Course Overview

Challenge Studio 1 is a 10-week course that guides you through the process of refining an identified problem to building an innovative solution and creating and launching a minimum viable product (MVP). This course empowers you to see yourself as problem solvers and changemakers who can spot problems and build impactful, sustainable solutions to address them.

In this course, you will be equipped with the knowledge, mindsets, practical skills, and tools to ideate, prototype, test, and pitch solutions to others. Through a combination of online lessons, workshops, case studies, guest speakers, and group projects, you will learn to identify, analyze, and create solutions to meet user needs.

This course requires active learning, collaboration, and real-world application of knowledge. At the end of the course, you will have a comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurial thinking and be equipped with the skills and confidence needed to create practical solutions.

Course Structure

Coming into Challenge Studio 1, you have identified a development challenge you are passionate about and interested in solving. From your previous course, Engineering for Development, you have been equipped with the skills to spot problems and articulate your chosen problem in an actionable statement.

Starting this course, you will take your identified problem statement a step further by building solutions for them. At the beginning of this course, you will have the opportunity to re-work or change your problem statement altogether. We want to leave room for the possibility that, as you have learned more about the world around you, your thinking and interests have evolved.

Each week in Challenge Studio 1 builds on the next, starting with refining your problem statement, ideating solutions, building a minimum viable product, testing and iterating on it, and finally pitching your solution to peers and potential investors.

The most challenging part of this course will be getting out of your head and talking to real users. This is a very important but often challenging skill because it puts your hard work under scrutiny. But it is a crucial part of creating a successful product.