I attended a session at the recent ICSB Conference in Cincinnati that sent me back to my syllabus for the fall to  make some significant updates.

Alex Bruton, from Mount Royal University in Calgary, has taken experiential learning to its extreme with his Venture Design Studio for teaching about the development of a business model. The goal is to increase both the innovativeness and the feasibility of the businesses they develop.

In the course, An Introduction to the Entrepreneurial Experience – designed for all majors on campus, students are taught business modeling by using design thinking in which students develop their business concepts through an intention design process.

Student teams are assigned to come up with an idea for a new venture that will create wealth or change the world by creating the most value possible.

Over the first three classes, students work in class to build and pitch a business model for that venture that would allow it to be implemented. The feasibility of the venture is of equal value to its innovativeness. The goal is to help prepare students to develop businesses that can create real value and that they can actually start.

After three classes of working on their idea, students pitch their idea to the class. They get feedback from their peers and from their instructor. The feedback is used to help make the business model as feasible and innovative as possible.

This process is repeated four times over twelve class periods. Each iteration helps make the pitch stronger and increase the potential value of the venture.

The final pitch is judged by a panel of industry entrepreneurs.

Another innovation about this course is how students are evaluated. They get a full evaluation every time they pitch, but they only receive a grade based on what they deliver at the end of the last iteration. This encourages students to be creative, experiment, and even make a few mistakes as they develop their business model through the design process.

The top two ventures in each class advance to a final pitch competition at the end of the term.

We use many different techniques to help our students get into the heads of an entrepreneur, including guest speakers, case studies, interview projects, and videos. Now there is a more intensive set of resources available to students and faculty at no charge.

Mindset: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial IQ is an online learning program that enables aspiring entrepreneurs to tap directly into the knowledge and experience gathered from some of today’s most successful entrepreneurs:

Distilled from morethan 200 hours of on camera interviews, Mindset provides a look at the underlying beliefs and the behavior that enables entrepreneurs to recognize opportunities and the mindset that enables them to succeed.

The program has the following learning objectives:

In addition to the written and video content, the program also includes recommended reading, additional resources, learning assessments, and a certificate of completion. Total running time is 2 hrs, 38 minutes.

The Kauffman Foundation has established a scholarship to make the program available at no charge to educators and students. Several faculty members have begun to integrate this program into their entrepreneurship classes.

More information is available on Kauffman's website.

Integrating entrepreneurship education with study abroad experiences offers students an important lesson on the transformational power of entrepreneurship.

Anthropologist and Babson Entrepreneurship Professor has developed an off-shore undergraduate course, “Social Responsibility Through Eco-Enterprises in Turkey.”

The course is designed to give students an introduction to Turkish culture and society through active participation in an established social responsibility project aimed at raising environmental awareness, empowering women, and cleaning up one small corner of the planet.

Prior to departure, students explore texts on the topics of social responsibility, women’s empowerment, the proliferation of material waste in the world, and the history and culture of modern Turkey.

During their study abroad in Ayvalk, Turkey, students then participate in the “Garbage Lady” project where women who have never earned money learn to make sellable goods out of local waste.

Interaction with Turkish participants in the program (including their husbands, sons, and daughters) will allow students to immerse themselves in the Turkish culture.

You can see a short video of DiCarlo discussing this course here.

Central Community College, in Hastings, NE, has found a creative way to blend together credit and non-credit curriculum into a single series called, “Become an Entrepreneur: Starting and Developing Your Small Business.” Designed by Business Instructor & Entrepreneurship Coordinator Lisa Tschauner, the eight-week series included session-specific curriculum and lessons, and a build-as-you-go business plan template.

Students had the option of enrolling in specific sessions or the entire eight-week course. If the students took the entire course, they earned two college credits. Bringing together traditional students with life-long learners creates a rich classroom environment. It also offers a very efficient delivery system. By including students seeking credit and those who are not, the chances of a full classroom increases. It can also offer additional revenues within a single course.

Each class meeting ended with a work session for the students to start on the planning worksheets to develop that particular part of the business plan. At the last session, participants presented their business plans to a panel of experts. This structure gives the life-long learners the tangible take-away they seek from such classes. For the students seeking credit, it offers an experiential learning environment.

Click here to see all new and recently posted positions. Send your Entrepreneurship faculty listings to Jeff Cornwall for a free listing at our site.

Only about a month to go to submit your papers and workshops for USASBE 2011, which will be in Hilton Head, South Carolina.The website for paper submissions can be found here. To see a full list of conferences, grants, calls for papers and competitions click here. For a free listing of your event or grant, or to announce a “Call for Papers”send your listing to Jeff Cornwall.

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