1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN ENGINEERING CURRICULA
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Final Project; Critical Thinking; Lifelong Learning
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN ENGINEERING CURRICULA
Ed Goluch
Northeastern University (Boston)

2. Why?
Entrepreneurship education can be integrated into engineering curricula in a way that improves critical thinking and creative problem solving skills
Entrepreneurship training teaches students how to recognize, evaluate, and seize opportunities.
The project is framed to have the students draw on all of their knowledge to determine if a solution exists for a specific societal problem and to think about all factors involved in a decision, not just the engineering aspect
The objective is to develop a final project that
(1) engages students throughout the semester
(2) provides them with an opportunity to apply their technical and analytical expertise while
(3) promoting lifelong learning and societal engagement.

3. When?
The project was run for the first time at Northeastern in the Spring of 2012.
It has been taught each spring since
The idea is based on a final project developed by Brian Cunningham at the University of Illinois in 2005

4. Where? Have you tried this in other institutions?
It has not been extended yet in its current form
Is this developed for a single class, a full course, or a curriculum?
This final project is developed for a bioanalytical sensors elective in chemical engineering.
The concept is being evaluated for implementation in other engineering courses at Northeastern

5. What? What learning activities and materials have you developed?
Introductory lecture on product/market fit
Preparatory assignments during the semester
Final presentation grading rubric
What is your theory of change?
Students are very excited about entrepreneurship
Students are looking for ways to connect what they are learning with the outside world
What has worked really well?
Assigning topics where there is a lot of ongoing research has helped improve the quality of presentations significantly
Having all students in the class do some research on all assigned topics has ensured engagement and accountability for quality

6. Prognosis? How are you documenting impact?
Interim assignments and final presentations are graded
Students in the audience are graded on preparation for the presentation and participation in discussion
How do you plan to scale-up?
Extension to other courses is supported by Sherman Engineering Entrepreneurship Institute at Northeastern
What challenges are you currently facing?
Adaptation to other courses requires knowing the state of the art/boundaries/limitations of the respective fields
What advice would you like from others at FOEE?
Ideas for specific challenges that require innovation in engineering
Strategies for students to learn how to work outside of their comfort zone/personality when they are introverts/extraverts