Minerva is building a lasting organization with students at its center. By always considering students first, focusing on their learning and development, and doing what is best for their ongoing success, Minerva nurtures critical wisdom for the sake of the world. It does so through two entities:
Minerva University, a not-for-profit liberal arts university, offering a reinvented undergraduate and graduate experience for bright and motivated students from over 80 countries. Minerva’s undergraduate offering combines an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on developing and applying transferable skills; the highest academic standards; an accomplished faculty versed in the science of learning; a global, urban residential experience that traverses seven countries; and an online active learning environment, that together, result in deep and long-lasting learning.
Minerva Project, a for-profit educational innovator, designs, develops, and delivers educational programs with partner institutions globally. By partnering with forward-thinking and mission-aligned undergraduate, graduate, executive education, and high school partners around the world, Minerva Project shares its expertise in new program creation, institutional transformation, and change management using a consultative approach.
What have we done together so far?
2015
Talked to the funding cohort
Delivered a presentation about Udacity and how to grow online learning platforms.
2017
Became London Partner
Hosted some of the Minerva activities with students at Skills Matter.
2019
Designed and Kickstarted the 1st London Partners Network
In 2019, we helped the Minerva team reach out to the first network of partners in London and we built some of the experiential learning activities in the city.
May – Sept 2020
Hired the 1st Minerva Grad Student
After mentoring her during her last stages at Minerva, Frances Pak joined Minds Studio to help us design a new self-directed online school with Galileo. We also attended the Minerva Graduation and Civitas that year as Minerva’s Partners.
Sept – Dec 2020
Hosted the 1st Minerva Edtech online group
As part of the support to the Minerva Community, we met regularly with Minerva students interested in Edtech to discuss about different topics. We also participated in the first Minerva London Partners gathering hosted in Forum.
Mar 2021
Featured Minerva at the Futures of Higher Ed report
In collaboration with UNIR, we showcased Minerva’s innovative approach and ethos at the “Nueva Revista” publication, reaching students and decision makers in Spain and Latin America.
May – June 2021
Proposed to create the Global Minerva Partners Network
In collaboration with 3 Minerva Grads, we build a proposal to create a Partners network combining online and in-person activities.
Mar 2022
Featuring Minerva at Starting Up Universities publication
This research is conduced in collaboration with UNIR, and will showcase 6 case-studies of innovative universities of different parts of the world.
Nov 2022
Hired 2nd Minerva Grad Student
After meeting her at Europe’s EdtechX contest, Patrycja Wierzchalek joined Minds Studio to work on the design of Edtech programs for Andela’s community.
Mar 2023
Preparing Minerva MD Students London immersion week
We are working on the activities for the first year MDA and CDA postgraduate students coming to London
Why we are doing this
Minds Studio’s purpose is to inspire human minds to follow their curiosity. Since Minerva’s first class in 2014, Minds Studio’s founder, Alvaro Sanmartin, has been supporting Minerva in different ways, as its principles deeply resonate with the kind of projects we would like to support.
Minerva’s stakeholders are unconventional, thoughtful, confident, human, selective, authentic and driven, and willing to achieve the extraordinary. Similarly, Minds Studio shares many of those attributes, and that is the reason why two Minerva graduates have been hired to work on Minds Studio projects, and another two joined the Minds Studio network recently.
MDA Students London Intensive Project – March 2023
What our plan is
We would like to continue collaborating with Minerva by helping first year MDA and CDA postgraduate students get an unforgettable learning experience in London. The students are normally scattered around the world, so the intention of the week is to bring them together from a community and cultural perspective, and expose them to London and emerging hands-on professional experiences.
The goal
Meet leading professionals, give an overview of what they do, challenge the students’ thinking, and expose them to new ways of doing.
Activities
We will be hosting the following learning experiences with Minerva students:
- An activity to talk about Minds Studio and our journey so far.
- An activity with an Edtech venture capital (Maybe Brighteye Ventures)
- An activity with the founder of BTC Maps, a bitcoin-first startup to map the places where people can spend their bitcoin around the world.
- An activity with a tech company (Bitfount) related to the interests of students
Potentially, the students might be able to join the gatherings of the London Learning Exchange and the EdTech Garage if it finally fits the agenda and budget requirements.
Project Financial Details
If you are a member of Minerva University or Minerva Project, please access the project private area to learn more about the financial details.
Minds Studio Contributors
Patrycja Wierzchałek
Learning Experience Designer & Community Builder
I am versed in instructional design, curriculum development, community management, and facilitation work at remote, growing EdTech businesses 🚀
Alvaro Sanmartin
Learning Experience Strategy
I spend my life finding and testing better ways of learning that help people develop new skills to radically improve their lives.
The Minds Studio Network
In addition to the project lead and contributors, Minds Studio counts on a network of +25 professionals in +10 countries who are aligned to the Minds Studio Purpose and might participate in the project when necessary (any additional charge will always need to be approved by Minerva in advance).