Wharton Online put out a self-paced, three-course sequence to teach innovation and design thinking.
The Innovation Strategy and Design Thinking Certificate was launched on Nov. 6 to teach skills from idea generation to execution at scale. Wharton professors Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich developed the online courses to last six weeks and leave participants with skills they can apply in their daily work.
“Innovation isn’t a matter of luck or genius,” Terwiesch wrote in the announcement. “It’s a discipline that can be learned and applied systematically. This certificate gives professionals the structure and confidence to design and lead innovation efforts that deliver measurable results.”
The series forms a “comprehensive progression” that earns users a recognition certificate. While the program was designed to be a three-course series, each course is also offered individually.
“The flexibility of the program allows participants to start where they are, whether they’re new to innovation or scaling it across their organization,” Ulrich wrote in the announcement.
The first course — Introduction to Innovation: Everyone Is an Innovator — is meant to help “build the foundation” to recognize opportunities everywhere. After completing the modules, participants will be able to “assess [their] organization’s portfolio, identify imbalances, and chart a clear path forward.” The course also offers “hands-on experience using generative AI” to form, test, and strengthen ideas.
The second course — Innovation Tournaments and the Process View — aims to teach participants to “master the four levers that maximize payoff.” The modules focus on a “hands-on, systematic method to discover and elevate the best ideas.”
The final course in the series — Design Thinking: Developing the Solution Concept — goes past brainstorming ideas, instead teaching participants to frame problems and execute “meaningful” solutions. Following the third course, participants should “know how to surface critical needs and opportunities, translate them into actionable ideas, and refine those ideas into tested, feasible solutions.”
RELATED:
Black Wharton hosts Dean Erika James, alumni for 50th anniversary celebration
James Dinan to succeed Marc Rowan as chair of Wharton Board of Advisors
Tuition for one course is $1,350, but enrolling for the full three-course series is a total of $3,850, bringing the cost per course to $1,283. The full-course series and individual courses are now open for enrollment.
