Innovative Ideas in Entrepreneurship Education and Collaborative Learning

Facilitated by Clif Kussmaul and Michael Lehman, the Nifty Assignments in Entrepreneurship Education initiative aims to provide educators with practical resources and engaging activities. The Epicenter-PA Meeting at Lehigh University in 2014 focused on unleashing the entrepreneurial potential of undergraduate engineering students through collaboration and networking. Participants shared ideas, materials, and practical takeaways, all geared towards fostering innovation and creativity in teaching and learning. The event emphasized reconnecting with colleagues, integrating new approaches into curricula, and fostering a supportive environment for faculty in Pennsylvania schools teaching engineering. The Melting Pot activity highlighted brainstorming and creativity by combining student interests into unique product or business ideas.

• Entrepreneurship
• Education
• Collaboration
• Innovation
• Creativity

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1. Nifty Assignments in Entrepreneurship Education facilitated by Clif Kussmaul Muhlenberg College clif@kussmaul.org Michael Lehman Lehigh University mil312@lehigh.edu http://kussmaul.org/na.html

2. Every educator wants good materials to adopt or adapt. Conference sessions describe programs, courses, and materials, often at a high level. Colleagues describe individual experiences, often anecdotally. Great ideas may go unreported or lack enough detail to be ideally useful.

3. Epicenter-PA Meeting May 29-30, 2014 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA

4. Epicenter-PA Meeting May 29-30, 2014 Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA Epicenter s goal is to unleash the entrepreneurial potential of undergraduate engineering students across the United States to create bold innovators with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute to economic and societal prosperity (epicenter.stanford.edu). Epicenter-PA is mobilizing to allow that mission to happen on a regional scale through networking and collaboration of Pennsylvania faculty.

5. Epicenter-PA Meeting May 29-30, 2014 Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA Target audience: faculty from PA schools teaching in undergraduate engineering curricula Goals Meet and reconnect with regional colleagues Share ideas, share materials, and collaborate as related to the Epicenter goal Integrate and weave practical takeaways into one s approach on their campus

6. Epicenter-PA Meeting May 29-30, 2014 Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

7. Nifty Assignments help us to share these ideas and experiences easy to adopt and adapt broadly relevant thought provoking fun for students and teachers

8. The Melting Pot Cooking for One brainstorming, creativity Michael Lehman, Lehigh University mil312@lehigh.edu 1. Each student lists 5-10 things they like to do. Be specific. 2. Randomly select 3 things from the list. 3. Combine 3 ideas and blend them to form a product, service or business idea.

9. Bake Some Cookies scheduling, Gantt charts, critical path team classroom activity: http://cspogil.org Clif Kussmaul, Muhlenberg College kussmaul@muhlenberg.edu 1. study cookie recipe (& samples) 2. find missing steps (=hidden requirements) 3. find dependencies between steps 4. find & sketch optimal sequence of steps 5. consider impact of multiple cooks, etc

10. Think Like an Ant idea generation, creativity Michael Lehman, Lehigh University mil312@lehigh.edu 1. Student spends 1 technology-free hour in nature. 2. Repeat. 3. Based on observations, develop 20 ideas for new or enhanced products and/or services. 4. Collaborate with classmate on creating 20 more ideas. 5. Present.

11. Build a Pyramid story point estimation team classroom activity (http://cspogil.org) Clif Kussmaul, Muhlenberg College kussmaul@muhlenberg.edu 1. estimate size, effort, time required 2. initial estimates & projections 3. revised estimates & projections 4. equations & spreadsheet models

12. Roll the Dice business models, presentation skills Michael Lehman, Lehigh University, mil312@lehigh.edu 1. Obtain giant foam dice. 2. Number 1-6 (or 1-12) on a whiteboard. 3. List an element of the business model canvas beside each number. WILD CARD and PICK A CLASSMATE options keep the class lively. 4. Students go to the front of the room, roll the die (dice) and address the topic rolled

13. Crazy Restaurant brainstorming, warmup, pitch practice Alyssa Boutelle, Univ. of Oklahoma alyssa.m.boutelle@ou.edu Form groups, and brainstorm: 1. What makes a restaurant good? 2. What would make it the best in the world? 3. What would make it terrible? 4. Rotate to next group s list of terrible features, and pitch a restaurant that uses them.

14. Stalking Exercise observe people & needs in different contexts Alizabeth Sanchez, Universidad del Turabo, PR alizabeth@amsconsultinggroup.com 1. Focus on an individual for 30 minutes at work, shopping, home 2. Report on individual s characteristics, context (where observed), actions. 3. Consider how to help or improve what they do, and what products/solutions might help them

15. Entrepreneurial Improv Stephan Brand, Olin College of Engineering stephen.brand@olin.edu Game using Business Model Canvas 1. Form teams of 2-4 (even # of teams) 2. Choose groups of 3: objects, trends, target markets, brands, catastrophe 3. Each team gets one trend, two markets, to design product. 4. Replace one of 3 given elements and redesign. 5. Redesign for new brand (you were bought out) 6. Redesign for new brand (again) 7. Redesign in response to catastrophe 8. Trade product with another team and redesign again (you were fired and rehired).

