea to implementation?

Spaces for online participation are now available for the GovLab Academy’s flagship 14-week, Masters-level course, Solving Public Problems with Technology. Learn about the program here.

In the Fall Semester of 2014 this course is being taught live for students at the MIT Media Lab (Wednesdays from 11am to 1pm) and NYU students (Thursdays from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm). You can apply to join either session as an online participant in the program (credit will not be granted at either institution for online participants).

The course will be taught by Professor Beth Simone Noveck (Director of the Governance Lab, author of Wiki Government and the forthcoming Smart Citizen, Smarter State, and former Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the Obama Administration), with contributions from the GovLab Faculty and a wide range experts in the fields of open governance and civic technology. Details on the subject matter covered, the work assigned, the supplementary readings and videos, and participation logistics are all contained in the online syllabus.

Solving Public Problems with Technology is not a traditional course. We offer a hands-on learning and mentoring program designed to help you shape and implement an innovative project using civic technology. To that end, we will prepare you to take advantage of the latest innovations in open and participatory problem-solving, including the application of open data, crowdsourcing, expert networks and systems, game mechanics, and prizes. We will prepare you to work with real-world institutions and partners, such as agencies and NGOs, to develop more effective and scalable initiatives. We will also give you ready access to a community of like-minded practitioners and experts, who will provide a network of support as you take your project through to implementation.

Individuals and teams are both eligible to apply. Online participation is free of charge thanks to a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
While online participants will not receive academic credit the GovLab will recognize satisfactory completion of all course requirements with a certificate and demonstration of relevant skills and capabilities with appropriate open badges.
Students enrolled at other institutions wishing to explore the possibility of being granted independent study credit at their home institution should contact us. We will be happy to collaborate.
If you wish to apply, please fill out our application form here. Applications for Fall 2014 semester are due by August 27^th, but additional courses will be offered later this year and throughout 2015.

Can’t participate in this semester’s course? Stay updated on future offerings by signing up here.

If you have questions please contact us at: info-academy@thegovlab.org.

About The GovLab

The Governance Lab (The GovLab) strives to improve people’s lives by changing how we govern. We endeavor to strengthen the ability of people and institutions to work together to solve problems, make decisions, resolve conflict and govern themselves more effectively and legitimately. We design technology, policy and strategies for fostering more open and collaborative approaches to governance and we test what works.

The goal of the GovLab Academy is to support a new generation of public entrepreneurs to tap the intelligence of citizens and create actionable projects that improve people’s lives.