Oracle Education Foundation
Oracle Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization funded by Oracle and staffed by Oracle employees. Its mission is to help young people develop the technical skills and creative confidence to design solutions for people and the world.
Impact at a glance
8,363student hours spent in Oracle Education Foundation classes
192Oracle Volunteers participated in Oracle Education Foundation programs
What we do
Oracle Education Foundation provides classes at the intersection of coding, physical computing, design thinking, and futures thinking. Each class teaches a technology, then asks students to apply that tech to a design challenge and create prototype solutions. Foundation educators lead classes, and Oracle Volunteers coach students. We engage students aged 14 to 18 through partner schools and nonprofits.
Design thinking, meet futures thinking
Designing the future can feel daunting. Even now, new tech and new environments are testing us in new ways. Young people need the creative confidence and ethical clarity to design and build a vibrant future for all. So, with the Institute for the Future’s help, we incorporated future skills—such as how to make sense of loopy, complex systems, build a crew, and befriend the machines—into our classes.
The future of learning is hybrid
Pre-pandemic, we provided in-person classes in North America. Throughout the pandemic, we used Zoom, Miro, and other tools to deliver our classes and engage students and volunteers virtually. The upside of lockdown? Oracle Volunteers around the world coached students in six countries across the Americas. As we emerge from the pandemic, we’re keeping the best of both virtual and in-person learning.
Expanding the program throughout the Americas
In fiscal year 2022, the Oracle Education Foundation expanded its program to Latin America in partnership with Junior Achievement Americas. We delivered virtual Game Design classes for JA students in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. Students created games that address issues faced by local nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations and the communities they serve, including Oracle Giving grantee PROA Institute.
“As a volunteer with the Oracle Education Foundation, it’s rewarding to journey with the students as they learn new concepts, apply design thinking, and persevere through any setbacks to reach their final presentation.”
Student prototype spotlight
Students design and build a game based on a future scenario that helps them break out of habitual thinking and imagine new possibilities. As they take their game from idea to prototype, students learn coding concepts in Phaser, an HTML5 game development framework. No first-person shooter or fighting games here—students in our classes design games that teach, inspire empathy, and build resilience.
Students learn how to use neural networks to build their own image classifier. They first learn how to train a network and then use that knowledge to create an image classifier that helps solve a real-world problem. In this context, students grapple with ethical questions about how we do and do not want to use AI, now and in the future.
Being able to build a personal brand and present your best self through a portfolio is an essential skill today. In this class, students design and code a website from scratch, curating their brand and accomplishments. They also learn core future skills such as how to protect and derive value from their personal data, manage their reputation, and communicate their brand via multiple media.
Being able to build a personal brand and present your best self through a portfolio is an essential skill today. In this class, students design and code a website from scratch, curating their brand and accomplishments. They also learn core future skills such as how to protect and derive value from their personal data, manage their reputation, and communicate their brand via multiple media.
Being able to build a personal brand and present your best self through a portfolio is an essential skill today. In this class, students design and code a website from scratch, curating their brand and accomplishments. They also learn core future skills such as how to protect and derive value from their personal data, manage their reputation, and communicate their brand via multiple media.
Being able to build a personal brand and present your best self through a portfolio is an essential skill today. In this class, students design and code a website from scratch, curating their brand and accomplishments. They also learn core future skills such as how to protect and derive value from their personal data, manage their reputation, and communicate their brand via multiple media.
Video gallery
Photo credits: All images copyright Oracle.