Online and Remote Learning

To start a new business, you need to find a sustainable, profitable business model that provides value to your customers. In this intensive five-week course, which follows 2928 Market Intelligence & Customer Discovery, you'll use the latest tools and entrepreneurial management techniques to determine the most viable business model for your start-up. You’ll study and discuss a variety of business models, dive into lean-start up methodology to generate insights on potential customers, and refine your value proposition accordingly. Use customer feedback to refine and articulate a strong value proposition. Design and refine your business model through testing. Validate components of your business model in the marketplace. Determine the right revenue and pricing model for your new business. Understand the process and information needed to prepare a business plan.

This interactive course will teach you how to build your start-up by using the sales and marketing tactics best suited to your target customers. Learn the best way to pitch the benefits of your product or service using content marketing, social media, email and search engine marketing. We'll also explore sales, from cold calling to new social media strategies. You'll learn how to set sales and marketing goals and create a viable sales and marketing plan. Understand your target customers and their buying behaviour. Pitch your solution to your target customers in multiple forms. Determine which tactics are best for your product or service. Measure and manage each stage of the process leading up to closing the sale. Develop a sales and marketing plan and define early strategic marketing goals.

In this intensive five-week course, you'll learn the fundamentals of human resources for entrepreneurs. Learn how to build and manage a strong, competent team to ensure that your new business succeeds. Topics covered include company culture; recruiting, engaging and retaining for key roles in your company; motivating and rewarding employees; and best practices in coaching and employee communications. Plan a human resources strategy for your business. Recruit, reward, coach and communicate with employees. Know more about key management values, competencies and practices. Know how to comply with relevant government legislation. Build relationships with strategic advisors.

If you're thinking of starting a business, this practical five-week course will de-mystify the practice of early-stage finance. You'll explore different ways to fund your venture and get hands-on exposure as you learn the basic tools of financial planning, including income and expense statements, cash flow forecasts and balance sheets. This course takes place in a computer lab where you'll work on key financial documents for your business with guidance from the instructor. Identify funding options for your business. Become more comfortable with cash flow statements, balance sheets and income and expense statements. Build a financial plan. Forecast different scenarios to manage risk.  

If you work in the scientific community or in health care and you want to write more effectively about your field, this course is for you. Whether you want to write for the mass media, specialist publications, or for your colleagues, this course will focus your thinking, sharpen your wits and ignite your writing. Come immerse yourself in the dynamic currents energizing science, medicine and public health communications with award-winning journalist Paul Webster. This course strengthens writing skills that cannot be duplicated by chatbots. Understand what constitutes good writing about science, medicine and public health. Tools to make science, medicine and public health relevant, understandable and interesting to lay readers. Become familiar with the market for journalism about science, medicine and public health. Complete a brief story, a full news story, a blog and a short feature. Come away with several story pitches.

Learn the fundamental principles of medical microbiology as they relate to health and disease. This online course was designed by microbiologists from U of T's Department of Molecular Genetics, with contributions from scientists and clinicians from local hospitals and Public Health Ontario. Whether you're an undergraduate or recent graduate, you'll gain a solid foundation in medical microbiology and emerge better prepared for a career in the health sciences. This course also fulfills an entrance requirement for some professional programs. This course is offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine.  Discover stimulating and rewarding aspects of medical microbiology. View interviews with experts and go on virtual tours of diagnostic labs. Analyze current events to understand important concepts in medical microbiology, such as the role of quarantines in containing epidemics. Explore career paths you might not otherwise have considered. Fulfill entrance requirements for some professional health science programs.

Get the knowledge, skills and tools you need to succeed in the rapidly evolving world of public relations. In this course, you'll analyze the types of problems, opportunities, issues and situations that public relations practitioners deal with today. You'll learn how to use traditional and new techniques and social media to help solve the business challenges faced by private, public and not-for-profit organizations.  Analyze what public relations is (and is not) Explain and evaluate how the RACE theory is applied to the ethical process and practice of public reactions Apply research, critical thinking and problem solving skills to help solve organizational challenges Summarize current and future tools and approaches to public relations management Identify/analyze the role of media relations, social media and other public relations tactics for past and current news events for a variety of business sectors Analyze and evaluate several communications campaigns that help manage stakeholder relationships Create strategic and comprehensive communications plans 

In this course, you'll examine the fundamental components of strategic public relations in more depth - how to communicate strategically, how to change public opinion and how to do it ethically. Learn how and why opinion changes - essential knowledge if you're a public relations professional seeking a competitive edge. Through case study assignments and in-class discussion, you'll learn how to identify key audiences, create compelling and strategic narratives, build strong relationships with stakeholders and use persuasion to change attitudes and behaviours. Identify and manage key audiences. Get a strategic communications perspective on reputation management, organizational behaviour, government relations and corporate responsibility. Review and summarize the public relations process. Use advanced public relations tools and techniques to solve issues and manage crises. Apply effective strategic communications concepts to practical problems and real-life situations.

Explore the latest consumer trends and examine case studies from a range of industries to see how research solves marketing and business problems. You'll learn how to use market research to increase return on investment (ROI) and decrease potential business losses. You'll examine qualitative, quantitative, online and advertising research, brand equity measurement, consumer segmentation and concept creation. You'll also learn to identify important consumer trends and consider the challenges of research for online media. Sessions include lectures, discussions, hands-on exercises and group projects. Understand the role and value of marketing research in a successful business program.Commission the right qualitative and quantitative research.Interpret results of research and brand equity measurement.Choose the right selection of panelists for your research.Apply the basics of consumer segmentation to in-market programs.

Learn how to reach and understand consumers using qualitative research techniques, including online focus groups and mobile technology. In this course, you'll explore the steps of qualitative research, including how to define a focus group's target, create a discussion outline and interpret results. You'll help organize mock focus groups and then watch discussions that show qualitative research in action. Case studies will illustrate successful and unsuccessful product introductions. By the course's end, you will appreciate and understand marketing research as an integral part of innovation. Commission the right qualitative marketing research for each situation. Design your own qualitative research and consumer focus group. Interpret results of qualitative research and apply the findings to business questions. Understand new qualitative research techniques. Leverage marketing research to introduce a product or service innovation.