Early exposure to engineering innovation and entrepreneurship

Abstract

Innovation and entrepreneurship are key components of the skill set that engineering graduates entering the modern competitive and global workplace must possess. Here we describe a new course in Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, intended for freshmen and sophomores. The premise was that the most significant impact of the course would be to present it early in the student's learning experience. The course was developed with funding from the Kern Family Foundation's KEEN program. The goal of the course is twofold: First, we seek to introduce students to the broader context of engineering that installs a mindset accepting commercialization as a natural part of the introduction of new technologies. Secondly, we seek to provide the students with a "toolbox" of skills to understand the business world and to assess the commercial context and viability of new technologies. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2010.