The development of leadership and the democratization of knowledge through education can contribute to the transformation of society.
We are in an era of great transformation, with a variety of challenges that are incalculable in the social, political, economic and environmental spheres, within a movement of constant technological revolution. One of the great changes we are experiencing is the way we work, the way and the speed with which we communicate.
We have a growing population with information of all order in the palm of the hand. People connected to everything that happens in the world, and for most of them the goal of life is greater than mere financial success; they need a purpose that positively impacts people’s lives. In this context, a new type of entrepreneur arise, the Social Entrepreneur, whose ultimate purpose goes beyond profit: its main goal is the social impact generated. Social Entrepreneurs create social values through innovation, aiming at the social and economic development of society.
They create organizations, social businesses, or act as intrapreneurs, always with the purpose of solving social problems through the creation of products, services or new methods of organization and social mobilization. It is an extremely diverse, multidisciplinary, modern and daring profile, but always moved by something greater than itself!
A new challenge thus emerges: how can innovative education follow the accelerated growth of the social impact sector by training high-level, sensitive professionals and inspiring those leaders who are able to lead the process of positive change in society?
In response to this new challenge, education courses with innovative methodologies and themes, at the undergraduate, postgraduate and masters level, but also cross-curricular subjects are being created, as well as optional subjects for high school students and free courses.
In this context, distance education presents itself as a strong tendency in education, as an innovative opportunity to study, where the teaching and learning process occurs without the physical presence of a teacher and without the need to attend in person an institution education.
This modality provides democratization and accessibility to knowledge, with new information and experiences, and has several advantages, such as: access to information through technical communication resources; flexibility in the moments of dedication to studies (in which the student directs his/her own study independently and personally); optimization of education through technology. In addition, courses of this modality usually use active learning methodologies that allow the use of routes that fit the students’ cognitive characteristics.
Without geographical barriers to learning, it is possible to overcome the limitations of space and time. Students act as protagonists, responsible for the process of building their knowledge. And by applying the knowledge and skills developed, they can have a positive impact on the initiatives where they are inserted and engage in the realization of a massive transformative movement.
