Asude’s Digital Social Innovation for Improving Learning Outcomes

This case study explores the various digital interventions (DIs) used by the Asude Foundation (Asude) in delivering education to students from low socio-economic sections in Aurangabad, India, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact on students’ learning outcomes. Asude used an approach of recombining resources and leveraging the available digital and human capabilities, thus it provided a holistic and practical solution to the challenges created by the pandemic coupled with various institutional voids. The case study considers how Asude should plan in 2022 for growth and sustainability.

This case can be taught in an undergraduate or graduate level management program as part of a Social Entrepreneurship or a Strategy course, where the students are required to understand the process of applying social innovations in different contexts. This case can also be taught in an Information Systems course to understand the application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in varying contexts and the situatedness of technology. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Understand the various means employed by a non-governmental organization (NGO) facing resource constraints to attain growth and sustainability.</li><li>Understand the need to strike the right balance between the various stakeholders.</li><li>Understand the best way to deliver solutions that are tailored to the needs and urgent demands of the target population.</li><li>Sensitize future managers to the social problems that they can contribute to by aligning technology solutions to the needs of target populations and the resources in the environment.</li><li>Build social awareness in future managers and give them exposure to the non-profit sector.</li></ul>

• social innovation, digital interventions, online learning, education, learning loss, COVID-19 pandemic, digital divide, low socio-economic sections, nongovernmental organization