Academic Courses: Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Course number: 82031

Method of instruction: lecture and workshop

Weekly hours: 4

Credits: 4

Prerequisites: personal interview

Entrepreneurship is a key engine of economic growth. As society is being transformed by accelerated technological progress, we have increasingly come to understand that future solutions depend on a multidisciplinary approach, one that combines different fields of knowledge. As Israel has become a startup world power, we have created this opportunity for our students to immerse themselves in the world of entrepreneurship.

This course presents the field of entrepreneurship, bringing together students from various disciplines. It provides them with practical tools and theoretical knowledge required to turn their ideas into reality, from an incipient ideation, through business setup, capital raising, and up to mature operation and management. Students will acquire important entrepreneurial tools, and meet seasoned entrepreneurs, investors and decision-makers experienced in various phases and aspects of developing a startup.

Innovation and Creativity in My Final Project Workshop is an interdisciplinary acceleration course for students from all faculties at HIT, who are at the early stages of work on their final project. The workshop’s objective is to articulate creativity – technological, scientific and design, and to boost the outcomes of the project into a presentable and door-opening product.

This course will teach you how to analyze the media in its various forms within the context of multiple channels of communication in today's technological world. We will examine the role of media in society, focusing on approaches that address the social impact of media. We will discuss such topics as, the setting of an agenda, the creation of a media-based reality, the factors behind media operation and their influence on decision-making in politics, culture, and the economy. We will also look into media policy and media manipulation, and the interaction between the media and their audiences in Israeli society.

This course provides knowledge on the world of digital health, looking at information systems and services, and the technological uses in treatment, communication with patients and among medical staff. The course surveys the goals, systems, standards, implementations and uses of digital health, beginning from the individual user, through healthcare organizations and up to the healthcare system. We will discuss the pros and cons of technologies in service of healthcare, and present challenges for the medical systems and solutions and their implementation. The course includes a practical project done in multidisciplinary groups, in which students will work on a solution to a medical challenge by applying design and digital technologies.

We live in one of the most exciting periods in human history, where knowledge is becoming increasingly accessible worldwide and touches upon all aspects if human life. In today's 'global village' communication technology has turned our planet into a single environment in which we can communicate and exchange information in real time across the globe. This course examines the interaction between technological development and society, which allows us to better understand our lives today, the opportunities created and the problems we are facing, an understanding that may help us make better decisions in the present and for the future. The course will focus on the social changes prompted by the post-industrial information society, and will discuss different ways to tackle the challenges created by the information society.

This course gives students basic tools to understand and analyse the concept of sustainability, as a social, moral, and environmental approach, which seeks to balance between human needs in the present to the preservation of natural resources for future generations.

We will encourage 'sustainability thinking' and decision-making approach that view our world in the broadest terms, balancing between technological modernization and an efficient management of natural resources and social needs.

Course number: 84098

Method of instruction: lecture

Weekly hours: 2

Credits: 2

Prerequisites: English level B or above

Social media has become an active force in the politics of the information society. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and any network or website have become accessible to anyone. News websites are updated in seconds. In this new technological environment of the new media, the public is no longer a passive consumer of news, as people can actively communicate with news channels by commenting, sending footage, and so on, affecting the content of the news and the agenda. In this course we examine how the internet and new media networks have affected new consumption and public opinion in politics. We will also discuss such issues as the accessibility of information, its quantity and quality, in the context of target audiences on social media.

In recent decades the world has been undergoing a process of 'globalization', yet, this process had started centuries ago. While some welcome the global village in which we live, where things have become closer, cheaper, faster and accessible more than ever before, others view globalization as a detrimental force that results in inequality, instability or the demise of national borders and identities. This course provides important tools for understanding the multilayered process of globalization, looking at its historical origins and at its consequences on modern society today. We will discuss historical, economic and social aspects, beginning with the discovery of America, through the Industrial Revolution, and up to the digital age of today.

The internet, originally created for security purposes and used for scientific research, turned into a global, business friendly platform. Since its creation and due to its structure, cyberspace is characterized by its redesigning of the social world, and by its ability to economically integrate firms and individuals for profit motives. This course looks at the interplay between the community, business, and technological dimensions of cyberspace – three dimensions that sometimes coexist harmoniously and sometimes encroach on each other. The course will address the background for the development and technological designed of social media, the social aspects of life on the web, and the penetration of the business world into the web.