16. Mind Workouts for Teams Nicole Rosskopf, KEEN coordinator, St Louis Univ rosskopf@slu.edu eBook: Innovation Challenges: Mind Workouts for Teams (download or PDF)

17. Know Me, Know You team forming, presenting Sena Agyepong, Ashesi University, Ghana sagyepong@ashesi.edu.gh 1. Given list of basic objects/tools: watch, screwdriver, clothing items 2. Pick 2 tools that describe yourself 3. Pluses & minuses of their choices 4. Present to class learn about other people 5. Look for teammates with complementary skills

18. Football + ? analogy, brainstorm Doug Ayers, University of Alabama dayers@uab.edu 1. Present a challenge (e.g. low attendance at football games) 2. What are competing activities? 3. How to incorporate them into the game day? (bring dirty laundry for washing, etc)

19. Speed Innovation Workout soft innovations, divergent thinking opportunities, Jorge Vanegas, Texas A&M jvanegas@arch.tamu.edu (course with diverse student backgrounds) 1. Form small teams 2. Identify something that bugs you, you love, you hate, 3. Identify things you like, don t like, don t have time for 4. Identify emotions you like, don t like 5. Share in team 6. Brainstorm products to overcome problem, leverage love/hate, emphasize good emotions

20. Wolff Fest Ken Jones, Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, Univ of Houston, kenjones@uh.edu Wolff Fest 3-day event: teams must sell food Rent space, get capital & cash flow Recruit, brand, web apps, Measured: bottom line, top line, acquisition, quality Rotate roles: CEO, CFO, Other ideas Mentor prison inmates prison entrepreneurship program Your Business at the Improv local businesses on hot seat, students solve their problems

21. Applications for Patent Rob McNamee, Fox School, Temple Univ robert.mcnamee@temple.edu Part of 2 evening workshop on tech commercialization Group work: given patented technology (e.g. from university researchers) Identify alternative applications & jobs Using worksheets, etc. website coming soon (LES: Licensing Executives Society)

22. Dont Fall in Love with Your First Idea brainstorming Heidi Neck, Babson College, hneck@babson.edu 3 alternative uses for pencil, paperclip 1. 3 min for as many uses as possible 2. Count who came up with the most? 3. What is 1,2,3 on list? Who else had the same? 4. What is 25? Who else had the same? 5. Takeaway: Don t fall in love with first idea, since many others have it too.

23. How to Make Toast systems models Cathy Hill, Skidmore College, chill@skidmore.edu 1. Give index cards, draw how to make toast. 2. Critique each others instructions. 3. Develop business plan on index cards, drawings (no words). 4. Critique each others plans. 5. Low investment more willing to critique and rearrange.

24. Mythical Creature Jay Krysler, JR Shaw School of Business, NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) jkrysler@nait.ca 1. Invent a mythical creature. 2. Describe in 3 sentences. 3. Have other student draw from description.

25. Accounting Lists Mike Lehman, Lehigh University Create 3 lists: startup expense items monthly expense items Monthly income Visual reminder of business realities (long) (medium) (very short)

26. Make a Duck multiple perspectives Marc de Vink, Lehigh University mad312@lehigh.edu 1. Provide small set of Legos to make a Duck 2. Each person creates a duck. 3. Explain why/how it is a duck (consider differences). Also: False Facts / Opposites Pick industry, list attributes Pick one, false fact it do the opposite

27. Engineering & Branding at the Mall Mall with high & low rent districts Spend all day exploring (smell, taste, touch) Look up, down, Compare stores with different feelings, target markets, etc. See materials, branding, etc

28. Six Hat Pizza Susannah Howe, Smith College (via Mike Lehman, Lehigh University) Based on DeBono 6 Hats: lateral thinking Teams with 6 hats, bike, pizza How to deliver (using 6 hat perspectives)

29. Bag of Fun Jay Krysler, JR Shaw School of Business, NAIT 1. Provide bag of objects, tools (eggbeater) 2. Students draw items randomly 3. Address a challenge, e.g. How can you use (or be inspired by) this object or idea for Valentine s Day?

30. Pain Points Ariel DuChene, Syracuse University adduchen@syr.edu 1. During week between 2 classes, journal all pain points. 2. Share with others, hone in on one. 3. Pick random dictionary word(s). 4. Use word(s) to address pain point.

31. Deserted Island Event icebreaker @ capstone design conf 1. Get comfortable, meditate, imagine you are floating or drifting. 2. You are stranded on desert island, find team & tools to survive & escape. 3. Pitch solutions to entire group. 4. Vote with $$$ for best ideas.

32. Pain Relief Mike Menefee, Univ of North Carolina, Pembroke (formerly Purdue) michael.menefee@uncp.edu 1. Split into groups. 2. Draw name of commercial product to research. 3. Consider positive & negative effects. 4. 5 minutes to convince instructor that their product will solve his/her headache.

33. Wallet Design Revisited market research Tom Westbrook, OK State Univ, tom.westbrook@okstate.edu 1. Tried rapid prototyping of wallet, but it was too shallow & quick. 2. Use wallets to introduce to each other. 3. TA walks through wallet contents, asks detailed questions about contents. 4. Repeat wallet exercise much more effective. market research to reduce risk

34. Mike Lehman, Lehigh University Global 5 Personality Test (free, vs MyersBrigg)

35. Creative Desserts Danner Friend, Norwich University, rfriend@norwich.edu Based on Idea Box, DaVinci Box List sets of attributes: shapes, materials, etc. Pick one from each list & combine for new idea. Creative desserts. Different ingredients, presentation, etc. Recombine elements to pitch new dessert.

36. Idea Generation

37. Intellectual Property and Technology

38. Marketing

39. Finance and Accounting

40. Nifty Assignments help us to share these ideas and experiences easy to adopt and adapt broadly relevant thought provoking fun for students and teachers http://kussmaul.org/na.html