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Entrepreneurship programs are finding some creative ways to bring experiential education to the classroom covering the full range of the entrepreneurial process from the pre-venture stage of opportunity recognition through the actual operation of a venture. In this edition we look at a classroom exercise, campus-based businesses, and an integrative program known as E-Scholars as examples of programs that provide effective experiential learning pedagogies.
Opportunity Identification and Assessment Classroom Exercise
Dr. Mark Schenkel of Belmont University has developed an experiential exercise to introduce the Opportunity Identification and Assessment process to his introductory undergraduate and graduate students.
He sends his students out to traverse the Belmont campus for about 30-45 minutes in search of business opportunities, instructing them to identify three opportunities for starting new ventures. Upon returning to class he asks them to reflect on the source of each of the opportunities.
The ideas that the students bring back into the classroom can be used to demonstrate:
- the concept of economic opportunity
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the difference between ideas and opportunities within a context that they are familiar with from their daily activities as students
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how excessive passion can cloud good judgment during the opportunity identification and assessment process
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how to create a balance between healthy skepticism about opportunities and creative thinking.
This exercise also is effective for classes that have an entrepreneurship module embedded within the course curriculum. Details on how to run this exercise can be found here. Cross-campus Student Run BusinessesFor those students who have started their own business while in school, many universities have found that establishing campus-based businesses as an effective method for experiential learning. Some campus-based businesses, such as food kiosk's and tee shirt shops, tend to target traditional business students. Still others create opportunities to take entrepreneurship education across the campus. For example, Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois has established working retail art galleries that allow for integration of experiential learning bringing together students interested in the arts and entrepreneurship. At the heart of Millikin's the "Art of Entrepreneurship" program is a retail art gallery called the Blue Connection Gallery. The gallery is integrated into the curriculum of both the Tabor School of Business and the College of Fine Arts.
The curriculum is structured as two separate courses. A 3-credit course involves managing the Blue Connection Gallery. Three 1-credit modules titled "Where are we going?", "How do we get there?", and "What do the numbers mean" instruct students on each aspect of managing a business: marketing, operations, and accounting/finance.
This novel combination of two programs enables business students to gain insight into the creative aspects of entrepreneurship while art students learn the importance of marketing their own artwork. The role of Blue Connection in the Decatur Arts Community is to educate both groups of students, in a laboratory setting, about the importance of self-sufficiency in the arts. E-Scholars Program
The University of Portland, St. Mary's University and St. John's University each offer an intriguing program called Entrepreneur Scholars (E-Scholars). The entrepreneurship curriculum in this program is open to all students from across their campuses. The E-Scholars program at all three schools shares a common three course sequence: Creating a World-Class Venture, Global Entrepreneurship, and Entrepreneurship Apprenticeship. These courses help students to develop skills to compete in the global business environment. A key part of the E-Scholars program is to study abroad where they meet with international business leaders. Students design, implement, and lead a business project that aims to be the best of its kind in the world. They are treated to guest lectures in the classroom and a year-long series of business workshops featuring successful business leaders.
The partner universities are looking for additional schools to join the consortium and are willing to provide assistance in getting programs started. If you are interested in finding out more about joining the consortium of schools with E-Scholars program contact the Entrepreneur Centers and any of the schools.
Share your Stories: Monthly Feature
Deans, Directors, Professors, and Faculty Members: please let us know more about your Entrepreneurship programs and classes. We will feature a dynamic Entrepreneurship program each month in this feature and detail the type of coursework and real-world applications you are using. We are interested in any success stories you may have that originated from using The Planning Shop materials. Have your students started businesses using The Successful Business Plan? Raised money using Finding and Angel Investor in a Day? Found inspiration in What Business Should I Start? Let us now!  International Perspective: ICSB-Taiwan Knowledge Forum – Beyond Silicon Valley
On October 31st, 2008 ICSB-Taiwan and the Small and Medium Enterprise Association (SMEA) held a summit titled 2008 International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum. The focus of the summit was to help promote SMEs in Taiwan through sharing of best practices and case studies of successful companies. The theme of the conference was Beyond Silicon Valley. The summit focused on the three stages of guidance that SMEA develops their courses on. They are the lifecycle of any new established enterprise, that is, the seeding stage, getting the new business established and the continuous growth period. To learn more about the summit and stages click here. Entrepreneurship Position Listings
You'll want to take a look at two great faculty positions available for Entrepreneurship Educators at the University of Illinois and the University of London. For those and other job openings click here. Send your Entrepreneurship faculty listings to Jeff Cornwall for a free listing at our site. Grants and Events December through March is a very busy time for academic entrepreneurship conferences, grants and competitions. To see the list click here. For a free listing of your event or grant, or to announce a "Call for Papers" send your listing to Jeff Cornwall. Pass it on: Share this Newsletter
Please forward this newsletter to your friends or colleagues who teach entrepreneurship or are interesting in moving into teaching in this rapidly growing discipline. And encourage them to register for their own subscription at here. We don't want anyone to miss out.
 Dr. Jeff Cornwall
Professor of Entrepreneurship, Belmont University Editor, for The Planning Shop |
