Online Course Convenes Over 100 Global Leaders

Virtual classrooms are an ever expanding resource for global learners. The hurdles of traveling, both internationally and across town, are more and more frequently surpassed with rapidly advancing online course opportunities.

The Precinct believes deeply in the Power of Place and the Power of Ideas. And we know that those ideas are stronger than ever when cultural, geographic, occupational, or demographic barriers are crossed in the process. We often seek to create dialogue and share experiences here in Central Virginia at our partner sites, but we also emphasize the integration of digital networking and conversation into our programs to make content and learning opportunities more accessible to our global network.

We’ve recently had the opportunity to build a partnership with the UVA Darden School of Business to offer members of our global Network a four week course on “Fundamentals of Project Planning & Management.” The course is soon coming to a close, and participants have sharpened their existing skills and gained new ones in such areas as stakeholder analysis, project scoping, risk analysis, planning for ambiguity, and moving from planning to action.

Participants in this course, with their widely diverse backgrounds and work in government, nonprofit, and business sectors, have truly made this into a compelling example of productive digital learning and networking. 118 participants from all over the world – 42 different countries to be exact – signed up and engaged with each other and with the course content. They also had the opportunity to participate in a live webinar discussion with Darden Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne.

Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne delivering a live webinar from the UVA Darden School of Business studios.

“We were so pleased to have been able to collaborate with the Darden School of Business to offer scholarships for this certificate course to members of The Presidential Precinct Network,” said Nancy Hopkins, the Precinct’s Director of Programs. “The level of interest in the course underscores the enthusiasm among these rising global leaders for ongoing professional development opportunities, including online. We think the topic of project planning and management was a great place to start, since this skill set can be so readily and immediately applied by leaders working in any sector on any issue.”

After the course, participants will continue to connect and collaborate with each other through the Presidential Precinct Network as they grow their organizations and ventures. Francisco Levi, an entrepreneurial coffee roaster from Lima, Peru, is one participant who saw tangible takeaways from the course.

Francisco Levi, in addition to being a course participant, is a Presidential Precinct YLAI 2016 Fellow.

“Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management was the first course I’ve ever had online, and I feel very thankful to the Presidential Precinct for this opportunity with the Darden School of Business,” said Francisco. “We not only need and use the tools of project management on a daily basis, but we’ve also learned to apply new performance indicators and to look at project management with a different optic. This course was precise for my business stage and my daily work.”

Read more on this partnership from the Darden School webpage: https://blogs.darden.virginia.edu/international/2017/04/18/darden-expands-online-educational-experience-with-moocs/