Leveraging the unique character of a general engineering program to enhance students' entrepreneurial mindset

Abstract

The General Engineering degree provides a unique foundation to connect engineering with business and entrepreneurship. A significant portion of engineering students are interested in aspects of entrepreneurship which provides a springboard to engage the student's vision and imagination for better business education and better engineering education. This paper will first discuss recent curricular changes to our BS in Engineering degree, partly sponsored by a Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN) grant, intended to enhance engineering students' understanding of business practices, societal needs, and engineering solutions. Initial changes focused on the "endcaps" of our first-year and senior-year courses. Based on those results, an extension of the changes throughout the curriculum may be implemented. Secondly, we identify some distinct characteristics of the general engineering curriculum that provide a fertile ground for this type of integrative, multidisciplinary work to be carried out. The learners within this context are often driven by a need to understand the "why" before they can be engaged on the "what" and "how" of engineering. The justification and explanation for technical topics and concepts are embedded in the broader context provided by a general engineering education. Finally, the paper concludes with an initial assessment of results and plans for expanding the business topics into intermediate engineering courses. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2010.