ASUDE'S DIGITAL SOCIAL INNOVATION FOR IMPROVING LEARNING
OUTCOMES CASE STUDY SOLUTION
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pl
SYNOPSIS
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This case study explores various digital interventions (DIs) by the Asude Foundation (Asude) in delivering
education to students in low socio-economic category (SEC) in Aurangabad, India, and the impact on
students’ learning outcomes. The case presents the journey of Asude from its inception during the COVID-
n
19 pandemic, the impact of learning disruptions on children’s education, the DIs Asude employed to
mitigate the effects of learning loss, and the impact of Asude’s interventions.
tio
The focus of the case is identifying the innovations by a non-governmental organization (NGO) to counter
social problems, such as the learning disruptions from the pandemic, and recommending next steps for the
lu
NGO after the COVID-19 lockdowns ended. The case enables students to analyze how digital social
innovations (DSIs) can be used to address social issues, and how NGOs such as Asude must consider growth
So
and sustainability in an environment of changing needs and resources.
OBJECTIVES
• Understand the various means employed by a non-governmental organization (NGO) facing resource
constraints to attain growth and sustainability.
• Understand the need to strike the right balance between the various stakeholders.
• Understand the best way to deliver solutions that are tailored to the needs and urgent demands of the
target population.
• 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.
• Build social awareness in future managers and give them exposure to the non-profit sector.
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
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ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
1. Do you think that the Asude Foundation’s programs achieved the impact they were supposed to have
on student learning in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) schools?
2. Considering that COVID-19 had just struck, do you think the digital interventions (DIs) implemented by
Asude were appropriate to the requirements and needs of the target group and the involved stakeholders?
3. How did Asude foster its digital social innovation (DSI), or what interventions did Asude make to
develop its DSI?
4. How did Asude structure the DSI in the face of the constraints and various institutional voids it encountered?
5. How will Asude grow and sustain its digital social innovation (DSI)? Which strategy do you think
Vyankatesh Kharage will choose? Give pros and cons for each strategy.
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
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pl
m
Sa
n
tio
ANALYSIS
1. Do you think that the Asude Foundation’s programs achieved the impact they were supposed to
lu
have on student learning in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) schools?
The programs that Asude developed (a teacher development program, the Smart Classroom Program, and
So
the North Star Program) had a positive impact on the learning outcomes of the students from the AMC
schools. Learning loss had been anticipated in the context of the hasty closure of schools during the COVID-
19 pandemic, but the DIs (and the efforts of the AMC and the teaching staff) appear to have mitigated the
learning loss. The case study data showed that there was a learning loss of around 4.7 per cent for students
without a smartphone or using a simple feature phone, but there was improvement in learning outcomes of
4.96 per cent for students using a smartphone. There were various socio-cultural constraints faced by the
students that hampered their online learning such as financial and economic constraints, digital illiteracy of
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
, e
5. How will Asude grow and sustain its digital social innovation (DSI)? Which strategy do you think
Vyankatesh Kharage will choose? Give pros and cons for each strategy.
pl
There were different options that Vyankatesh Kharage, as director of Asude, was contemplating in the case,
m
such as scaling up, scaling across, and scaling to fill the voids. He was evaluating all the pros and cons.
The various options that he considered are discussed below and they are discussed with regard to long-term
Sa
growth and sustainability as well, that is, after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students will likely brainstorm various strategies and possible directions for Asude. For example, they
might recommend building some customized digital learning tools or a learning platform to reach out to
n
more students. Based on their own technical and managerial knowledge, experiences, and resources, they
might recommend tools and learning platforms that Asude could develop inhouse or through third-party
tio
vendors such as Coursera or Udemy. They might also suggest that Asude provide devices such as laptops
or tablets to students.
lu
So
needs and constraints of the children studying at the AMC schools and the context of low SEC
the institutional voids that are present in their environment and how Asude can work around these gaps
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
, EXHIBIT -1: THE DIGITAL SOCIAL INNOVATION FRAMEWORK AND ASUDE’S EXAMPLE
DSI Framework Asude Foundation’s Example
Embedded Agency of Organization
Agency Social
Embeddedness
external local institutions This is the starting point of DSI for any organization engaged
knowledge local knowledge in social change. Asude had the agency and necessary ICT
and resources and resources resources, external knowledge, and reflexivity to ensure
reflexivity social structures uninterrupted education for underprivileged children. But it
ICT expertise had to align with the context of the social structures and
norms in which it was operating. Thus, with embedded
agency, Asude was able to understand the socio-cultural
context of attitudes and resource limitations of the target
population. This social embeddedness helped Asude be
more sensitized to circumstances of the problem at and,
e
here: parents who are uneducated and financially
constrained, lack support or funding from the government,
pl
and low digital literacy of all the stakeholders, such as
parents, children, and teachers. These form the formal and
informal social structures of Asude’s intervention. Asude then
m
recombined available resources for simpler but relevant
solutions to match limited capital and its own expertise.
Sa
Problem/Opportunity Identification
(SDGs, for example SDG 4 of quality
education for all)
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
OUTCOMES CASE STUDY SOLUTION
e
pl
SYNOPSIS
m
Sa
This case study explores various digital interventions (DIs) by the Asude Foundation (Asude) in delivering
education to students in low socio-economic category (SEC) in Aurangabad, India, and the impact on
students’ learning outcomes. The case presents the journey of Asude from its inception during the COVID-
n
19 pandemic, the impact of learning disruptions on children’s education, the DIs Asude employed to
mitigate the effects of learning loss, and the impact of Asude’s interventions.
tio
The focus of the case is identifying the innovations by a non-governmental organization (NGO) to counter
social problems, such as the learning disruptions from the pandemic, and recommending next steps for the
lu
NGO after the COVID-19 lockdowns ended. The case enables students to analyze how digital social
innovations (DSIs) can be used to address social issues, and how NGOs such as Asude must consider growth
So
and sustainability in an environment of changing needs and resources.
OBJECTIVES
• Understand the various means employed by a non-governmental organization (NGO) facing resource
constraints to attain growth and sustainability.
• Understand the need to strike the right balance between the various stakeholders.
• Understand the best way to deliver solutions that are tailored to the needs and urgent demands of the
target population.
• 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.
• Build social awareness in future managers and give them exposure to the non-profit sector.
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
, e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
1. Do you think that the Asude Foundation’s programs achieved the impact they were supposed to have
on student learning in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) schools?
2. Considering that COVID-19 had just struck, do you think the digital interventions (DIs) implemented by
Asude were appropriate to the requirements and needs of the target group and the involved stakeholders?
3. How did Asude foster its digital social innovation (DSI), or what interventions did Asude make to
develop its DSI?
4. How did Asude structure the DSI in the face of the constraints and various institutional voids it encountered?
5. How will Asude grow and sustain its digital social innovation (DSI)? Which strategy do you think
Vyankatesh Kharage will choose? Give pros and cons for each strategy.
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
, e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
ANALYSIS
1. Do you think that the Asude Foundation’s programs achieved the impact they were supposed to
lu
have on student learning in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) schools?
The programs that Asude developed (a teacher development program, the Smart Classroom Program, and
So
the North Star Program) had a positive impact on the learning outcomes of the students from the AMC
schools. Learning loss had been anticipated in the context of the hasty closure of schools during the COVID-
19 pandemic, but the DIs (and the efforts of the AMC and the teaching staff) appear to have mitigated the
learning loss. The case study data showed that there was a learning loss of around 4.7 per cent for students
without a smartphone or using a simple feature phone, but there was improvement in learning outcomes of
4.96 per cent for students using a smartphone. There were various socio-cultural constraints faced by the
students that hampered their online learning such as financial and economic constraints, digital illiteracy of
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
, e
5. How will Asude grow and sustain its digital social innovation (DSI)? Which strategy do you think
Vyankatesh Kharage will choose? Give pros and cons for each strategy.
pl
There were different options that Vyankatesh Kharage, as director of Asude, was contemplating in the case,
m
such as scaling up, scaling across, and scaling to fill the voids. He was evaluating all the pros and cons.
The various options that he considered are discussed below and they are discussed with regard to long-term
Sa
growth and sustainability as well, that is, after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students will likely brainstorm various strategies and possible directions for Asude. For example, they
might recommend building some customized digital learning tools or a learning platform to reach out to
n
more students. Based on their own technical and managerial knowledge, experiences, and resources, they
might recommend tools and learning platforms that Asude could develop inhouse or through third-party
tio
vendors such as Coursera or Udemy. They might also suggest that Asude provide devices such as laptops
or tablets to students.
lu
So
needs and constraints of the children studying at the AMC schools and the context of low SEC
the institutional voids that are present in their environment and how Asude can work around these gaps
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
, EXHIBIT -1: THE DIGITAL SOCIAL INNOVATION FRAMEWORK AND ASUDE’S EXAMPLE
DSI Framework Asude Foundation’s Example
Embedded Agency of Organization
Agency Social
Embeddedness
external local institutions This is the starting point of DSI for any organization engaged
knowledge local knowledge in social change. Asude had the agency and necessary ICT
and resources and resources resources, external knowledge, and reflexivity to ensure
reflexivity social structures uninterrupted education for underprivileged children. But it
ICT expertise had to align with the context of the social structures and
norms in which it was operating. Thus, with embedded
agency, Asude was able to understand the socio-cultural
context of attitudes and resource limitations of the target
population. This social embeddedness helped Asude be
more sensitized to circumstances of the problem at and,
e
here: parents who are uneducated and financially
constrained, lack support or funding from the government,
pl
and low digital literacy of all the stakeholders, such as
parents, children, and teachers. These form the formal and
informal social structures of Asude’s intervention. Asude then
m
recombined available resources for simpler but relevant
solutions to match limited capital and its own expertise.
Sa
Problem/Opportunity Identification
(SDGs, for example SDG 4 of quality
education for all)
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 6
