As many students begin the upcoming school year remotely, educators at the Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) have developed a free, patent-pending curriculum and virtual tool called Pactful®, that helps teachers guide teen-aged students to think big, develop solutions to real-world problems and feel empowered in the process. 

Recently named a Cool Tool finalist in the 2020 EdTech Awards,  Pactful® is a free, virtual platform for teachers and teens around the world that uses three phases of design thinking to create solutions for local and global societal problems. Students begin by understanding a problem in their community, based on the United Nations’ 17 Global Goals, and create a solution to that problem by developing their own project prototype. Along the way, teachers leave feedback for students and guide students to the final pitching stage.

Pactful® was created to serve as a resource for educators that provides an inclusive space for young innovative thinkers, of all backgrounds. 

“We believe all learners can build a better world in their own communities and beyond when provided the right context, support and tools. Pactful was designed to recapture the “Lost Einsteins,” and empower learners, educators, and communities to innovate from within to build their better world,” said Dr. Lisa Dawley, Executive Director of the Jacobs Institute, and co-inventor of Pactful.

Earlier this year, students who used Pactful® had the opportunity to share their projects and compete against other students in the first-ever Jacobs Institute Changemaker Challenge. The first-place winner was a ninth-grade team from Mount Everest Academy from San Diego, CA who developed a hand-made, reusable, 100% eco-friendly reusable food bag. 

Pactiful is currently being used across 24 U.S states and 10 countries, generating nearly 240 innovative, social good projects.