The modern approach to marketing is based on a long-term relationship with clients, a goal that requires effective marketing strategy. In social organizations that generate income marketing strategy is critical for achieving business and social goals. In this course students will learn how to implement a marketing strategy in service of social organizations. They will learn market analysis: specification of business and social goals, analysis of the business environment, identifying customer needs and the characteristics of the market. These and other topics will be addressed from an academic perspective but also implemented hands-on, as students will work with various organizations along the semester, creating a feasible marketing plan to sustain their growth.

This course will give you practical tools for initiating, organizing, and managing community-oriented projects. Students will enhance their skills in promoting social projects and in overcoming obstacles in their implementation. They will work on a community-oriented project of their own in which they will apply and exercise the tools learned.

In this course we will learn concepts, methodologies and practical tools for a deep understanding of human creativity. We will focus on personally customized tools for enhancing creativity in various fields, including design and technology. To achieve this goal, the course introduces theoretical approaches from various humanistic disciplines that address creativity, its practical training. The course will also guide students in processes of research and development of personal ideas fostering their creativity.

This course provides knowledge on the world of digital health, looking at information systems and services, and the technological uses in treatment, communication with patients and among medical staff. The course surveys the goals, systems, standards, implementations and uses of digital health, beginning from the individual user, through healthcare organizations and up to the healthcare system. We will discuss the pros and cons of technologies in service of healthcare, and present challenges for the medical systems and solutions and their implementation. The course includes a practical project done in multidisciplinary groups, in which students will work on a solution to a medical challenge by applying design and digital technologies.

Course number: 84099

Method of instruction: lecture

Weekly hours: 2

Credits: 2

Prerequisites: English level B or above

Entrepreneurship and innovation are crucial drivers of business development and economic growth. But where do these two dimensions of progress come from? In this course we examine the historical origins of creative ideas and how they have materialized throughout modern era. We will discuss the history of innovation in technology and in other fields, seeking to understand both its causes and its implications. How did the Scientific Revolution, from Galileo to Newton, affect technological progress? What forces – social, political and cultural – made Britain the leader in inventions during the Industrial Revolution? Why are Jews prominent in business and science? These are the kinds of questions we will look at, focusing on various cases from the past and the present to understand how creative ideas, guided by entrepreneurial action have turned into useful innovations.

The surge in global migration currents has led researchers and security experts to search for a response to potential malicious intent. As a result, databases and complex systems allow us today to identify suspects of terrorism. Because facial expressions convey feelings and intents better than speech, automatic detection is useful both for the detection of terrorist intents and for the understanding and support provided to immigrants. In this course will learn about detection methods and systems, with a focus on facial expressions and other biometric methods, along with key technologies in the field. We will learn about the background for global terrorism today, databases in this area, and global immigration currents. Students will work in multidisciplinary teams on a project, developing a tool based on the identification of facial expressions and biometrics that will serve the needs of immigration and security organizations.

Course number: 82016

Method of instruction: lecture

Weekly hours: 2

Credits: 2

Prerequisites: none

The development of cyberspace has transformed our lives and turned familiar international borders blurry. Everyday life, governments, economies and infrastructures have become increasingly dependent on cyberspace. The internet forms the main infrastructure for national and international trade. Electronic databases and social media facilitate social interaction on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, cyberspace also serves surveillance and aggression on behalf of states, trade parties and criminal organizations. This course introduces the world of cyberspace, its terminology, the risks involved and the challenge of information security. Course topics include: main concepts of cyberspace, its uses and abuses, legitimate and illegitimate actors, critical infrastructures, weapons in cyberspace, different national policies, ethics in cyberspace, and security.

Course number: 82028

Method of instruction: hybrid

Weekly hours: 2

Credits: 2

Prerequisites: English level B or above

This course provides knowledge at the macro-level of various programming languages and of various paradigms in the field. Students will learn about software systems and how to specify  them in visual programming languages. They will also learn innovative interfaces and practice formal visual languages.

