What’s Your Big Idea? (Coursera)

Whether your interest lies in solving the world’s biggest problems, creating the next commercial success or addressing something closer to home, this course will give you a toolbox to vet your ideas and test them in the real world.

Syllabus

WEEK 1 – Think

We start at the beginning with your big idea and where it comes from: your everyday experience and known sources of innovation as described by Peter Drucker.

WEEK 2 – Listen

This second phase of the entrepreneurial lifecycle encourages you to take the big idea you’ve thought about and solicit feedback from the people whose problems you’re trying to solve.

WEEK 3 – Plan

Strategy, the art and science of being different than your competition, is the next element we introduce, based on Michael Porter’s work.

WEEK 4 – Clarify

In this module, we coach you on continuing to refine your big idea and beginning to communicate it clearly to a wider audience.

WEEK 5 – Support

To make your big idea into a reality, you’ll need the personal, professional, and financial resources we discuss in this module.

WEEK 6 – Iterate

This final step of the entrepreneurial lifecycle outlines a method to continue thinking, listening, planning, clarifying, and supporting your big idea.

Peer Assessment (Optional)

Create a pitch for your Big Idea, then give and receive feedback.

Reverse Pitches (Optional)

In these optional videos, experts from UNC Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis offered their insider perspectives on a number of pressing problems that present unprecedented opportunities for meaningful innovation.