Al Danto, a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at Rice University
Al Danto is a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at Rice University and a recognized thought leader with more than 30 years of experience in start-ups, acquisitions, and entrepreneurship. Danto played a leading role in shaping the Small Business Entrepreneurship series for Rice on EdX, alongside Craig Ceccanti, chief operating officer (COO) at Softeq Development Corporation, and Bo Bothe, lecturer in marketing and co-founder, president, and CEO of BrandExtract. The partnership between Rice Digital Learning and the Jones Graduate School of Business is more than just a collaboration—it’s a strategic effort to expand the reach and reputation of Rice’s top-ranked business programs, including the #1-ranked graduate entrepreneurship program.
We sat down with Danto to discuss his experience building Small Business Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business (Course 1).
Q1: Given the strong reputation of Rice Business’ graduate entrepreneurship program (ranked No. 1 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine), what is your vision for this series of online courses?
A: My vision for this series of online courses is to effectively guide students through the start-up process, from the initial question of "Is this for me?" to understanding the various pathways to entrepreneurship. It’s important for students to realize that they don’t need to have a world-changing idea or take on extremely high-risk ventures to pursue entrepreneurship. There are multiple ways to be an entrepreneur, and this course is designed to help them pursue entrepreneurship in a way that works best for them.
We wanted the course to appeal to a diverse audience, whether they’re starting a restaurant, a tech company, or anything in between. The lessons are universally applicable, and I believe we’ve succeeded in that goal. We thought carefully about how to create a process that could apply to various types of start-ups. For instance, in a healthcare start-up, a founder may need to plan for lengthy regulatory reviews and FDA approvals, which may take years, but are ultimately essential to ensuring your product can sell in the marketplace. You have to consider all scenarios, like who the competitors are, whether the product is viable, and if it can be priced and sold effectively. You need to figure out if insurance companies would reimburse you, among other considerations. Before you invest time and money in developing a product and securing approvals, you have to be confident that it will be successful.
At the other end of the spectrum, if you're launching an online business, you can test and iterate quickly and begin selling products in a very short time, but the same fundamental questions apply. You need to understand your competition, pricing and how to bring your product to market. In this series, we guide students through all these different channels.
Q2: Can you share any particular moments or experiences during the online course design and development process that were especially eye-opening for you personally?
A: There were a few major breakthroughs along the way. This is the first time I ever did something like this and we were really overwhelmed by all the options—from animated characters, videos, links, and a wide range of media tools— and it just became a lot to manage. During an informal meeting with Rhonda Humbird, director of operations with Rice Digital Learning, she mentioned that what students really want is to see you, the professor. They want the experience to feel like a classroom, not just another animated presentation.
This realization was a big “aha” moment for us. We shifted our focus entirely to make it feel more like an actual class—just as we would conduct in-person—where we talk directly to the students. Instead of us being a voice in the background or an animated character, we decided it should be more personal and engaging, like what happens in a traditional classroom setting.
Q3: Developing online courses is a new experience for many Rice instructors who have traditionally taught on-campus or face-to-face. Has this experience changed how you approach teaching in general? What are some of your key takeaways as an instructor?
A: Oh, absolutely. I’m already incorporating videos into my on-campus course assignments this year. Students will not only read about the topics, but they'll also be required to watch our videos. For example, when preparing to launch my fall class in entrepreneurship, I selected and pulled several videos from the online course.
“It’s amazing to be able to say, "Okay, watch this video on entrepreneur pathways," or "Watch this video on how to find a start-up idea," and then when we come into class, the students won’t be seeing the material for the first time. This way, we can dive straight into deeper discussions, applications and concepts.”
Q4: With the online series about to launch, what makes you most proud?
A: There were certainly a lot of pieces to pull together, like filming, scripting, course design and of course, everyone's schedules. We couldn’t just take what we did in the classroom and directly adapt it to an online format. It took a lot of time to figure out how to do that effectively—how to put everything together in a way that would appeal to a wide range of business ideas with different go-to-market challenges.
Q5: Based on your experience, what advice or insights would you share with fellow faculty members who are considering developing an online course with Rice Digital Learning?
A: I think the key is to trust the process and the Rice Digital Learning team. A lot of faculty members are new to this, and they might be unsure about how to approach creating online content.
My advice would be to let the digital learning team guide you. You are the expert in your subject matter, but they are the experts in how to deliver it in the best online medium. They can help you figure out what you want to accomplish and the best way to do it. That two-way communication is crucial.
In terms of planning, it’s important to have clear discussions about what you want to achieve in each section of the course. If everyone is on the same page from the beginning, the process will be much smoother.
It’s been a great experience working with Rice Digital Learning. I can’t believe what we’ve accomplished. We couldn’t simply transfer our MBA classroom content directly to an online format. We had to customize and recreate it to better fit small business owners and the online learning environment.
“The process of creating online courses may seem challenging, but with the support and expertise of Rice Digital Learning, it becomes an opportunity to innovate and expand your teaching impact at a global scale.”
One of the things I often talk about is how people can be intimidated by change or new things, but this will be a fun and rewarding project! The process of creating online courses may seem challenging, but with the support and expertise of Rice Digital Learning, it becomes an opportunity to innovate and expand your teaching impact at a global scale.
You are welcome to contact Digital Learning and Strategy, to explore how you can create courses that reflect your expertise and passion. Join our community of educators who are shaping the future of education and helping to elevate Rice’s reputation as a leader in academic innovation.