How International Schools Group, Saudi Arabia, Inspired Nearly 1,000 Students With Entrepreneurial Learning

Learn how International Schools Group, Saudi Arabia, ignited an entrepreneurial spirit in nearly 1,000 students across 4 schools during its WOW Week 2024: Entrepreneurship Challenge.

This case study delves into how the integration of 8billionideas’ future-focused, practical programmes into their curriculum sparked a passion for innovation and business acumen among young learners.

The Challenge

Connecting academic learning to real-world entrepreneurial experiences in an engaging way

ISG envisioned an environment where students could not only engage deeply with their curriculum but also integrate their diverse skills and interests to create something truly meaningful in a real-world context. 

They were determined to provide their students with an innovative learning experience during their 'Week Without Walls — Innovation Challenge' period and were looking for a partner to help them re-envision and execute this new experience.

The challenge was substantial — reimagining and re-engineering the educational experience across four schools, aligning it with the institution's core mission of inspiring innovation and compassionate action while keeping students engaged.

‘Some of our students who just started speaking English over the last year or two were on stage speaking, or students with speech impediments embraced that part of them and worked through it too, to present very powerfully on stage.’

— Hans Ott, Director of Teaching & Learning at International Schools Group

The Solution

8billionideas' project-based learning experience — Startup School

ISG chose 8billionideas’ best-seller entrepreneurship programme, Startup School, to bridge the gap between academic learning and engaging real-world experiences. They saw this programme as a perfect match for their mission and an opportunity for their students to link curriculum learning with careers and real-world experiences.

The programme was adapted and customised to effectively meet the institution's goals and vision. It had a clear outcome of enabling nearly 1,000 students to see how their diverse skills complement each other within a business environment and can be leveraged to make a tangible difference in their communities. 

Since its launch, Startup School has been one of the most loved programmes in 8billionideas’ entrepreneurship education portfolio. This programme transcends traditional education, bringing a slice of Silicon Valley into the classroom and empowering students to conceive and develop their own business ideas.

As an end-to-end solution, Startup School allowed ISG to successfully build its students’ in-demand skills and uncover new passions and abilities. At the same time, it saved an immense amount of teacher time and effort in lesson planning and execution.

‘Startup School was a way for students to see that even though they seemed to be learning discrete subject areas, they could still combine those areas to create products and bodies of work that really impacted their communities.’ 

The Results

Future-proofing 1,000+ students with entrepreneurial learning

The programme's impact is multifaceted and, as Hans Ott (Director of Teaching and Learning at International Schools Group) says, still unfolding. 

The most immediate effect was a significant inspiration among the students as they discovered newfound capabilities and realised they could achieve more than they'd ever imagined. 

Some other impacts, as stated by Hans Ott, were:

• Students engaged in practical activities and built physical prototypes, which gave them a taste of the real-world application of their skills and added a tangible aspect to their learning.
  
  
• They learned the power of teamwork and entrepreneurial skills and understood that success often requires a diverse skill set.
  
  
• Teachers observed students not only participate but excel and shine in ways that exceeded expectations.
  
  
• Some students' enthusiasm and dedication set a new benchmark, inspiring their peers to aim higher and invest more effort into their projects.
  
  
• Teachers were also seen to be actively engaged and involved during the programme, which fostered a more dynamic and supportive learning environment, influencing the students' ability to succeed in the programme.

‘Even teachers were impacted by the students’ work. I heard a number of staff members mention, "Wow, I really wasn't sure that [student] could do X, Y, or Z, and he went well beyond that". So seeing students in a different light was really neat.’

Check out a glimpse of the WOW Week Innovation Challenge 2024 below! 👇

Find out more about the programme here.