Course number: 82016

Method of instruction: lecture

Weekly hours: 2

Credits: 2

Prerequisites: none

The development of cyberspace has transformed our lives and turned familiar international borders blurry. Everyday life, governments, economies and infrastructures have become increasingly dependent on cyberspace. The internet forms the main infrastructure for national and international trade. Electronic databases and social media facilitate social interaction on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, cyberspace also serves surveillance and aggression on behalf of states, trade parties and criminal organizations. This course introduces the world of cyberspace, its terminology, the risks involved and the challenge of information security. Course topics include: main concepts of cyberspace, its uses and abuses, legitimate and illegitimate actors, critical infrastructures, weapons in cyberspace, different national policies, ethics in cyberspace, and security.

This multidisciplinary course surveys the world of wearables emphasizing research and development of solutions and products that combine design with engineering and computational technology. We will address the field of mobility in user-technology interface, and learn about products at the technological frontier of the field. The course gives tools for defining, constructing and presenting a wearable solution. Work will be done in mixed teams from various faculties who will give a presentation of a solution that combines various technological components and its usage.

Biological clocks are known as paces in the organic world affecting physiological, cognitive and mental processes. Therefore, they affect all aspects of human life: everyday functioning, sleep, learning abilities and mental states. Methods of diagnosis and treatment, data analysis and medical equipment have been developed based on biological clocks models. Wearable and environmental technologies (such as smart home) allow us to collect information on human functioning, but also create challenges of developing and implementing solutions for everyday use. This course surveys biological clock processes, looking at key concepts, data analysis methods, and technological implementations for diagnosis and treatment. We will discuss the challenges of developing solutions for patients and medical staff, and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach that combines engineering, computational models and design.

Biomimicry is a multidisciplinary field that studies the connection between the structure and the function of natural systems, and uses this knowledge to inspire and guide the design and development of technologies. In this PBL (project-based learning) course students will learn on key biological systems, analyze them and examine their features that may serve to solve problems and challenges that humanity is facing today. Work will be done in mixed groups of students from various faculties. The course will give students practical tools for developing innovative products using biomimicry approaches.

In this course students acquire knowledge in fields that connect design, art and mathematics, especially geometry and symmetry.

We will learn how to pave planes; what is the difference between a mathematical and artistic views on symmetrical patterns. We will study about fractals and how they are manifested in nature and in the arts.

Technological entries into the medical world in the digital age is changing the relations between patients and medical personnel, sometimes leading to alienation, hostility and even violence.
 

As a result, there is a growing need for preserving and improving patient-caregiver relations. This course places the human factor at the center, harnessing technology for that purpose.

Its topics include communication challenges in public health, multicultural health, and empathy in the patient-personnel encounter. These topics will be dealt with from various perspectives: technological, biological, psychological, sociological and theater performative.

In this course we learn about decision-making mechanisms used in all aspects of our lives. We will work on our own decision-making skills which will serve us in important crossroads in the course of our lives. A decision is a conscious deliberation of choosing one course of action out of many. Acquiring decision-making skills will allow us to make more effective decisions that we confront in today’s changing world, especially in the context of the technological impact on the labor market. The toolkit provided in this course will serve you in any significant dilemma in the future. Awareness to the way decision-making mechanisms work and understanding cognitive failures will enhance our ability to make the right decision. The course includes a theoretical part that addresses decision-making situations and classical models, along with the cognitive failures discovered by behavioral economics, and a practical part in which we will exercise plenty of examples of decision-making situations that we are facing. 

In this course students provide mentorship to high school students with whom they will create a business project, from ideation, through business plan and strategy building, and up to a final product. The project will combine various fields of knowledge applied to business and will be led by an expert on behalf of the organization “Young Entrepreneurs – Israel”.

The course includes 29 weekly meetings during two semesters, in addition to workshops with business and hi-tech mentors, and regional and national competitions. The course takes part in the program of “Young entrepreneurs do business”, an innovation and prestigious program worldwide that is carried out in tens of Israeli high schools in collaboration with many academic institutions.

The goal of this program is to promote entrepreneurship skills of youths through the experience of starting a micro-business. The program provides knowledge, training, and skills for entry into the business world.