Webinars
Throughout the Ciena Solutions Challenge, Digital Promise and Ciena will offer professional learning and mentoring opportunities for educators and students as they reach their Challenge solution. Sign up for our upcoming events and webinars, and find recordings of previous sessions below.
Cultivating Real-World Problem Solvers: Strategies for Learner Engagement
Before creating solutions, learners should have a clear social purpose in order to respond effectively to real-world challenges. In this panel discussion, educators will share practical ways to engage learners in their Big Ideas through past awardees' stories, strategies, and lessons learned.
Date/Time: Wednesday, September 20 at 14:00 UTC / 10:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. PT
Supporting Students with Inquiry-Based Learning
Throughout the Challenge, learners are asked to leverage their problem solving skills in order to develop a solution that will have a beneficial impact in their community. In this session, panelists will share techniques to help learners become confident leaders in inquiry during the investigation phases of their Challenges.
Date/Time: Wednesday, October 11 at 14:00 UTC / 10:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. PT

Connecting Learners with Technology to Design Solutions for Real-World Challenges
The Ciena Solutions Challenge encourages student-led project teams to consider how creative uses of technology can address real world challenges. In this session, attendees will hear stories from educators about how students used technology in creative ways within their projects.
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 30 at 12:00 UTC / 8:00 a.m. ET / 5:00 a.m. PT
Office Hours
This time is dedicated to educators who plan to submit student projects or want to learn more about the Challenge. Educators can ask questions to the Ciena Solutions Challenge team and connect with other peer educators.
Date/Time: Thursday, December 14 at 13:00 UTC / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT
Helping Students Design Sustainable and Scalable Solutions
Student teams that plan to sustain and scale their solutions should consider having a variety of methods to identify existing community resources (e.g. key people, community support, and existing systems, along with creative use of existing tools and equipment). Educators will listen to past awardees share how their student projects have implemented sustainable and scalable designs.
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 30 at 11:00 UTC / 7:00 a.m. ET / 4:00 a.m. PT
Office Hours
This time is dedicated to educators who plan to submit student projects or want to learn more about the Challenge. Educators can ask questions to the Ciena team and connect with other peer educators.
Date/Time: Thursday, February 15 at 13:00 UTC / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT