What is the course about?
Here you can find further information on the final project and the programme community accessible through the Business Communication Programme. In this programme iversity brought together the best institutions and instructors to teach you the required skills in the field: The Business Communication Programme combines a unique curriculum from both top institutions in academia and the industry, with flexible online learning. You can master communication in words, visuals, data and marketing at your own pace with a community of professionals worldwide. In the following, you can learn more about how to successfully complete the Business Communication Programme and how to join the programme community.
Participate in the programme community
Sharing your questions, ideas and feedback with others is an important part of the online learning experience at iversity. Connect with like-minded professionals interested in advancing their career. Share your progress in your learning journal, get feedback from other learners, and compare notes for courses.
We encourage you to ask all questions concerning the Programme in the forum. If other learners aren't able to help you, our support team is happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
Hand in your final project
Your final project will give you the opportunity to put your newly acquired skills and knowledge into practice. You will be able to show what you have learned in the Programme and develop a project that shows your individual progress. This way you will have something tangible to take away from the Programme - for yourself and to share with future employers.
What is required for my final project?
Your final project will consist of a video presentation. To complete your final project you will be required to:
- Complete Module 1: "Visual Thinking for Business" and "Presentation Skills for Business"
- Develop a topic for your project based on one course of your choice from Module 2: "Digital Marketing Leadership" or "Predictive Analytics in Commerce"
- Create a video presentation about your chosen topic. This presentation is supposed to prove your skills in three areas:
- Visual Thinking: Visual elements need to be an integral part of your presentation. Include visuals that support the content of your presentation and show your visual thinking skills.
- Presentation Skills: By filming yourself, you will be able to show your presentation skills. Make sure you are clearly visible during the presentation and that your voice, posture and gestures fit your message.
- Chosen Course: Base your presentation on your chosen chose. Your presentation should focus on a topic in that area to show the expertise you acquired by taking the course.
How do I hand in my final project?
Record a video presentation about your chosen topic that shows the visual elements as well as the presentation skills you have developed. If you are satisfied with your project, simply upload it to the platform. Please don't forget to add a title and a short description including which course your presentation will be about. More detailed information about the process will be given closer to when the upload will be available.
When do I have to hand in my final project?
We recommend that you complete all courses before working on your final project. However, you can get started as soon as you are taking your third course. You can hand in your final project starting in May 2016. There will be two evaluation rounds: The first will be in July, the second will be in December. You can hand in your project any time until 30 November 2016 and it will be automatically submitted to either evaluation round.
Who is evaluating my final project?
Your final project will be evaluated by an expert in your chosen field according to previously announced criteria. The evaluation will include a written assessment of your work. You will be able to access it in the form of a comment below the journal entry you used to upload your final project. Your comment will be visible to you as soon as the evaluation round is over.
Receive your certificate
To receive your certificate, all you need to do is hand in your final project. To get a maximum out of your learning experience, we recommend that you complete all available courses. However, the only requirements for receiving your certificate are:
- An 80% completion rate of all three courses necessary for your project.
- Handing in your final project and successfully passing the evaluation.
If you fulfilled both requirements, you will receive your certificate as soon as the evaluation round of the final project is over. Your certificate will display:
- Your curriculum, including the completion rate of your courses. The more you learn, the more will be displayed.
- Your final project in the form of the title and a short description of your project as well as a hyperlink to the video presentation and, if you wish, the corresponding assessment from the evaluating expert.
Course instructors
Christoph Hienerth
Prof. Dr. Christoph Hienerth is the Chair of Entrepreneurship and New Business Development at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. He earned his doctoral degree (PhD) from WU Vienna, where he also went on to complete his post-doctoral degree (Habilitation) as an assistant professor at the Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. From 2006 to 2012, he held a tenured position as Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, Department for Innovation and Organizational Economics. Prof. Hienerth had various research visits and fellowships at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard Business School (HBS), McGill University and George Washington University.
Research Focus
• Identification and development of opportunities
• Entrepreneurship in open and user innovation settings
• Entrepreneurial risk and uncertainty
• Corporate Entrepreneurship
• Business ecosystems and new business models
• Social Entrepreneurship
Publications, Awards & Corporate Projects
His research has been published in leading international and national journals such as Research Policy, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Long Range Planning, Journal of Organizational Design, Family Business Review and Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft (ZfB). He has received several awards for his work in research as well as in teaching. Prof. Hienerth has gained expertise in corporate entrepreneurship through several industry projects with international companies such as Schindler, Deutsche Telekom, Palfinger, Bayer, MAN, LEGO, Fujitsu, Siemens VDO, SAS, Grundfos and Coloplast. He has given keynotes and was scientific advisor for governmental institutions in several countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Finland, UK, Czech Republic.
Alexandra Maratchi Legrain
Co-founder & CEO at Homuork @homuork
Alexandra co-founded the edtech venture Homuork. She is moved by the conviction that a better learning experience in company training is possible and much needed.
She has previously worked in multinational companies in different European countries, ensuring an in-depth understanding of the needs of and dynamics within companies. She is an expert in open and innovative education. She constantly works to apply these learnings to the businesses’ idiosyncrasy, which is why she decided to lead this online professional development course.
She is an Assistant Professor to both the Corporate Strategy and the Innovation Department at ESADE Business School. She also lectures for the CEMS Master in Management.
Steven Kraal
Data Strategist and founder of Mahout (ex EY VODW)
Steven Kraal helps companies make better use of data. The objective of his work is to create a better omni-channel customer experience, to make customer interaction more relevant and to optimise customer lifetime value. In his courses, he applies his extensive background in business econometrics and over ten years of consultancy experience in the field of commercial analytics helping organisations become more data driven.
Data discovery in new sources, predictive modelling and interactive dashboards are essential, as well as their eventual commercial applications and assurance and acceptance within the organisation. Steven Kraal's passion is to develop analytical teams into a proactive advisory role and making the rest of the organisation more analytically savvy, creating real impact through analytical breakthroughs.
Jürgen Seitz
Professor Seitz is one of the leading Digital Marketing Experts in Germany. He is passionate about data-driven, creative, and engaging digital marketing communication. He helped build and scale up several successful digital companies as managing director, founding partner and member of the board. He worked for Microsoft, WEB.DE and 1&1. At Stuttgart Media University, he is now teaching and researching in the areas of digital marketing and digital business. He is also engaged in the education of NPOs in utilising digital channels for their good causes.