KEENzine5

This is an excerpt from “Why EM? An Analysis of the Impact of Entrepreneurial Mindset” submitted to Advances in Engineering Education Contributors: Jennifer Bekki (Arizona State University) Mark Huerta (Arizona State University) Jeremi London (Arizona State University) Doug Melton (The Kern Family Foundation) Margot Vigeant (Bucknell University) Julia Williams (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) who succeed will do so with or without exposure to this (and even if we did include it in our curriculum, we wouldn’t be able to determine whether it actually had a positive impact on students). R esponse: We acknowledge that the idea of entrepreneurial mindset is still underdeveloped, though aspects of it (e.g., observing potential needs, generating multiple solution ideas) are already integrated into most undergraduate engineering curricula under the umbrella of “design.” The “fuzziness” of the topic points to the need for more scholarship in the area. As this rigorous research is conducted, the definition of entrepreneurial mindset will become more precise and the relationship between it and other desirable student outcomes will be clarified. In the meantime, for students who are already doing well, exposure to even a loosely defined entrepreneurial mindset is certainly not going to result in negative outcomes. P erspective: As an engineering faculty member, I do not engage in many entrepreneurial activities because it is not what is rewarded in the promotion and tenure process. By extension, I do not see myself as an expert on entrepreneurship and do not feel qualified to teach on this topic. Colleagues in the business school should teach this. R esponse: Teaching is a normal part of a faculty member’s role, and is one of the main areas in which faculty are evaluated. We are advocating for inclusion of the entrepreneurial mindset among the course activities; it does not need to be an isolated activity. We recognize that it is possible that a faculty member may have little to no entrepreneurial experience. However, the ability to navigate unfamiliar territory is a typical part of our role since we strive to prepare students who can respond to contemporary issues. This is characteristic of what it means to be a lifelong learner – something we must model while encouraging our students to do the same. This includes and extends beyond the topic of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, many of the attributes contained within the entrepreneurial mindset (e.g., creativity, perseverance) are consistent with the attributes we expect our students to exhibit as they engage in the engineering design process – which is an area that engineering faculty already feel comfortable teaching. While we recognize that entrepreneurship is a topic that is commonly taught in the business school, it has a place in engineering education as well, since contextualizing a concept for students in a discipline is important. Simply off-loading this topic to another department is a missed opportunity. If we followed this logic, engineers would not teach subjects like math, science, and communication. P erspective: If we teach this, students may want to start companies too early. Students should really be focusing on finding a job. R esponse: Integrating entrepreneurship in the curriculum does not necessarily mean placing an emphasis on starting a company. It also includes developing a certain mindset that will equip them with certain characteristics that will enhance their performance in any job they have in the future. While faculty certainly have the opportunity to influence the career trajectories of their students, it is fundamentally up to the student to decide their own career path, even if it means starting their own business over pursuing a job or engineering-related research. Exposing students to entrepreneurship may also open up new opportunities that would not have been presented in a traditional engineering curriculum. Students therefore have the opportunity to create their own job by starting a business or may have more opportunities as a result of entrepreneurship exposure. 17